σκοτίζω G4654
To darken, obscure; used of celestial bodies losing light and of minds becoming spiritually blind.
A verb meaning 'to darken' or 'to be made dark,' appearing in both cosmic and spiritual contexts. In the Olivet Discourse, Jesus prophesies that the sun and moon will be darkened at the end of the age (Matt 24:29; Mark 13:24), drawing on Old Testament day-of-the-Lord imagery. Paul applies the word to spiritual blindness: hearts darkened through futile thinking (Rom 1:21) and eyes darkened as judicial punishment (Rom 11:10, quoting Ps 69:23). Revelation 8:12 describes a third of the luminaries being struck dark. The Spanish evidence helpfully splits between fue-entenebrecido (physical darkening) and sean-oscurecidos (spiritual blinding), capturing both dimensions.
Senses
1. sense 1 — To darken or be made dark, encompassing both the literal obscuring of celestial light and the metaphorical blinding of human understanding. The cosmic usage appears in the synoptic apocalypse (Matt 24:29; Mark 13:24) and the trumpet judgment of Rev 8:12, where sun, moon, and stars lose their radiance — echoing Joel 2:31 and Isaiah 13:10. The spiritual usage in Romans describes minds and hearts plunged into moral and intellectual darkness: futile reasoning leads to darkened hearts (Rom 1:21), and judicial blindness darkens the eyes of the unbelieving (Rom 11:10). Spanish distinguishes fue-entenebrecido and oscurecida, while German verfinstern and French obscurcir both preserve the sense of light being extinguished or blocked. 5×
AR["أَظلَمَ", "سَتُظلِمُ", "سَتُظْلِمُ", "لِتُظْلِمْ", "يُظْلِمَ"]·ben["অন্ধকার-হবে", "অন্ধকার-হয়", "অন্ধকার-হোক", "অন্ধকারাচ্ছন্ন-হল"]·DE["verfinstern", "σκοτισθήσεται"]·EN["let-be-darkened", "might-be-darkened", "was-darkened", "will-be-darkened"]·FR["obscurcir"]·heb["הֶחְשִׁיךְ", "יֵחָשְׁכוּ", "יֶחְשַׁךְ", "תֶּחְשַׁךְ"]·HI["अंधेरा-हो-गया", "अंधेरा-हो-जाए", "अंधेरा-हो-जाएगा", "अंधेरा-होगा", "अंधेरी-हो-जाएं"]·ID["akan-digelapkan", "akan-gelap", "biarlah-digelapkan", "digelapkan"]·IT["oscurare", "skotisthē"]·jav["badhe-dados-peteng", "badhé-peteng", "dados-peteng", "dadosa-peteng", "dipundadosaken-peteng"]·KO["어두워졌느니라", "어두워지게", "어두워지리라", "어두워질-것이다", "어둡게-되게-하라"]·PT["foi-obscurecido", "fosse-escurecida", "obscureçam-se", "será-escurecido"]·RU["омрачилось", "померкнет", "помрачилась", "помрачится", "пусть-помрачатся"]·ES["fue-entenebrecido", "fuera-oscurecida", "sean-oscurecidos", "será-oscurecido"]·SW["ilitiwa-giza", "itiwe-giza", "litatiwa-giza", "na", "yatiwe-giza"]·TR["kararacak", "karardı", "kararılacak", "kararılsın", "kararırlsın"]·urd["اندھیرا-ہو", "اندھیرا-ہو-جائے-گا", "اندھیری-ہو-جائیں", "تاریک-ہو-گیا"]
Related Senses
H4325 1. water, waters (582×)H6965b 1. Qal: to rise, arise, get up (432×)H2091 1. gold (the metal) (389×)H0068 1. stone, rock (material/object) (267×)H5178a 1. bronze/copper as metal (131×)H6083 1. dust, dry earth, soil (108×)H8313 1. burn, set fire to (94×)H2734 1. anger was kindled (82×)G5204 1. water (80×)H2822 1. darkness, absence of light (80×)G5457 1. light (illumination) (71×)G0450 1. rise, stand up (physical) (69×)H6965b 2. Qal: to stand firm, endure, be valid (50×)H6999a 2. burn sacrifice on altar (Hifil) (45×)H5553 1. rock, cliff (physical feature) (43×)H6965b 4. Hifil: to establish, confirm (covenant/kingdom/word) (40×)H1197a 1. burn, be on fire (39×)H4306 1. rain, showers (38×)H1653 1. rain, precipitation (34×)G4655 1. darkness (30×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
σκοτίζω, make dark, τὸν θεὸν τὸν φωτίζοντα καὶ σκοτίζοντα τὸν κόσμον Refs 3rd c.AD+; get in the light of, ἐνέργειαν Refs 1st c.BC+; stupefy, σκορπίους Refs 1st c.AD+:—passive, to be darkened, Refs 1st c.AD+; to be blinded, σκοτισθήτωσαν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτῶν LXX+NT; to be dizzy, Refs 5th c.BC+