darkness

The absence of light. Imagery based on darkness is especially prominent in the poetic books, where it represents destruction, death, and the underworld (Isa 5:30; Isa 47:5; Ps 143:3; Job 17:13; Mark 15:33). Conceived as a curse or punishment (Deut 28:29; Ps 35:6), darkness characterizes the coming Day of the Lord (Joel 2:2; Amos 5:18). God’s appearance is often accompanied by darkness (1Kgs 8:12), which, according to (Gen 1:2), prevailed prior to creation, although (Isa 45:7 and Ps 104:20) assert that it too was created by God.