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2 Samuel 22:10 — Word Study

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WLCוַיֵּ֥ט שָׁמַ֖יִם וַיֵּרַ֑ד וַעֲרָפֶ֖ל תַּ֥חַת רַגְלָֽיו׃

BSAHe partednâṭâh [bowed, stretched] the heavensshâmayim [the visible universe, the abode of God] and came downyârad [descended, went down] with dark cloudsʻărâphel [thick, heavy] beneathtachath [underneath, below] His feetregel [the foot, the leg]

Word
Listen & take away2 Samuel 22
English ↓ Download MP3 The Berean Standard Bible chapter audio already hosted for the site's Bible section — verse 10 is in this chapter.
Hebrew ↓ Download MP3 The Masoretic text of this chapter, read aloud. Read by Abraham Shmuelof, courtesy of Audio Scriptures International. Chapter divisions by the Academy of Ancient Languages..
Say the word Each Hebrew word carries its transliteration (rag.Lav) — no per-word recordings of the Hebrew exist to link to.
Take it away
2 Samuel 22:10quick helps
In a sentenceGod intervenes in the world by parting the heavens and descending with darkness.
Who is speakingThe psalmist, describing God's powerful actions.
Where we areA poetic reflection on God's might and presence.
The hard wordנָטָה
Take awayGod's descent is accompanied by thick clouds, signifying His majesty.
4 commentators on this verse Gill, Jamieson, Cambridge, Whedon & more — read them › clause subjectעֲרָפֶל verbנָטָה The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
How rare are these words?in the Old Testament

Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.

Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.

Deep Study — 2 Samuel 22:10

Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.

Context — God's Divine Interventiongenerated

9Smoke rose from His nostrils, and consuming fire came from His mouth; glowing coals blazed forth.
10He parted the heavens and came down with dark clouds beneath His feet.
11He mounted a cherub and flew; He soared on the wings of the wind.
12He made darkness a canopy around Him, a gathering of water and thick clouds.

2 Samuel 22:10 describes a dramatic moment where God intervenes by parting the heavens and descending to earth. This imagery evokes a sense of divine power and presence, demonstrating how God engages with creation. The surrounding verses emphasize God's might, as seen in verse 9 and verse 11, where His actions are portrayed with vivid imagery of smoke, fire, and cherubs, illustrating His majesty and authority.


Cross References

ReferenceText (BSB)
1Psalm 144:5Part Your heavens, O LORD, and come down; touch the mountains, that they may smoke.
2Isaiah 64:1–3If only You would rend the heavens and come down, so that mountains would quake at Your presence,
3Exodus 20:21And the people stood at a distance as Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.
4Deuteronomy 4:11You came near and stood at the base of the mountain, a mountain blazing with fire to the heavens, with black clouds and deep darkness.
51 Kings 8:12Then Solomon declared: “The LORD has said that He would dwell in the thick cloud.

The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 9 references, hung on the phrase they belong to


The Key Word נָטָה, vai.Yetgenerated

The verb נָטָה (natah) means to stretch out or extend, often used in physical contexts but also metaphorically. In this verse, it conveys the idea of God parting the heavens, suggesting a deliberate act of intervention.

The parsing indicates it is a sequential imperfect form, meaning it describes an ongoing action in the past. This highlights God's active role in the world, as He bends the heavens to come down to earth.


How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated

This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.


Sentence Structuregenerated

The verse contains two main actions governed by the verbs נָטָה and יָרַד, each followed by their respective objects. The structure flows from God's action of parting the heavens to His descent with clouds, creating a vivid image of divine intervention.

The word order places emphasis on God's actions, starting with the act of parting the heavens, which sets the stage for His coming down. This structure highlights the significance of God's presence in the physical realm.


Septuagint Backgroundgenerated

The Septuagint translates נָטָה as ἔκλινεν (eklinen), meaning 'to incline' or 'to bend.' This choice suggests a slightly different nuance, focusing on the act of bending rather than stretching, which may emphasize God's approachability.

