Bible Strands
Luke 23:44
It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over all the land until the ninth hour.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator marks the time during the crucifixion, recording that darkness falls over the land from the sixth to the ninth hour.
The words — ὡσεὶ (hōsei) means "about" or "approximately," and ἕκτη (hektē) means "sixth," establishing the approximate timing of the event. ὥρα (hōra) denotes the specific hour unit used in the chronological framework.
The thread — This darkness event is paralleled in Matthew 27:45 and Mark 15:33, which record the identical sixth-to-ninth-hour timeframe. It echoes the prophetic sign in Amos 8:9 where God declares He will darken the earth in the daytime.
Why it lands — The text states a chronological marker and a physical darkness without explaining its cause. It requires the reader to observe the precise timing of the crucifixion events before drawing any further conclusions.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.
Cross-references
- Matthew 27:45 From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land.
- Mark 15:33 From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land.
- Amos 8:9 And in that day, declares the Lord GOD, I will make the sun go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the daytime.
- Acts 2:20 The sun will be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the coming of the great and glorious Day of the Lord.
- Matthew 27:52 The tombs broke open, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised.
- John 19:14 It was the day of Preparation for the Passover, about the sixth hour. And Pilate said to the Jews, “Here is your King!”
- Amos 5:18 Woe to you who long for the Day of the LORD! What will the Day of the LORD be for you? It will be darkness and not light.
- Mark 15:39 When the centurion standing there in front of Jesus saw how He had breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
- Exodus 10:21 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that darkness may spread over the land of Egypt—a palpable darkness.”
- Psalms 105:28 He sent darkness, and it became dark—yet they defied His words.