Darkness
Darkness Psalm 139:11–12 Excerpt Imagery based on darkness is especially prominent in the poetic books where it represents destruction, death, and the underworld ( Isa . 5:30 ; 47:5 ; Ps . 143:3 ; Job 17:13 ; cf . Mark 15:33 ) in a manner similar to that known in other ancient Near Eastern cultures. 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 ( 1 Kings 8:12 ), which, according to Gen . 1:2 , prevailed prior to creation, although Isa . 45:7 and Ps . 104:20 assert that it was created by God. The Dead Sea Scrolls contrast light and darkness as representing the forces of good and evil, both metaphysically and psychologically; a similar view has been noted in the Gospel of John . More Achtemeier, Paul J., Harper & Row and Society of ...