Black was associated with mourning, famine, and judgment in biblical imagery. Jesus says you cannot make a single hair white or black (Matt 5:36), pointing to limits of human control. In Revelation, the third horseman rides a black horse symbolizing famine (Rev 6:5), and the sun turns black at cosmic upheaval (Rev 6:12). The consistent 'black/negro/noir/schwarz' pattern across languages shows universal recognition of this basic color term.