Proverbs 7:9 — Word Study
WLCבְּנֶֽשֶׁף־ בְּעֶ֥רֶב י֑וֹם בְּאִישׁ֥וֹן לַ֝֗יְלָה וַאֲפֵלָֽה׃
BSAat twilightnesheph [dusk, as the light faded] as the day was fadingʻereb [a 24-hour period, a space of time] into the darkʼăphêlâh [black and dark, middle of the night] of the nightʼîyshôwn [a period of rest, adversity, or hardship]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| בְּנֶֽשֶׁף־ | at twilight | Preposition, noun common masculine singular absolute |
| בְּעֶ֥רֶב | in [the] evening of | Preposition, noun common masculine singular construct |
| י֑וֹם | [the] day | Noun common, masculine singular absolute |
| בְּאִישׁ֥וֹן | in [the] middle of | Preposition, noun common masculine singular construct |
| לַ֝֗יְלָה | [the] night | Noun common, masculine singular absolute |
| וַאֲפֵלָֽה׃ | and darkness | Conjunction, noun common feminine singular absolute |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | at twilight, as the day was fading into the dark of the night. |
| KJV | In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night: |
| ASV | In the twilight, in the evening of the day, In the middle of the night and in the darkness. |
| YLT | In the twilight — in the evening of day, In the darkness of night and blackness. |
| WEB | in the twilight, in the evening of the day, in the middle of the night and in the darkness. |
| BBE | At nightfall, in the evening of the day, in the black dark of the night. |
Where they part company is in the rendering of נֶשֶׁף — see How Translations Differ.
The main clause introduces the time of day, with two subordinate phrases providing additional context about the fading light and the impending darkness.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Proverbs 7:9
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — The Warning Against Adulterygenerated
Proverbs 7:9 describes a critical moment of transition from day to night, emphasizing the vulnerability that comes with twilight. This verse serves as a backdrop to the warnings about the dangers of temptation and seduction, as illustrated in the surrounding verses. The imagery of dusk sets a tone of caution, as the day fades and darkness begins to envelop the scene.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Genesis 39:11 | One day, however, Joseph went into the house to attend to his work, and not a single household servant was inside. |
| 2 | Job 24:13–15 | Then there are those who rebel against the light, not knowing its ways or staying on its paths. |
| 3 | Romans 13:12–14 | The night is nearly over; the day has drawn near. So let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. |
| 4 | Ephesians 5:11 | Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. |
| 5 | Exodus 12:6 | You must keep it until the fourteenth day of the month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel will slaughter the animals at twilight. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 5 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — נֶשֶׁף, be.ne.shef-generated
The word נֶשֶׁף (neshef) refers to twilight, the time when the evening breeze is felt, marking the transition between day and night. It encompasses both evening and morning twilight, indicating a period of change. This word is derived from a root that means 'breeze,' highlighting its connection to the atmospheric shifts during these times.
In this verse, נֶשֶׁף signifies the moment when light begins to fade, creating an atmosphere of uncertainty and potential danger. It sets the stage for the events that follow, emphasizing the need for vigilance during this vulnerable time.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
Translations agree on the rendering of נֶשֶׁף as twilight across the versions: BSB, KJV, ASV, YLT, WEB, and BBE.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The sentence structure is built around a series of prepositional phrases that describe the time and setting: בְּנֶֽשֶׁף־, בְּעֶ֥רֶב, י֑וֹם, בְּאִישׁ֥וֹן, and לַ֝֗יְלָה. Each phrase adds detail to the scene, creating a vivid picture of the transition into night.
The emphasis here is on the progression from day to night, with the finite verb implied in the context, suggesting a continuous action of fading.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates נֶשֶׁף as σκότει, which means 'darkness.' This choice reflects a narrowing of focus from the transitional time of twilight to the state of darkness that follows, emphasizing the dangers associated with the night.
This shift in translation highlights the potential for moral and physical peril that the text warns against, as the light fades.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Proverbs 7:9 describes a scene at twilight when the day is turning into night. This time of day is often seen as a moment of vulnerability, and it sets the stage for the warnings about temptation that follow in the chapter.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
Twilight signifies a transition period, often associated with caution and vulnerability, as the light fades and darkness approaches.
The time of day highlights the dangers of temptation, suggesting that moments of vulnerability can lead to poor choices.
This verse sets the scene for the warnings about seduction and temptation that follow, emphasizing the need for vigilance.
