---
title: חֲשֵׁכָה — darkness · The Tanakh dictionary
description: חֲשֵׁכָה (2825), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 6 times: darkness. BDB 1906: n.f. darkness. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# חֲשֵׁכָה

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«חֲשֵׁכָה» in the Tanakh dictionary: **darkness** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 6 times · **Key:** 2825 · **BDB:** חֲשֵׁכָה

### Glosses

darkness (5); darkness(es) (1)

### Meaning (OSHB)

darkness [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1495/2825/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

n.f. darkness [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1495/2825/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.f. darkness (chiefly poet.)—ח׳ Gn 15:12 + 2 times, so read also prob. Mi 3:6 (for MT חָֽשְׁכָה); חֲשֵׁיכָה ψ 139:12; cstr. חֶשְׁכַּת ψ 18:12; pl. חֲשֵׁכִים Is 50:10;—darkness, opp. light (אוֹרָה) ψ 139:12; supernat., ח׳ גדולה Gn 15:12 (JE); חֶשְׁכַּת־מַיִם ψ 18:12 in theoph. (but ‖ 2 S 22:12 חַשְׁרַת־מים a mass of water); fig. = lack of understanding ψ 82:5; = distress Is 8:22 (‖ צָרָה), 50:10.

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 6 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (1 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (2 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «חֲשֵׁכָה» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1495/2825/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Psalms 18:12](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.18.12/)

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יָ֤שֶׁת חֹ֨שֶׁךְ ׀ סִתְר֗וֹ סְבִֽיבוֹתָ֥יו סֻכָּת֑וֹ חֶשְׁכַת־מַ֝֗יִם עָבֵ֥י שְׁחָקִֽים׃

*Word for word:* he.made darkness covering his around him canopy his darkness of.waters dark.clouds of.clouds

*JPS 1917:* He made darkness His hiding-place, His pavilion round about Him; darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.

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[Psalms 82:5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.82.5/)

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לֹ֤א יָֽדְע֨וּ ׀ וְלֹ֥א יָבִ֗ינוּ בַּחֲשֵׁכָ֥ה יִתְהַלָּ֑כוּ יִ֝מּ֗וֹטוּ כָּל־מ֥וֹסְדֵי אָֽרֶץ׃

*Word for word:* not they.know and not they.understand in darkness they.walk.about they.are.shaken all \[the\].foundations of.\[the\].earth

*JPS 1917:* They know not, neither do they understand; they go about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are moved.

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