The translation of שָׁמַיִם as οὐρανοὺς (ouranous) aligns closely with the Hebrew meaning of heavens, maintaining the cosmic aspect of God's dwelling.


In plain words — the whole versegenerated

2 Samuel 22:10 describes how God parted the heavens and came down with thick clouds beneath His feet. This imagery illustrates God's power and presence as He intervenes in the world, emphasizing His majesty and authority.


Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated

What does it mean that God parted the heavens?

It signifies God's direct intervention in the world, demonstrating His power over creation.

Why are clouds described as thick or dark?

Thick clouds symbolize gloom and the majesty of God's presence, indicating something significant is happening.

How does this verse connect to God's other acts of intervention?

This verse reflects a common biblical theme where God intervenes in human affairs, often accompanied by dramatic imagery.

What is the significance of God's feet in this context?

The mention of God's feet emphasizes His authority and presence, often used to denote His dominion over the earth.


Reflection Questionsgenerated

  1. What does this imagery of God parting the heavens mean for my understanding of His power?
  2. How can I recognize God's presence in my life as He descends into my circumstances?
  3. In what ways do I see darkness or gloom in my life, and how can I invite God's light into those areas?
  4. How does this verse encourage me to trust in God's intervention during difficult times?

Commentators on this verse — 4 expositors, verse by verse

Each of these wrote on 2 Samuel 22:10 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.

John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and darkness [was] under his feet. [See comments on Psalms 18:9].

Read John Gill on 2 Samuel 22 →
Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's Commentary

He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and darkness was under his feet. He bowed the heavens also, and came down. The scene is now removed from heaven to earth. Isaiah wished that God would "rend the heavens, and come down" .

Read Robert Jamieson on 2 Samuel 22 →
CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

10. He bowed the heavens] The dark canopy of storm cloud, which is the pavement under His feet (Nahum 1:3), lowers as He descends to judgment. God is said to come down when He manifests His power in the world (Genesis 11:7; Genesis 18:21; Isaiah 64:1). Darkness symbolizes the mystery and terror of His Advent (Exodus 19:16; Exodus 20:21; 1 Kings 8:12; Psalms 97:2).

Read Cambridge on 2 Samuel 22 →
Daniel Denison Whedon1808–1885Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

10. Bows down the heavens — Bent down the firmament so as to form a broad descending way for his coming.

Read Daniel Denison Whedon on 2 Samuel 22 →

The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company

Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.

Modern formal

BSBBerean Standard Bible2020

He parted the heavens and came down with dark clouds beneath His feet.

WEBWorld English Bible2000

He bowed the heavens also, and came down. Thick darkness was under his feet.

MSBMajority Standard Bible2022

He parted the heavens and came down with dark clouds beneath His feet.

NETBNew English Translation2006

He made the sky sink as he descended; a thick cloud was under his feet.

Tyndale line

KJVKing James Version1611

He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and darkness was under his feet.

ASVAmerican Standard Version1901

He bowed the heavens also, and came down; And thick darkness was under his feet.

RVARevised Version, American1894

He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and thick darkness was under his feet.

NWBWebster's Bible1833

He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and darkness was under his feet.

GNVGeneva Bible1599

He bowed the heauens also, and came downe, and darkenes was vnder his feete.

Strictly literal

DBYDarby Translation1890

And he bowed the heavens, and came down; And darkness was under his feet.

YLTYoung's Literal Translation1862

And He inclineth heaven, and cometh down, And thick darkness [is] under His feet.

LSVLiteral Standard Version2020

And He inclines the heavens and comes down, || And thick darkness [is] under His feet.

ILTInterlinear Literal Translation2000

And he bent the heavens, and came down, and thick darkness was under his feet.

ULBUnlocked Literal Bible2017

He opened the heavens and came down, and thick darkness was under his feet.

From the Latin

DRADouay-Rheims (Challoner)1899

He bowed the heavens, and came down: and darkness was under his feet.