The imagery serves as a reminder to be cautious during times of transition, as they can be moments of increased risk.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what areas of my life do I feel vulnerable during times of transition?
- How can I be more aware of potential temptations that arise in my daily life?
- What practical steps can I take to guard against the dangers highlighted in this verse?
- How does understanding the context of this verse help me apply its lessons today?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Bede comments on this verse, highlighting the moral implications of the twilight setting as a time of temptation.
In the twilight, in the evening of the day, etc. Because such a one, through the blindness of the heart, hastens to the darkness, both of sin and damnation.Early Church Fathers on Proverbs 7 →
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Proverbs 7:9 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleIn the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night.
Read John Gill on Proverbs 7 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryIn the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night: In the twilight, in the evening - (Hebrew, in the evening of the day).
Read Robert Jamieson on Proverbs 7 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleIn the evening; when the day labour being ended, he was at leisure for any thing; and when such strumpets used to walk abroad for prey. In the black and dark night; when it begun to be black and dark.
Read Matthew Poole on Proverbs 7 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsProverbs 7:9 In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night:Ver. 9. In the black and dark night.] Thinking to obscure himself; but Solomon saw him, how much more God, cui obscura patent, muta respondent, silentium confitetur, before whom night will convert itself into noon, and silence prove a speaking evidence. Foolish men think to hide themselves from God, by hiding God from themselves. See Psalms 139:11-12.
Read John Trapp on Proverbs 7 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(9) In the twilight . . .—He has no excuse of sudden temptation to offer; from twilight till dark night he had trifled with danger, and now at last his “calamity comes” (Proverbs 6:15).
Read Charles John Ellicott on Proverbs 7 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 9. In the twilight, in the evening] Some time after sun-setting; before it was quite dark. In the black and dark night] When there were neither lamps nor moon-shine.
Read AdamClarke on Proverbs 7 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges9. black and dark night] Lit. in the pupil (of the eye) of the night, and the darkness. The Heb. word for pupil is the same as that rendered apple (of thine eye), Proverbs 7:2. It is used again poetically, as here, in Proverbs 20:20, in the blackest darkness, R.V. lit. in the pupil (of the eye) of darkness. The short twilight of those latitudes is quickly followed by the blackness of night: which things are here perchance an allegory.
Read Cambridge on Proverbs 7 →Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible9. In the twilight… dark night — A difficult verse, on account of the seeming contrariety of terms. On the one hand, twilight, evening; on the other, the black and dark night, literally, the pupil of the eye of night — midnight.
Read Daniel Denison Whedon on Proverbs 7 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
at twilight, as the day was fading into the dark of the night.
in the twilight, in the evening of the day, in the middle of the night and in the darkness.
at twilight, as the day was fading into the dark of the night.
in the twilight, the evening, in the dark of the night.
Tyndale line
In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night:
In the twilight, in the evening of the day, In the middle of the night and in the darkness.
In the twilight, in the evening of the day, in the blackness of night and the darkness.
In the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark night:
In the twilight in the euening, when the night began to be blacke and darke.
Strictly literal
in the twilight, in the evening of the day, in the blackness of night and the darkness.
In the twilight — in the evening of day, In the darkness of night and blackness.
In the twilight—in the evening of day, || In the darkness of night and blackness.
In the twilight, in the evening of the day, in the depth of the night and when it was dark:
It was twilight, in the evening of the day, at the time of night and darkness.
From the Latin
In the dark, when it grows late, in the darkness and obscurity of the night,
Simplified
It was at dusk in the evening, as the light was fading and the dark night closed in.
At nightfall, in the evening of the day, in the black dark of the night.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint show agreement in the overall message, although only 3 of the 6 words match directly. The Septuagint's different word order and articles reflect its own interpretative choices.
בְּנֶֽשֶׁף־ בְּעֶ֥רֶב י֑וֹם בְּאִישׁ֥וֹן לַ֝֗יְלָה וַאֲפֵלָֽה׃
3 of the 6 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Proverbs 7:9
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
נֶ֫שֶׁף (nesheph) refers to twilight, specifically the time of day when the evening breeze is felt. It encompasses both evening and morning twilight, indicating a transition period between day and night. The word is derived from a root that means 'breeze,' highlighting its connection to the atmospheric changes during these times.
נֶ֫שֶׁף n.m. twilight (prop. twilight-breeze)
evening twilight
morning twilight
base
H5399 נֶ֫שֶׁף twilight (prop. twilight-breeze) . evening twilight
. morning twilight
5399 nesheph neh'-shef
from 5398; properly, a breeze, i.e. (by implication) dusk
(when the evening breeze prevails):--dark, dawning of the day
(morning), night, twilight.
see HEBREW for 05398
נֶ֫שֶׁף (ne.sheph) — twilight.
