מַחְשָׁךְ (mach.shakh)
mach.shakh
darkness
H:N-MQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 5 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-M
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun machshakh refers to a dark place, often carrying connotations of secrecy or concealment. It appears in only five verses, primarily within the poetic books of Psalms, Isaiah, and Lamentations. Rather than describing mere absence of light, the word frequently points to a physical location where one is hidden or trapped.
Its usage ranges from literal dark regions to metaphorical hiding-places and even the grave. In Psalm 18:29, for instance, it describes how God’s light dispels the darkness that surrounds the psalmist. The term suggests an environment of obscurity, where visibility is lost and safety or danger depends on what lies within those shadows.
The word shares roots with other Hebrew terms for night or shadow, but its specific nuance emphasizes enclosure and obscurity. Translators often render it as "darkness" or "gloom," capturing the sense of being enveloped in a space where things are hidden from view.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word machshakh describes more than just a lack of light; it points to a place of enclosure, secrecy, or concealment. In the Bible, this darkness often represents a physical location where one is hidden, trapped, or separated from the safety of visibility. It captures the feeling of being enveloped in obscurity, where the world outside feels distant and unknown.
For your faith life, this word reminds you that God sees even in the most concealed places. When you feel hidden by circumstances or surrounded by confusion, His presence is not limited by shadows. He brings light to what is dark and leads those who are lost through paths they cannot see, offering guidance when visibility fails.
Though darkness can feel isolating, it does not hide you from God’s care. You can trust that He walks with you through these enclosed spaces, turning obscurity into a place where His truth becomes clear. This assurance brings peace, knowing that no shadow is too deep for His light to reach.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 5 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- in/ dark places2×
- in/ a dark place1×
- [the] dark places of1×
- [the] dark place1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- מַחֲשַׁכֵּי\־1×
- מַחְשָׁ֨ךְ1×
- בְּ/מַחֲשַׁכִּ֥ים1×
- בְ֝/מַחֲשַׁכִּ֗ים1×
- בְ/מַחְשָׁךְ֙1×
Key Verses
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Isaiah 42:16
I will bring the blind by a way that they don’t know. I will lead them in paths that they don’t know. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. I will do these things, and I will not forsake them.
This verse highlights God’s active role in transforming darkness into light and guiding the blind through unknown paths, showing His power to lead even when visibility is absent.
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Psalms 74:20
Honor your covenant, for haunts of violence fill the dark places of the earth.
Here, dark places are associated with violence and broken covenants, illustrating how machshakh can represent a state of danger or injustice that requires God’s intervention.
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Isaiah 29:15
Woe to those who deeply hide their counsel from Yahweh, and whose deeds are in the dark, and who say, “Who sees us?” and “Who knows us?”
The phrase 'deeds are in the dark' uses machshakh to describe hidden intentions, emphasizing that human secrecy cannot conceal actions from God’s knowledge.