The Hebrew noun ḥōšeḵ (חֹשֶׁךְ) means darkness, obscurity, or the absence of light. It is the counterpart to or (light, H216) and appears about 80 times in the Old Testament. Darkness is the primeval state before God's first creative act (Genesis 1:2), and it serves as a powerful metaphor for evil, ignorance, judgment, and separation from God.
Ḥōšeḵ carries profound theological weight throughout Scripture. In Genesis 1:2–3, darkness precedes creation, and God's first act is to separate light from darkness — establishing a cosmic moral dualism. In the Exodus plagues, three days of thick darkness over Egypt (Exodus 10:21–22) represents the culmination of judgment on a nation that has rejected the light of God. The darkness at Golgotha (Matthew 27:45) is charged with this same Old Testament symbolism — the Son of God bearing the full weight of judgment. John's Gospel declares 'The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it' (John 1:5), proclaiming ultimate victory of light.