Matthew 27:45
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.
Original Language Analysis
Ἀπὸ
from
G575
Ἀπὸ
from
Strong's:
G575
Word #:
1 of 13
"off," i.e., away (from something near), in various senses (of place, time, or relation; literal or figurative)
σκότος
darkness
G4655
σκότος
darkness
Strong's:
G4655
Word #:
5 of 13
shadiness, i.e., obscurity (literally or figuratively)
ἐγένετο
there was
G1096
ἐγένετο
there was
Strong's:
G1096
Word #:
6 of 13
to cause to be ("gen"-erate), i.e., (reflexively) to become (come into being), used with great latitude (literal, figurative, intensive, etc.)
ἐπὶ
over
G1909
ἐπὶ
over
Strong's:
G1909
Word #:
7 of 13
properly, meaning superimposition (of time, place, order, etc.), as a relation of distribution (with the genitive case), i.e., over, upon, etc.; of re
τὴν
G3588
τὴν
Strong's:
G3588
Word #:
9 of 13
the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in english idiom)
γῆν
the land
G1093
γῆν
the land
Strong's:
G1093
Word #:
10 of 13
soil; by extension a region, or the solid part or the whole of the terrene globe (including the occupants in each application)
Cross References
Amos 8:9And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord GOD, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day:Isaiah 50:3I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering.Revelation 9:2And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit.Mark 15:25And it was the third hour, and they crucified him.Revelation 8:12And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.
Historical Context
Darkness at noon was recorded by several ancient historians. Thallus (c. AD 52) mentioned unusual darkness at this time, which Julius Africanus (c. AD 221) connected to Christ's crucifixion. Crucifixions typically occurred in public view, but this supernatural darkness emphasized the cosmic significance—not merely a man dying, but the Creator bearing divine judgment.
Questions for Reflection
- Why would God darken the earth during His Son's atoning sacrifice rather than illuminating it?
- How does the three-hour period mirror Jesus's three days in the tomb, and what does this pattern reveal about resurrection hope?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour—From noon to 3 PM, supernatural darkness (σκότος, skotos) enveloped the land (γῆ, gē), likely Judea though possibly wider. This was not a solar eclipse (impossible during Passover's full moon) but divine intervention marking cosmic horror at God's wrath being poured out on His Son.
The sixth hour was when the daily sacrifice began; the ninth hour when it ended—Christ's death brackets the sacrificial hours, fulfilling what the lambs foreshadowed. The darkness echoes Exodus 10:21-23 (plague on Egypt) and Amos 8:9-10 ('I will darken the earth in the clear day...I will make it as the mourning of an only son'). God the Father veiled creation's eyes from the Son's unspeakable suffering as He became sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21).