1) twilight
1a) evening twilight
1b) morning twilight
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular absoluteHR/Ncmsa
twi'-lit (nesheph): The twilight of Palestine is of short duration, owing to the low latitude, there being scarcely more than an hour between sunset and complete darkness. It is a distinct boundary between daytime and the darkness. The people of Palestine still give the time of an event as so many hours before or after sunrise or sunset: "David smote them from the twilight even unto the evening of the next day" (1Sa 30:17), and "They rose up in the twilight to go" (2Ki 7:5). The word is evidenly used in the sense of darkness in "the stars of twilight" (Job 3:9) and "The adulterer waiteth for the twilight" (Job 24:15). the King James Version has "twilight" in
עֶ֫רֶב (ereb) refers to the time of day known as evening or dusk, originally associated with sunset. It can also denote night, particularly in poetic contexts. The phrase 'between two evenings' suggests a time frame between sunset and darkness.
עֶ֫רֶב 131 n.[m.] (sun)set, evening
evening, orig. sunset
du. in phrase between two evenings, i.e. prob. between sunset and dark
(late poet.) = night
base
H6153 עֶ֫רֶב (sun)set, evening . . evening, orig. sunset
. du. in phrase between two evenings, i.e. prob. between sunset and dark
. (late poet.) = night
6153 `ereb eh'-reb
from 6150; dusk:--+ day, even(-ing, tide), night.
see HEBREW for 06150
עֶ֫רֶב (e.rev) — evening.
1) evening, night, sunset
1a) evening, sunset
1b) night
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular constructHR/Ncmsc
ov:
(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.
OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]
1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.
I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.
For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.
It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.
Lamentations 3:1.
The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.
Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.
That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.
Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…
יוֹם (yowm) means 'day' and refers to a division of time, contrasting with night. It can denote a literal 24-hour period, a general time span, or even a year. The term is used in various contexts, including the 'day of Yahweh,' which signifies a time of divine judgment. It also appears in phrases indicating temporal references like today, yesterday, and tomorrow.
יוֹם 2285 n.m. day
day, opp. night
Day as division of time
יוֹם י׳ day of Yahweh, chiefly as time of his coming in judgment, involving often blessedness for righteous
Pl. days of anyone
Days
יוֹם = time
Phrases
base
H3117 יוֹם day . day, opp. night
. Day as division of time
. יוֹם י׳ day of Yahweh, chiefly as time of his coming in judgment, involving often blessedness for righteous
. Pl. days of anyone
. Days
. יוֹם = time
. Phrases
3117 yowm yome
from an unused root meaning to be hot; a day (as the warm
hours), whether literal (from sunrise to sunset, or from one
sunset to the next), or figurative (a space of time defined by
an associated term), (often used adverb):--age, + always, +
chronicals, continually(-ance), daily, ((birth-), each, to)
day, (now a, two) days (agone), + elder, X end, + evening, +
(for) ever(-lasting, -more), X full, life, as (so) long as
(... live), (even) now, + old, + outlived, + perpetually,
presently, + remaineth, X required, season, X since, space,
then, (process of) time, + as at other times, + in trouble,
weather, (as) when, (a, the, within a) while (that), X whole
(+ age), (full) year(-ly), + younger.
יוֹם (yom) — day.
: day/when/time/period
1) day, time, year
1a) day (as opposed to night)
1b) day (24 hour period)
1b1) as defined by evening and morning in Genesis 1
1b2) as a division of time
1b2a) a working day, a day's journey
1c) days, lifetime (pl.)
1d) time, period (general)
1e) year
1f) temporal references
1f1) today
1f2) yesterday
1f3) tomorrow
יוֹם (yom) — day: old.
: old/(full/many)[days]
1) day, time, year
1a) day (as opposed to night)
1b) day (24 hour period)
1b1) as defined by evening and morning in Genesis 1
1b2) as a division of time
1b2a) a working day, a day's journey
1c) days, lifetime (pl.)
1d) time, period (general)
1e) year
1f) temporal references
1f1) today
1f2) yesterday
1f3) tomorrow
יוֹם (yom) — day: year.
