Lexical Summary chashak: To be dark, to grow dim, to obscure Original Word: חָשַׁךְ Strong's Exhaustive Concordance be black, be make dark, darken, cause darkness, be dim, hide A primitive root; to be dark (as withholding light); transitively, to darken -- be black, be (make) dark, darken, cause darkness, be dim, hide. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origina prim. root Definition to be or grow dark NASB Translation blacker (1), brings darkness (1), dark (3), darkened (5), darkens (2), dim (1), grow dim (2), made it dark (1), make the dark (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs חָשַׁךְ verb be, grow dark (Late Hebrew id.; Aramaic חֲשַׁךְ,  ; Arabic  bear rancour, see LagBN 30) — Qal Perfect ׳ח Isaiah 5:30 4t.; וְחָֽשְׁכָה consecutive Micah 3:6 (but see below); חָֽשְׁכוּ Lamentations 5:17; וְחָֽשְׁכוּ consecutive Ecclesiastes 12:3; Imperfect3feminine singular תֶּחְשַׁךְ Ecclesiastes 12:2; וַתֶּחְשַׁךְ Exodus 10:15; 3masculine plural יֶחְשְׁכוּ Job 3:9; 3feminine plural תֶּחְשַׁכְנָה Psalm 69:24; — 1 be, grow dark, אוֺר Isaiah 5:30, compare (figurative) Job 18:6; הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ Isaiah 13:10 (figurative); היום Ezekiel 30:18 (where read חשׁך, for ᵑ0 Baer חשׂך); Job 3:9 (subject כוכבים), compare Ecclesiastes 12:2 (subject השׁמשׁ, האור, הירח, הכוכבים); impersonal Micah 3:6; (si vera 1.; but read probably וַחֲשֵׁכָה, corresponding with לַיְלָה preceding). 2 have a dark colour: מִשְּׁחוֺר ׳ח תָּֽאֳרָם Lamentations 4:8 darker than blackness is their visage; of the earth הָאֶרֶץ Exodus 10:15. 3 grow dim Lamentations 5:17 (subject עינינו), compare Psalm 69:24 (figurative), Ecclesiastes 12:3 subject הָראֹוֺת i.e. the eyes. Hiph`il Perfect הֶחְשִׁיךְ Amos 5:8, וְהַחֲשַׁכְתִּ֫י Amos 8:9; Imperfect יַחֲשִׁיךְ Psalm 139:12; יַחְשִׁךְ Jeremiah 13:16;וַיַּחְשִׁךְ Psalm 105:28; Participle מַחְשִׁיךְ Job 38:2; — 1 make dark, ׳יום לילה הח Amos 5:8; absolute cause darkness Jeremiah 13:16; Psalm 105:28, compare Amos 8:9 (לארץ). 2 = hide, conceal, followed by מִמֶּךָּ Psalm 139:12. 3 figurative obscure, confuse Job 38:2 (object עֵצָה). Topical Lexicon Meaning and Concept The verb חָשַׁךְ portrays the act of growing dark, being darkened, or having light withheld. In Scripture the idea extends beyond physical absence of light to describe judgment, calamity, obscured understanding, and diminished vitality. Range of Usage Across the Canon (18 References) • Torah – Exodus 10:15 The verb appears in narratives, hymns, lamentations, wisdom reflections, and prophetic oracles, showing its theological breadth. Darkness as Divine Judgment Exodus 10:15 recounts the locusts that “covered the surface of the land until it was black”, a darkness that stripped Egypt of life and mocked its sun-god. Prophets reuse the word to describe covenant curses: “I will make the sun go down at noon and darken the earth in broad daylight” (Amos 8:9). Isaiah 13:10 foretells cosmic dimming over Babylon, while Jeremiah 13:16 warns Judah that rejecting the LORD will cause Him “to turn it to utter darkness.” In each setting darkness signals the withdrawal of divine favor and the nearness of wrath. Darkness and Human Limitation Job laments that the calendar day of his birth should see its “morning stars grow dark” (Job 3:9). Physical strength and perceptive faculties fade in old age when “the sun and the light and the moon and the stars grow dark” (Ecclesiastes 12:2). Lamentations 5:17 notes national trauma: “Because of this our hearts are faint; because of these things our eyes grow dim.” The verb thus conveys