Bible:Luke 23:44
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It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour.
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| Luke 23:44 | |
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Commentary
Luke 23:44 is part of the story of the death of Jesus on the cross. In the verse Luke speaks of darkness (ςκότοσ) descending over the land.
Some scholars think that the darkness described is symbolic, however the plain reading of the verse is that a physical darkness occurred, particularly given that Luke specifically mentioned that the darkness occurred between certain the 6th (ἕκτοσ) hour, i.e. midday and the 9th (ἔνατοσ) hour, i.e. 3pm. Regardless of whether or not there was literal darkness, there certainly also seems to be a symbolic message behind this darkness. The readers of Luke, who were predominantly Gentiles, would likely have understood that darkness was connected with either evil or perhaps God's judgement. Additionally, a theme of Luke is that Jesus brings sight to people, and with his death that light was being lost.
| All Versions | |
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| Version | Text |
| Hebrew | ויהי כשעה הששית והנה חשך על כל הארץ עד השעה התשיעית׃ |
| Greek | και ην ηδη ωσει ωρα εκτη και σκοτος εγενετο εφ ολην την γην εως ωρας ενατης |
| Latin | Erat autem fere hora sexta, et tenebræ factæ sunt in universam terram usque ad horam nonam. |
| KJV | And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. |
| WEB | It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. |
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