: year[of_days]
1) day, time, year
1a) day (as opposed to night)
1b) day (24 hour period)
1b1) as defined by evening and morning in Genesis 1
1b2) as a division of time
HNcmsa — Noun common · masculine singular absoluteHNcmsa
da (yom; hemera): This common word has caused some trouble to plain readers, because they have not noticed that the word is used in several different senses in the English Bible. When the different uses of the word are understood the difficulty of interpretation vanishes. We note several different uses of the word:
(1) It sometimes means the time from daylight till dark. This popular meaning is easily discovered by the context, e. g. Ge 1:5; 8:22, etc. The marked periods of this daytime were morning, noon and night, as with us. See Ps 55:17. The early hours were sometimes called "the cool of the day" (Ge 3:8). After the exile the day. or daytime was divided into twelve hours and the night into twelve (see
Day
The Jews reckoned the day from sunset to sunset (Lev. 23:32). It was originally divided into three parts (Ps. 55:17). “The heat of the day” (1 Sam. 11:11; Neh. 7:3) was at our nine o’clock, and “the cool of the day” just before sunset (Gen. 3:8). Before the Captivity the Jews divided the night into three watches, (1) from sunset to midnight (Lam. 2:19); (2) from midnight till the cock-crowing (Judg. 7:19); and (3) from the cock-crowing till sunrise (Ex.…
The variable length of the natural day at different seasons led in the very earliest times to the adoption of the civil day (or one revolution of the sun) as a standard of time. The Hebrews reckoned the day from evening to evening, (Leviticus 23:32) deriving it from (Genesis 1:5) "the evening and the morning were the first day." The Jews are supposed, like the modern Arabs, to have adopted from an early period minute specifications of the parts of the natural day. Roughly, indeed, they were content to divide it into "morning, evening and noonday," (Psalms 55:17) but when they wished for greater accuracy they pointed to six unequal parts, each of which was again subdivided. These are held to have been -- "the dawn." "Sunrise."…
The day is distinguished into natural, civil, and artificial. The natural day is one revolution of the earth on its axis. The civil day is that, the beginning and the end of which are determined by the custom of any nation. The Hebrews began their day in the evening, Le 23:32; the Babylonians at sunrise; and we begin at midnight. The artificial day is the time of the sun’s continuance above the horizon, which is unequal according to different seasons, on account of the obliquity of the equator. The sacred writers generally divide the day into twelve hours. The sixth hour always ends at noon throughout the year; and the twelfth hour is the last hour before sunset. But in summer, all the hours of the day were longer than in winter, while those of night were shorter. See HOURS, and THREE.
אִישׁוֹן (iyshown) means 'pupil of the eye' and can also refer to the 'middle of the night,' indicating deep darkness. It is a diminutive form derived from אִישׁ (iysh), meaning 'man.' The entries consistently emphasize its connection to both vision and darkness.
אִישׁוֹן n.[m.] pupil of eye
base
H380 אִישׁוֹן pupil of eye
380 'iyshown ee-shone'
diminutive from 376; the little man of the eye; the pupil or
ball; hence, the middle (of night):--apple (of the eye),
black, obscure.
see HEBREW for 0376
אִישׁוֹן (i.shon) — pupil.
1) pupil of the eye
2) middle of the night (that is the deepest blackness)
Prep | N-ms — Preposition · noun common masculine singular constructHR/Ncmsc
ov:
(1) In Anglo-Saxon, had the meaning "from," "away from" (as the strengthened form "off" has still), and was not used for genitive or possessive relations, these being expressed by special case-forms. In the Norman period, however, "of" was taken to represent the French de (a use well developed by the time of Chaucer), and in the Elizabethan period both senses of "of" were in common use. But after about 1600 the later force of the word became predominant, and in the earlier sense (which is now practically obsolete) it was replaced by other prepositions. In consequence the King James Version (and in some cases the Revised Version (British and American)) contains many uses of "of" that are no longer familiar--most of them, to be sure, causing no difficulty, but there still being a few responsible for real obscurities.
OF, preposition ov. [Gr.]
1. From or out of; proceeding from, as the cause, source, means, author or agent bestowing.
I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you. 1 Corinthians 11:1.
For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts. Joshua 11:1.
It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed.
Lamentations 3:1.
The whole disposing thereof is of the Lord. Proverbs 16:1.
Go, inquire of the Lord for me. 2 Chronicles 34:2.
That holy thing that shall be born of thee. Luke 1:1.
