More than simply the absence of light, σκοτία carries deep theological weight throughout the Johannine writings. John's Gospel opens with the declaration that 'the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it' (John 1:5), establishing darkness as the realm opposed to God's revelatory presence. Jesus warns his followers not to walk in darkness lest they stumble (John 8:12; 12:35), and 1 John defines the moral contrast starkly: 'God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all' (1 John 1:5). Matthew preserves the prophetic sense of people 'sitting in darkness' awaiting light (Matt 4:16). French 'ténèbres' and German 'Finsternis' both convey an enveloping, oppressive quality that mere 'dark' cannot.