finitude, grief, and the erosion of human ability apart from God’s sustaining light. Contrasts with Divine Light Psalm 139:12 extols God’s omniscience: “Even the darkness is not dark to You, but the night shines like the day, for darkness is as light to You.” The same root that underscores human blindness magnifies the LORD’s unhindered sight. Amos 5:8 praises the Creator “who turns darkness to dawn and darkens day to night,” affirming His sovereign control over both. Covenantal and Historical Contexts In Psalm 105:28 the verb recalls the plague narrative: “He sent darkness, and it became dark—yet they rebelled against His words.” The psalmist interprets the Exodus plague as a covenantal sign: God both punishes oppressors and vindicates His covenant people. Ezekiel 30:18 extends the motif to Egypt’s future downfall, demonstrating that the God who once darkened Egypt can do so again to uphold His redemptive purposes. Prophetic Foreshadowing and Eschatology Micah 3:6 predicts that corrupt prophets will endure a “night without visions … the day will darken on them,” exposing false revelation. Isaiah 13:10 and Amos 8:9 enlarge the theme to cosmic scale, prefiguring the day of the LORD when celestial lights fail. Such imagery anticipates the apocalyptic darkness that envelopes the earth before final deliverance. Liturgical and Pastoral Applications 1. Worship: The psalms invite believers to acknowledge both the terror and the comfort of divine darkness—terror for the unrepentant, comfort for those who know that “darkness is as light” to their Redeemer. Christological Fulfillment Although חָשַׁךְ itself does not occur in the New Testament, its imagery culminates in the midday darkness that shrouded Calvary (Luke 23:44-45). The physical eclipse signals divine judgment falling upon the Son and inaugurates the new covenant. By bearing the ultimate darkness, Christ secures eternal light for His people, so that in the New Jerusalem “night will be no more” (Revelation 22:5). Practical Summation חָשַׁךְ warns of judgment, reminds of creaturely frailty, and exalts God’s sovereignty over light and darkness. In ministry it calls for humble repentance, confident worship, and gospel hope anchored in the One who dispelled the deepest gloom through His death and resurrection. Forms and Transliterations הֶחְשִׁ֑יךְ החשיך וְהַחֲשַׁכְתִּ֥י וְחָשְׁכ֥וּ וְחָשְׁכָ֥ה וַיַּחְשִׁ֑ךְ וַתֶּחְשַׁ֣ךְ והחשכתי וחשכה וחשכו ויחשך ותחשך חָשְׁכ֥וּ חָשַׁ֖ךְ חָשַׁ֣ךְ חָשַׁ֤ךְ חָשַׂ֣ךְ חשך חשכו יֶחְשְׁכוּ֮ יַחְשִׁ֔ךְ יַחְשִׁ֪יךְ יחשיך יחשך יחשכו מַחְשִׁ֖יךְ מחשיך תֶּחְשַׁ֣כְנָה תֶחְשַׁ֤ךְ תחשך תחשכנה chaSach chaShach chasheChu ḥā·śaḵ ḥā·šaḵ ḥā·šə·ḵū ḥāśaḵ ḥāšaḵ ḥāšəḵū hechShich heḥ·šîḵ heḥšîḵ machShich maḥ·šîḵ maḥšîḵ techShach techShachnah ṯeḥ·šaḵ teḥ·šaḵ·nāh ṯeḥšaḵ teḥšaḵnāh vaiyachShich vattechShach vechasheChah vechasheChu vehachashachTi wat·teḥ·šaḵ watteḥšaḵ way·yaḥ·šiḵ wayyaḥšiḵ wə·ha·ḥă·šaḵ·tî wə·ḥā·šə·ḵāh wə·ḥā·šə·ḵū wəhaḥăšaḵtî wəḥāšəḵāh wəḥāšəḵū yachShich yaḥ·šiḵ yaḥ·šîḵ yaḥšiḵ yaḥšîḵ yechsheChu yeḥ·šə·ḵū yeḥšəḵūLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Exodus 10:15 HEB: כָּל־ הָאָרֶץ֮ וַתֶּחְשַׁ֣ךְ הָאָרֶץ֒ וַיֹּ֜אכַל NAS: so that the land was darkened; and they ate KJV: so that the land was darkened; and they did eat INT: of the whole land was darkened the land ate Job 3:9 Job 18:6 Job 38:2 Psalm 69:23 Psalm 105:28 Psalm 139:12 Ecclesiastes 12:2 Ecclesiastes 12:3 Isaiah 5:30 Isaiah 13:10 Jeremiah 13:16 Lamentations 4:8 Lamentations 5:17 Ezekiel 30:18 Amos 5:8 Amos 8:9 Micah 3:6 18 Occurrences |
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