In the context of the Bible, "obscurity" often refers to a state of being unknown, hidden, or not easily understood. This concept can be applied to both physical and spiritual realms, as well as to the nature of God's wisdom and the lives of individuals.

Biblical References:

1. God's Wisdom and Knowledge:
The Bible frequently speaks of God's wisdom as being beyond human understanding, often shrouded in mystery or obscurity. In Romans 11:33 , Paul exclaims, "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable His judgments, and untraceable His ways!" This verse highlights the idea that God's plans and purposes are often hidden from human sight, requiring faith and trust in His divine will.

2. Prophetic Mysteries:
Prophecies in the Bible often contain elements of obscurity, as they are not always immediately clear or fully understood until their fulfillment. Daniel 12:9 states, "Go on your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end." This indicates that certain revelations are intentionally kept obscure until the appointed time, emphasizing the sovereignty of God over human history.

3. Parables of Jesus:
Jesus frequently used parables to teach spiritual truths, which were sometimes obscure to those who heard them. In Matthew 13:13 , Jesus explains, "This is why I speak to them in parables: 'Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.'" The use of parables served to reveal truths to those with open hearts while concealing them from those who were spiritually blind.

4. The Hidden Life of Believers:
The concept of obscurity also applies to the lives of believers, who are called to live humbly and without seeking worldly recognition. Colossians 3:3 states, "For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God." This verse suggests that the true life of a Christian is not always visible to the world, as it is rooted in a spiritual reality that transcends earthly understanding.

5. God's Protection:
Obscurity can also be seen as a form of divine protection. Psalm 91:1 declares, "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty." Here, the "shadow" represents a place of safety and concealment, where believers find refuge under God's care.

Theological Implications:

The theme of obscurity in the Bible underscores the limitations of human understanding and the necessity of faith. It challenges believers to trust in God's hidden purposes and to seek His wisdom through prayer and study of the Scriptures. Obscurity also serves as a reminder of the humility required in the Christian walk, as believers are called to live lives that may not always be recognized or understood by the world.(n.) The quality or state of being obscure; darkness; privacy; inconspicuousness; unintelligibleness; uncertainty.OBSCURITY

ob-sku'-ri-ti: In modern English generally denotes a state of very faint but still perceptible illumination, and only when preceded by some such adjective as "total" does it imply the absence of all light. In Biblical English, however, only the latter meaning is found. So in Isaiah 29:18 ('ophel, "darkness"); 58:10:00; 59:9 (choshekh, "darkness"); Additions to Esther 11:8 (gnophos, "darkness"). Compare Proverbs 20:20, the King James Version "in obscure darkness," the English Revised Version "in the blackest darkness," the American Standard Revised Version "in blackness of darkness."

4655. skotos -- darkness
... 4655 (a noun) -- properly, darkness (obscurity); (figuratively) the of with its .
Word Origin a prim. word Definition darkness NASB Word Usage darkness (30). ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4655.htm - 6k

1453. egeiro -- to waken, to raise up
... or intransitively), ie Rouse (literally, from sleep, from sitting or lying, from
disease, from death; or figuratively, from obscurity, inactivity, ruins ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1453.htm - 9k

4653. skotia -- darkness
... darkness. From skotos; dimness, obscurity (literally or figuratively) -- dark(-ness).
see GREEK skotos. (skotia) -- 15 Occurrences. (skotias) -- 1 Occurrence. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4653.htm - 6k

4656. skotoo -- to darken
... or met.) I darken. Cognate: 4656 -- to darken; (figuratively) to produce a of
moral, spiritual darkness (obscurity, blindness). See 4654 (). ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4656.htm - 6k

2822. choshek -- darkness, obscurity
... 2821, 2822. choshek. 2823 . darkness, obscurity. Transliteration: choshek Phonetic
Spelling: (kho-shek') Short Definition: darkness. ... darkness, night, obscurity ...
/hebrew/2822.htm - 6k

8400. teballul -- confusion, obscurity
... 8399, 8400. teballul. 8401 . confusion, obscurity. Transliteration: teballul
Phonetic Spelling: (teb-al-lool') Short Definition: defect. ...
/hebrew/8400.htm - 6k

652. ophel -- darkness, gloom
... darkness, obscurity, privily. From the same as 'aphel; dusk -- darkness, obscurity,
privily. see HEBREW 'aphel. 651, 652. ophel. 653 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/652.htm - 6k

4155. muaph -- gloom
... dimness. From uwph; properly, covered, ie Dark; abstractly, obscurity, ie Distress --
dimness. see HEBREW uwph. 4154, 4155. muaph. 4156 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/4155.htm - 6k

