Skia carries rich metaphorical freight in both classical and biblical Greek. Literally, it means the shadow or shade cast by an object, as when birds nest in the branches and enjoy their shade (Mark 4:32) or the sick hope that Peter's shadow might fall on them for healing (Acts 5:15). Figuratively, it evokes the 'shadow of death' — that deep existential darkness from which light dawns (Matt 4:16; Luke 1:79, quoting Isaiah). In Colossians 2:17 and Hebrews 8:5 and 10:1, the term describes Old Testament rituals as a 'shadow' of the good things to come, not the substance itself. Spanish 'sombra,' French 'ombre,' and German 'Schatten' all maintain the same literal-to-figurative range.