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חָשַׁךְ

𐤇𐤔𐤊

châshak

H2821 verb

SILEX Entry

Root חׁשׁך to be dark, become dark, withhold light, cause darkness

Definition

To be dark, to become dark; to withhold or obscure light, either physically or metaphorically. Intransitively it denotes a state or process (e.g., the sky grows dark); transitively it can mean to cause darkness (e.g., to blot out light or cover so as to obscure visibility or clarity). Essential for describing loss or absence of illumination, both literal and figurative, such as the onset of night, the obscuring of heavenly bodies, or descriptions of despair or adversity.

Semantic Range

to be dark (intransitive), to become dark, to cause or make dark (transitive), to obscure or conceal by darkness, to experience deprivation of light, to dim, to hide by darkening; metaphorically, to bring about adversity or obscurity

Root / Etymology

From the root ח־שׁ־ך (חָשַׁךְ), which in root terms conveys the idea of being or becoming dark, lacking light. The verb in its simplest form denotes the absence of light. The noun חֹשֶׁךְ (choshekh, 'darkness') derives from the same root, showing the extension from the verbal idea (to become dark) to the state/noun (darkness). The form and root are well attested and stable in Semitic languages, indicating the concept of darkness or obscurity.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In biblical usage, חָשַׁךְ most often appears in contexts of natural phenomena (the coming of night, an eclipse, the darkening of the sun or heavens), and also metaphorically of adversity, judgment, or lament (the darkening of one's prospects or the blinding of understanding). In the Exodus plague narrative (e.g., Exodus 10:15), it describes the covering or obscuring of light, sometimes as a sign of divine action. Unlike אָפֵל ('aphel'), which can indicate gloom and shadow, חָשַׁךְ focuses directly on the lack or removal of light, not on the ambiguity introduced by shadow. Post-exilic and poetic texts sometimes use the term with a wider metaphorical range, associating darkness ideologically with affliction or the absence of divine favor. English translations often collapse these nuances into 'dark' or 'darken,' but the underlying sense in biblical Hebrew can be both more physical and more figurative than the English 'dark.' The usage does not imply evil per se, but rather the condition or result of light's absence or suppression, whether natural or supernatural.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to be dark (as withholding light); transitively, to darken; be black, be (make) dark, darken, cause darkness, be dim, hide.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

חשך (ḥ-ś-k) — to withhold, to hold back, to spare, to restrain

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H2816 חֲשׁוֹךְ the darkness
H2820 חָשַׂךְ he withheld
H2822 חֹשֶׁךְ in the darkness
H2823 חָשֹׁךְ dark ones
H2824 חֶשְׁכָה darkness of

Word Forms

14 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H2821-02 חָשַׁ֖ךְ chashakhe HVqp3ms darkens he became dark 4
H2821-13 יַחְשִׁ֔ךְ yacheshikhe HVhi3ms he-causes-darkness he causes darkness 2
H2821-09 וַ/יַּחְשִׁ֑ךְ vayacheshikhe HC/Vhw3ms and it was dark and he darkened 1
H2821-14 יֶחְשְׁכוּ֮ yecheshekhu HVqi3mp be darkened they will grow dark 1
H2821-11 וְ/חָשְׁכ֥וּ vechashekhu HC/Vqq3cp and grow dim and they became dark 1
H2821-04 הֶחְשִׁ֑יךְ hecheshikhe HVhp3ms he darkens he caused darkness 1
H2821-03 חָשְׁכ֥וּ chashekhu HVqp3cp are dim they became dark 1
H2821-10 וְ/חָשְׁכָ֥ה vechashekhah HC/Vqq3fs and it shall be dark and she/it became dark 1
H2821-06 תֶחְשַׁ֤ךְ techeshakhe HVqi3fs is darkened she will grow dark 1
H2821-05 מַחְשִׁ֖יךְ macheshikhe HVhrmsa darkens one who darkens 1

Occurrences in Scripture

18 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H2821-08 Exodus 10:15 וַ/תֶּחְשַׁ֣ךְ vatecheshakhe HC/Vqw3fs and it was darkened and she became dark
H2821-02 Isaiah 5:30 חָשַׁ֖ךְ chashakhe HVqp3ms is darkened he became dark
H2821-02 Isaiah 13:10 חָשַׁ֤ךְ chashakhe HVqp3ms will be darkened he became dark
H2821-13 Jeremiah 13:16 יַחְשִׁ֔ךְ yacheshikhe HVhi3ms he-causes-darkness he causes darkness
H2821-01 Ezekiel 30:18 חָשַׂ֣ךְ chasakhe HVqp3ms will be darkened he withheld
H2821-04 Amos 5:8 הֶחְשִׁ֑יךְ hecheshikhe HVhp3ms he darkens he caused darkness
H2821-12 Amos 8:9 וְ/הַחֲשַׁכְתִּ֥י vehachashakheti HC/Vhq1cs and I will darken and I caused to darken
H2821-10 Micah 3:6 וְ/חָשְׁכָ֥ה vechashekhah HC/Vqq3fs and it shall be dark and she/it became dark
H2821-07 Psalms 69:24 תֶּחְשַׁ֣כְנָה techeshakhenah HVqi3fp be darkened they will become dark
H2821-09 Psalms 105:28 וַ/יַּחְשִׁ֑ךְ vayacheshikhe HC/Vhw3ms and it was dark and he darkened
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