Original Word: כִּמְרִיר
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: kimriyr
Pronunciation: kim-REER
Phonetic Spelling: (kim-reer')
KJV: blackness
NASB: blackness
Word Origin: [redupl. from H3648 (כָּמַר - stirred)]

1. obscuration (as if from shrinkage of light, i.e. an eclipse (only in plural)

blackness

Redupl. From kamar; obscuration (as if from shrinkage of light, i.e. An eclipse (only in plural) -- blackness.

see HEBREW kamar

Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
darkness, gloominess
NASB Translation
blackness (1).

[כִּמְרִיר] noun masculine darkness, gloominess (?), plural intensive construct כִּמְרִירֵי יוֺם Job 3:5 the deep gloom of day ("" חשֶׁךְ, צלמות, עֲנָנָה); — read ׳כַּמ, see Di Sta^{§ 231}.

III. כמר (√ of following; compare Assyrian kamâru, overthrow, lay prostrate, whence noun kamâru, net, snare Dl^{HWB 336 and} כֹּמֶר priest according to Dl^{HA 42, i.e. one} who prostrates himself; also Mandean כמר turn round, bring back Nö^{M 443 f.} and North Syriac pursue Nö^ib PS¹⁷⁵⁹).

Meaning and Imagery

כִּמְרִיר evokes a picture of impenetrable, choking darkness—“the blackness of the day” (Job 3:5). The term is poetic, drawing on the frightening notion that even daylight can be swallowed by a depth of gloom so profound that it feels alive and hostile. This imagery aligns with a wider biblical motif in which darkness represents chaos, judgment, or the apparent eclipse of divine favor.

Canonical Occurrence

Job 3:5 is the word’s single appearance, uttered by a suffering Job who curses the day of his birth:

“May darkness and deep gloom reclaim it; may a cloud settle over it; may the blackness of the day overwhelm it.”

In Job’s lament, כִּמְרִיר serves to intensify his wish that the day be erased from the created order. The verse piles three layers—“darkness,” “deep gloom,” and “blackness”—to convey total negation of light and life.

Theological Significance

1. Divine Sovereignty over Light and Dark

Scripture consistently affirms that God alone commands darkness and light (Genesis 1:3-5; Isaiah 45:7). Even as Job pleads for כִּמְרִיר to engulf his birthday, the narrative later reveals that God’s sovereign purposes transcend Job’s anguish (Job 38:1-41:34).

2. Darkness as Judgment

The plague of darkness over Egypt (Exodus 10:21-23) and the prophesied “day of darkness and gloom” (Joel 2:1-2) parallel the terror implied in כִּמְרִיר. Such passages remind readers that overwhelming darkness can signify divine retribution or cosmic disorder.

3. Darkness Confronted by Redemptive Light

While Job voices despair, later revelation affirms that no darkness can ultimately overcome God’s light (Isaiah 9:2; John 1:5). Thus, the bleak tone of כִּמְרִיר is set within a canonical arc that moves toward redemption.

Literary and Poetic Function

Job’s poetry often employs rare or vivid words to communicate emotional extremes. כִּמְרִיר contributes to an escalating triad of darkness terms, giving the verse a rhythmic intensification. Its uniqueness heightens the sense that Job is searching the lexicon itself for language adequate to his pain.

Intertextual Echoes

• Joel 2:2 “A day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and thick darkness” mirrors Job’s imagery, connecting personal lament to apocalyptic vision.
• Amos 5:20 poses the rhetorical question, “Will not the day of the Lord be darkness rather than light, even deep gloom with no brightness in it?” reinforcing the theological link between darkness and divine visitation.
• Matthew 27:45 records unnatural darkness at the crucifixion, presenting a new-covenant climax where judgment and salvation converge.

Historical and Cultural Background

Ancient Near Eastern thought associated cosmic darkness with primeval chaos and the displeasure of the gods. Within Israel’s monotheistic faith, such darkness is never autonomous; it is a tool wielded by the Lord of hosts. Job’s use of כִּמְרִיר resonates with this worldview, acknowledging that only God could marshal such blackness.

Pastoral and Ministry Applications

1. Giving Voice to Suffering

Job’s candid plea authorizes believers to articulate profound grief without fear that honest lament offends God.

2. Teaching on Spiritual Darkness

The singularity of כִּמְרִיר offers a vivid illustration for preaching about seasons when God seems hidden yet remains sovereign.

3. Pointing to Christ

The temporary victory of darkness at Calvary directs pastoral ministry to proclaim the risen Christ as the ultimate answer to every כִּמְרִיר experience.

Summary

Though כִּמְרִיר appears only once, it encapsulates the dread of absolute darkness while simultaneously underscoring Scripture’s greater narrative: light belongs to God, darkness is under His command, and in the fullness of time He dispels even the deepest gloom.

כִּֽמְרִ֥ירֵי כמרירי kim·rî·rê kimrîrê kimRireiInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts