חֲשׁוֹךְ
cha.shokh
darkness
Lexicon Entry
Lexicon data from STEPBible TIPNR, Tyndale House, Cambridge. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
What Original Readers Understood
ExploredThe Hebrew word "חֲשׁוֹךְ" (cha.shokh) is defined as "darkness." It belongs to the semantic domain of Light & Darkness, indicating that it is a concept closely related to its opposite, light. This word appears 7 times in the Bible, suggesting that it holds significant importance in the text. The meaning of "חֲשׁוֹךְ" is straightforward, referring to the absence of light. However, its range of usage is more nuanced. In biblical contexts, darkness can represent a lack of understanding, a state of chaos, or even a place of fear and uncertainty. For example, in some passages, darkness is associated with evil or the presence of God's enemies. The significance of "חֲשׁוֹךְ" lies in its ability to convey the complexities of human experience. It highlights the idea that light and darkness are not just physical states, but also metaphorical representations of our understanding, emotions, and circumstances. By using this word, the biblical authors invite readers to reflect on the balance between light and darkness in their own lives.
Source data & methodology
Occurrences in Scripture
7 total occurrences across the text
Honor your covenant, for haunts of violence fill the dark places of the earth.
Psalms 88:6You have laid me in the lowest pit, in the darkest depths.
Psalms 88:18You have put lover and friend far from me, and my friends into darkness.
Psalms 143:3For the enemy pursues my soul. He has struck my life down to the ground. He has made me live in dark places, as those who have been long dead.
Isaiah 29:15Woe to those who deeply hide their counsel from Yahweh, and whose deeds are in the dark, and who say, “Who sees us?” and “Who knows us?”
Isaiah 42:16I will bring the blind by a way that they don’t know. I will lead them in paths that they don’t know. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. I will do these things, and I will not forsake them.
Lamentations 3:6He has made me dwell in dark places, as those who have been long dead.