Matthew 27:45
New International Version
From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land.

New Living Translation
At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock.

English Standard Version
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.

Berean Standard Bible
From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land.

Berean Literal Bible
And from the sixth hour, darkness was over all the land, until the ninth hour.

King James Bible
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.

New King James Version
Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land.

New American Standard Bible
Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour.

NASB 1995
Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour.

NASB 1977
Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour.

Legacy Standard Bible
Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour.

Amplified Bible
Now from the sixth hour (noon) there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour (3:00 p.m.).

Christian Standard Bible
From noon until three in the afternoon, darkness came over the whole land.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over the whole land.

American Standard Version
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.

Contemporary English Version
At noon the sky turned dark and stayed that way until three o'clock.

English Revised Version
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
At noon darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.

Good News Translation
At noon the whole country was covered with darkness, which lasted for three hours.

International Standard Version
From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.

Majority Standard Bible
From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land.

NET Bible
Now from noon until three, darkness came over all the land.

New Heart English Bible
Now from noon until three in the afternoon there was darkness over all the land.

Webster's Bible Translation
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land to the ninth hour.

Weymouth New Testament
Now from noon until three o'clock in the afternoon there was darkness over the whole land;

World English Bible
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
And from the sixth hour darkness came over all the land to the ninth hour,

Berean Literal Bible
And from the sixth hour, darkness was over all the land, until the ninth hour.

Young's Literal Translation
And from the sixth hour darkness came over all the land unto the ninth hour,

Smith's Literal Translation
And from the sixth hour, darkness was upon all the earth, even to the ninth hour.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over the whole earth, until the ninth hour.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Now from the sixth hour, there was darkness over the entire earth, even until the ninth hour.

New American Bible
From noon onward, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.

New Revised Standard Version
From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Now from the sixth hour, there was darkness over all the land, until the ninth hour.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
But from the sixth hour there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
From the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land till the ninth hour.

Godbey New Testament
And from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.

Haweis New Testament
Now from the fifth hour darkness fell upon all the land, unto the ninth hour.

Mace New Testament
Now from the sixth hour to the ninth, the whole land was cover'd with darkness.

Weymouth New Testament
Now from noon until three o'clock in the afternoon there was darkness over the whole land;

Worrell New Testament
And from the sixth hour there came darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.

Worsley New Testament
Now from the sixth hour to the ninth there was darkness over all the land.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Death of Jesus
44In the same way, even the robbers who were crucified with Him berated Him. 45 From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. 46About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”…

Cross References
Mark 15:33
From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land.

Luke 23:44-45
It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over all the land until the ninth hour. / The sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn down the middle.

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.

Exodus 10:21-23
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.” / So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and total darkness covered all the land of Egypt for three days. / No one could see anyone else, and for three days no one left his place. Yet all the Israelites had light in their dwellings.

Joel 2:31
The sun will be turned to darkness and the moon to blood before the coming of the great and awesome Day of the LORD.

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.

Revelation 6:12
And I watched as the Lamb opened the sixth seal, and there was a great earthquake, and the sun became black like sackcloth of goat hair, and the whole moon turned blood red,

Isaiah 13:10
For the stars of heaven and their constellations will not give their light. The rising sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light.

Isaiah 50:3
I clothe the heavens in black and make sackcloth their covering.”

Jeremiah 15:9
The mother of seven will grow faint; she will breathe her last breath. Her sun will set while it is still day; she will be disgraced and humiliated. And the rest I will put to the sword in the presence of their enemies,” declares the LORD.

Zephaniah 1:15
That day will be a day of wrath, a day of trouble and distress, a day of destruction and desolation, a day of darkness and gloom, a day of clouds and blackness,

Psalm 18:11
He made darkness His hiding place, and storm clouds a canopy around Him.

Psalm 105:28
He sent darkness, and it became dark—yet they defied His words.

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!”

John 19:28-30
After this, knowing that everything had now been accomplished, and to fulfill the Scripture, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” / A jar of sour wine was sitting there. So they soaked a sponge in the wine, put it on a stalk of hyssop, and lifted it to His mouth. / When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished.” And bowing His head, He yielded up His spirit.