Hence of is the sign of the genitive case, the case that denotes production; as the son of man, the son proceeding from man, produced from man. This is the primary sense, although we now say, produced by man. 'Part of these were slain; ' that is, a number separate, for part denotes a division; the sense then is, a number from or out of the whole were slain. So also, 'some of these were slain; ' that is…
לַ֫יְלָה (layil) means 'night' and is derived from a root that suggests a twist away from light. It encompasses the literal sense of night as opposed to day, as well as figurative uses related to gloom or adversity. The term appears in contexts like Isaiah 21:11.
לַ֫יְלָה, לַ֫יִל 242 n.m. night
base
H3915 לַ֫יְלָה, לַ֫יִל night
3915 layil lah'-yil
or (Isa. 21:11) leyl {lale}; also laylah {lah'- yel-aw}; from
the same as 3883; properly, a twist (away of the light), i.e.
night; figuratively, adversity:--((mid-))night (season).
see HEBREW for 03883
לַ֫יְלָה (lay.lah) — night.
1) night
1a) night (as opposed to day)
1b) of gloom, protective shadow (fig.)
HNcmsa — Noun common · masculine singular absoluteHNcmsa
nit.
See DAY AND NIGHT for the natural usage and the various terms.
1. In the Old Testament:
Figurative uses: The word "night" (laylah or layil is sometimes used figuratively in the Old Testament. Thus, Moses compares the brevity of time, the lapse of a thousand years, to "a watch in the night" (Ps 90:4). Adversity is depicted by it in such places as Job 35:10; compare Isa 8:20; Jer 15:9. Disappointment and despair are apparently depicted by it in the "burden of Dumah" (Isa 21:11,12); and spiritual blindness, coming upon the false prophets (Mic 3:6); again sudden and…
[DAY]
The ancient Hebrews began their artificial day at evening, and ended it the next evening, so that the night proceeded the day. This usage may probably be traced to the terms employed in describing the creation, Ge 1:5,8,13, etc., "The evening and the morning were the first day." The Hebrews allowed twelve to the day; but these hours were not equal, except at the equinox. At other times, when the hours of the night were long, those of the day were short, as in winter; and when the hours of night were short, as at midsummer, the hours of the day were long in proportion. See HOURS.
The nights are sometimes extremely cold in Syria, when the days are very hot; and travelers in the deserts and among the mountains near Palestine refer to their own sufferings from these opposite extremes, in illustration of Jacob’s words in
אֲפֵלָה (aphelah) is a feminine noun meaning darkness or gloominess, and it can also refer to calamity or misfortune. It is derived from a related term that emphasizes concealment. The entries highlight its use in both concrete and figurative contexts, including associations with wickedness.
אֲפֵלָה n.f. darkness, gloominess, calamity
base
H653 אֲפֵלָה darkness, gloominess, calamity
653 'aphelah af-ay-law'
feminine of 651; duskiness, figuratively, misfortune;
concrete, concealment:--dark, darkness, gloominess, X thick.
see HEBREW for 0651
אֲפֵלָה (a.phe.lah) — darkness.
1) darkness, gloominess, calamity
2) wickedness (fig.)
Conj | N-fs — Conjunction · noun common feminine singular absoluteHC/Ncfsa
Darkness
The plague (the ninth) of darkness in Egypt (Ex. 10:21) is described as darkness “which may be felt.” It covered “all the land of Egypt,” so that “they saw not one another.” It did not extend to the land of Goshen (ver. 23).
When Jesus hung upon the cross (Matt. 27:45; Luke 23:44), from the “sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.”
is spoken of as encompassing the actual presence of God, as that out of which he speaks, --the envelope, as it were, of divine glory. (Exodus 20:21; 1 Kings 8:12) The plague of darkness in Egypt was miraculous. The darkness "over all the land," (Matthew 27:45) attending the crucifixion has been attributed to an eclipse, but was undoubtedly miraculous, as no eclipse of the sun could have taken place at that time, the moon being at the full at the time of the passover. Darkness is also, as in the expression "land of darkness," used for the state of the dead, (Job 10:21,22) and frequently, figuratively, for ignorance and unbelief, as the privation of spiritual light. (
The absence of natural light, Ge 1:2, and hence figuratively a state of misery and adversity, Job 18:6 Ps 107:10 Isa 8:22 9:1; also the absence of the sun and stars, and hence the fall of chief men and national convulsions, Isa 13:10 Ac 2:20. "Works of darkness," are the impure mysteries practiced in heathen worship, Eph 5:11. "Outer darkness" illustrates the gloom of those on whom the gates of heaven are closed, Mt 8:12. The darkness in Egypt,