5890. ephah -- darkness
... darkness. Feminine from uwph; obscurity (as if from covering) -- darkness. see
HEBREW uwph. 5889, 5890. ephah. 5891 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/5890.htm - 6k

5774. uwph -- to fly
... A primitive root; to cover (with wings or obscurity); hence (as denominative from
owph) to fly; also (by implication of dimness) to faint (from the darkness of ...
/hebrew/5774.htm - 5k

Causes of Obscurity in the Accounts Left us of the Baptist. ...
... THE JEWS. Section 33. Causes of Obscurity in the Accounts left us of the
Baptist."Sources: The Evangelists. Josephus. The difficulties ...
/.../section 33 causes of obscurity.htm

The Obscurity of the Sacred Writers, Though Compatible with ...
... Book IV. Chapter 8."The Obscurity of the Sacred Writers, Though Compatible
with Eloquence, Not to Be Imitated by Christian Teachers. 22. ...
/.../on christian doctrine in four books /chapter 8 the obscurity of the.htm

The System of the Moral Universe not Purposely Involved in ...
... Section III. The system of the moral universe not purposely involved in
obscurity to teach us a lesson of humility. But the assertion ...
/.../a theodicy or vindication of the divine glory/section iii the system of.htm

Whether the First Man Saw God through his Essence?
... iv, D, i). He also saw without an enigma, for an enigma implies obscurity, as Augustine
says (De Trin. xv, 9). Now, obscurity resulted from sin. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether the first man saw.htm

Letter vii. --On Darkness and Want of Feeling.
... By what you tell me I understand that you are in a state of obscurity but far from
sharing the alarms that this state"a very ordinary one in persons of your ...
/.../abandonment to divine providence/letter vii on darkness and want.htm

What, Seemingly, we are to Understand by the Words, "God Divided ...
... Accordingly, though the obscurity of the divine word has certainly this advantage,
that it causes many opinions about the truth to be started and discussed ...
/.../augustine/city of god/chapter 19 what seemingly we are.htm

Hidden and Revealed
... The collocation of these two passages may be taken, then, as representing the two
phases of the Divine Manifestation, the obscurity which must ever be ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture h/hidden and revealed.htm

Pant??nus the Philosopher.
... [1515]. Footnotes: [1505] Pant??nus is the first teacher of the Alexandrian school
that is known to us, and even his life is involved in obscurity. ...
/.../pamphilius/church history/chapter x pantaenus the philosopher.htm

Whether There was Faith in the Angels, or in Man, in their ...
... is dark and obscure, according to 1:Cor.13:13: "We see now through a glass in a
dark manner." Now in their original state there was not obscurity either in the ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether there was faith in.htm

How There is no Reason which Can be Shown for the Selection of ...
... so many select gods to these very small works, in which they are excelled by Vitumnus
and Sentinus, though little known and sunk in obscurity, inasmuch as they ...
//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/city of god/chapter 3 how there is no.htm

Obscurity (10 Occurrences)
... uncertainty. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. OBSCURITY. ob ... darkness.".
Multi-Version Concordance Obscurity (10 Occurrences). Hebrews ...
/o/obscurity.htm - 10k

Shadow (72 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) Shade within defined limits; obscurity or deprivation of light, apparent
on a surface, and representing the form of the body which intercepts the rays ...
/s/shadow.htm - 35k

Gloom (29 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) Partial or total darkness; thick shade;
obscurity; as, the gloom of a forest, or of midnight. ...
/g/gloom.htm - 15k

Shade (67 Occurrences)
... 1. (n.) Comparative obscurity owing to interception or interruption of the rays
of light; partial darkness caused by the intervention of something between the ...
/s/shade.htm - 31k

Observance (8 Occurrences)

/o/observance.htm - 9k

Darkness (177 Occurrences)
... 30:18). The "day of darkness" in Joel 2:2, caused by clouds of locusts, is a
symbol of the obscurity which overhangs all divine proceedings. ...
/d/darkness.htm - 41k

Version
... (1.) The oldest of these is the Septuagint, usually quoted as the LXX. The origin
of this the most important of all the versions is involved in much obscurity. ...
/v/version.htm - 37k

Nabathaeans
... XVII, iii, 2; BJ, I, vi, 2, etc.). Their earlier history is shrouded in
obscurity. Jerome, Quaeat in Genesis 25:13, following the ...
/n/nabathaeans.htm - 11k

Noon-day (8 Occurrences)
... Isaiah 58:10 and if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted
soul: then shall thy light rise in darkness, and thine obscurity be as the ...
/n/noon-day.htm - 8k

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