Treasury of Scripture

Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land to the ninth hour.

from.

Mark 15:25,33,34
And it was the third hour, and they crucified him…

Luke 23:44,45
And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour…

darkness.

Isaiah 50:3
I clothe the heavens with blackness, and I make sackcloth their covering.

Amos 8:9
And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord GOD, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day:

Revelation 8:12
And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.

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Afternoon Dark Darkness Fell Hour Ninth Noon O'clock Sixth Three Whole
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Afternoon Dark Darkness Fell Hour Ninth Noon O'clock Sixth Three Whole
Matthew 27
1. Jesus is delivered bound to Pilate.
3. Judas hangs himself.
19. Pilate, admonished of his wife,
20. and being urged by the multitude, washes his hands, and releases Barabbas.
27. Jesus is mocked and crowned with thorns;
33. crucified;
39. reviled;
50. dies, and is buried;
62. his tomb is sealed and watched.














From the sixth hour
In Jewish timekeeping, the day began at sunrise, approximately 6 a.m. Thus, the "sixth hour" would be around noon. This was the time when the sun was at its zenith, symbolizing the height of the day. Theologically, this moment marks the beginning of a profound cosmic event. The sixth hour is significant in biblical narratives, often associated with divine intervention or revelation. In Acts 10:9, Peter receives a vision at the sixth hour, indicating a time of spiritual significance and divine communication.

until the ninth hour
The "ninth hour" corresponds to approximately 3 p.m. This period of three hours is crucial in the Passion narrative, as it encompasses the time of Jesus' crucifixion leading up to His death. The ninth hour is traditionally a time of prayer in Jewish custom, as seen in Acts 3:1, where Peter and John go to the temple to pray. This time frame underscores the gravity of the moment, as it aligns with the time of the evening sacrifice in the temple, symbolizing Jesus as the ultimate sacrificial Lamb.

darkness came over all the land
The darkness that enveloped the land is a profound symbol of the spiritual and cosmic upheaval occurring at the crucifixion. In the Old Testament, darkness is often associated with divine judgment or the presence of God, as seen in Exodus 10:21-23 during the plague of darkness in Egypt. The Greek word for "darkness" (σκότος, skotos) conveys a sense of obscurity and the absence of light, both physically and spiritually. This darkness signifies the weight of sin being placed upon Jesus, the separation from the Father, and the judgment He bore on behalf of humanity. Historically, some have speculated about natural phenomena, such as an eclipse, but the supernatural nature of this event is emphasized in the Gospel narrative, pointing to a divine act rather than a mere natural occurrence.

(45) From the sixth hour.--The first three Gospels agree as to time and fact. Assuming them to follow the usual Jewish reckoning (as in Acts 2:15; Acts 3:1; Acts 10:3; Acts 10:9) this would be noon, the fixing to the cross having been at the third hour, 9 A.M. (Mark 15:25), and the darkness lasting till 3 P.M. St. John names the "sixth hour" as the time of our Lord's final condemnation by Pilate, following apparently (see Note there and on John 4:6) the Roman or modern mode of reckoning from midnight to noon. Looking to the facts of the case, it is probable that our Lord was taken to the high priest's palace about 3 A.M. (the "cock-crow" of Mark 13:35). Then came the first hearing before Annas (John 18:13), then the trial before Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin, then the formal meeting that passed the sentence. This would fill up the time probably till 6 A.M., and three hours may be allowed for the trials before Pilate and Herod. After the trial was over there would naturally be an interval for the soldiers to take their early meal, and then the slow procession to Golgotha, delayed, we may well believe, by our Lord's falling, once or oftener, beneath the burden of the cross, and so we come to 9 A.M. for His arrival at the place of crucifixion. . . . Verses 45-50. - Supernatural darkness. Last words, and death of Jesus. (Mark 15:33-37; Luke 23:44-46; John 19:28-30.) Verse 45. - The sixth hour; i.e. noon. Christ was crucified about 9 o'clock a.m., the hour of the morning sacrifice; he had therefore by this time been hanging three hours on the cross. His agonies, his sufferings mental and spiritual, were at their height. There was darkness over all the land (ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν). The historical accuracy of this darkness there is no more reason to doubt than there is to doubt the death of Christ itself: The great fact and its details stand on the same basis. How the phenomenon was produced we know not. That it could not be an ordinary eclipse is certain, as the moon was then full, it being the Paschal time, and the darkness thus produced would have lasted but a few minutes. Nor had it any connection with the subsequent earthquake (ver. 51), as some unscientific exegetes have supposed. On such occasions a thickness of the atmosphere has been noticed, but such an occurrence could never have been described in the words used by the synoptists; and. the earthquake itself was no ordinary event, and took place in no ordinary manner. We cannot doubt that the darkness was supernatural, conveying a solemn lesson to all who beheld it. When we consider what was being done on Calvary, who it was that was dying there, what was the object of his Passion, what was the infinite and unspeakable effect of the sacrifice there offered, is it wonderful that the Divine Architect controlled Nature to sympathize with her Creator, that as a supernatural effulgence heralded the Saviour's birth, a supernatural darkness should shroud his death? We are in the region of the Divine. What we have learned to regard as natural laws (but which really are only our formulary for expressing our experience of past uniformity) were superseded for the time by the interference of the Lawgiver; he used the material to enforce the spiritual being the Lord of both. Whether the darkness extended beyond Judaea unto all that part of the earth which was then illumined by the light of the sun, we cannot tell. Some of the Fathers refer to it as if it was universal. A supposed allusion was made by Phlegon, a writer of the second century, whose work, called 'Annals of the Olympiads,' is not extant, but is quoted by Julius Africanus and Eusebius (see Wordsworth, in loc.); but it seems certain that Phlegon is speaking of an astronomical eclipse which occurred in the ordinary course of nature. Tertullian states that a notice of this darkness was to be found in the archives of Rome ('Apol.,' 21.); but we have no further information on this point. There are some other uncertain references, as that of Dionysius the Areopagite, who is related to have said on the sudden obscuration, "Either the God of nature is suffering, or the machinery of the world is being dissolved;" but none of these will stand the test of criticism; and perhaps it is safer to determine that Gentile notices of the phenomenon are not forthcoming, because the darkness was confined to Palestine. It had, doubtless, a doctrinal and typical significance. Chrysostom considers it a token of God's anger at the crime of the Jews in crucifying Jesus; others see in it an emblem of the withdrawal of the light of God's presence from this wicked land. It was, in Iced, to all who would receive it, a sign of some awful event in the spiritual world of unspeakable consequence to the children of men. The ninth hour. Three o'clock p.m., about the time of the evening sacrifice.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
From
Ἀπὸ (Apo)
Preposition
Strong's 575: From, away from. A primary particle; 'off, ' i.e. Away, in various senses.

[the] sixth
ἕκτης (hektēs)
Adjective - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 1623: Sixth. Ordinal from hex; sixth.

hour
ὥρας (hōras)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 5610: Apparently a primary word; an 'hour'.

until
ἕως (heōs)
Preposition
Strong's 2193: A conjunction, preposition and adverb of continuance, until.

[the] ninth
ἐνάτης (enatēs)
Adjective - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 1766: Ninth. Ordinal from ennea; ninth.

hour
ὥρας (hōras)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 5610: Apparently a primary word; an 'hour'.

darkness
σκότος (skotos)
Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 4655: Darkness, either physical or moral. From the base of skia; shadiness, i.e. Obscurity.

came
ἐγένετο (egeneto)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1096: A prolongation and middle voice form of a primary verb; to cause to be, i.e. to become, used with great latitude.

over
ἐπὶ (epi)
Preposition
Strong's 1909: On, to, against, on the basis of, at.

all
πᾶσαν (pasan)
Adjective - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3956: All, the whole, every kind of. Including all the forms of declension; apparently a primary word; all, any, every, the whole.

the
τὴν (tēn)
Article - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

land.
γῆν (gēn)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 1093: Contracted from a primary word; soil; by extension a region, or the solid part or the whole of the terrene globe.


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