Simplified

FBVFree Bible Version2020

He pushed aside the heavens and came down, with dark clouds beneath his feet.

BBEBible in Basic English1949

The heavens were bent, so that he might come down; and it was dark under his feet.

Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.


The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank

This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.

וַandclauseverbיֵּ֥טhe.bent.downobjectשָׁמַ֖יִם[the].heavensוַandclauseverbיֵּרַ֑דhe.came.downוַandclausesubjectעֲרָפֶ֖לthick.darknessprepositional phrase · predicateתַּ֥חַת[was].undernoun phraseרַגְלָֽיfeetוhis

Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.


The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran

The Masoretic Text reads: וַיֵּ֥ט שָׁמַ֖יִם וַיֵּרַ֑ד וַעֲרָפֶ֖ל תַּ֥חַת רַגְלָֽיו׃. The Septuagint matches this closely, with all six words corresponding to the Hebrew, indicating strong textual agreement.

Masoretic TextLeningrad Codex, c. AD 1008 — the text this page is built on

וַיֵּ֥ט שָׁמַ֖יִם וַיֵּרַ֑ד וַעֲרָפֶ֖ל תַּ֥חַת רַגְלָֽיו׃

Septuagintthe Greek the translators chose, word by word
וַיֵּ֥טἔκλινενשָׁמַ֖יִםοὐρανοὺςוַיֵּרַ֑דκατέβηוַעֲרָפֶ֖לγνόφοςתַּ֥חַתὑποκάτωרַגְלָֽיו׃αὐτοῦ

6 of the 6 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.

Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.


The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with

This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.

2 Samuel 22:10נָטָהand he boweand he bowedנָטָהשָׁמַי[the] heave[the] heavensשָׁמַייָרַדand he cameand he came dowיָרַדעֲרָפֶלand thick dand thick darknעֲרָפֶלתַּחַת[was] under[was] underתַּחַתרֶ֫גֶלfeet hisfeet hisרֶ֫גֶלעָרַףto dropto dropעָרַףרָגַלto spyto spyרָגַלתּוֹחַתּוֹחַחָזָקstrongstrongחָזָקזְרוֹעַarmarmזְרוֹעַעוֹףbirdbirdעוֹףכּוֹכָבstarstarכּוֹכָבשְׁאוֹלhell: Sheohell: Sheolשְׁאוֹלבּוֹרpitpitבּוֹראֲפֵלָהdarknessdarknessאֲפֵלָהעָנָןcloudcloudעָנָןאֶ֫דֶןsocketsocketאֶ֫דֶןשֶׁ֫מֶשׁsunsunשֶׁ֫מֶשׁבֹּ֫הֶןthumb/big thumb/big toeבֹּ֫הֶןיְמָנִיrightrightיְמָנִי
meets it a little oftener than chancemeets it far oftener than chancebuilt from the same roottwo words of the verse share ita word of this versea related word

Lexicons — every word in 2 Samuel 22:10

One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.

Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.

and he bowed [the] heavens and he came down and thick darkness [was] under feet his
וַיֵּ֥טvai.Yet and he bowed H5186 Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine singular
214× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To stretch or spread out, often used to describe physical movement, but also moral deflection, as seen in the story of Israel's decline in the book of Judges.
Amplified meaning
bowed, stretched
Tyndale gloss
to stretch
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

נָטָה (natah) is a Hebrew verb meaning to stretch out, spread out, or extend. It encompasses a wide range of actions, including bending, inclining, and pitching a tent. The word can also imply moral deflection or turning aside. The entries suggest various applications, from physical actions to metaphorical uses, but do not indicate significant disagreement among the lexicons.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

נָטָה 215 vb. stretch out, spread out, extend, incline, bend

Qal

stretch out, extend, hand, rod

stretch line and plummet

= offer

Spread out, i.e. pitch, tent

Bend, turn, incline

Niph. be stretched out

Hiph.

rarely stretch out, hand

rarely spread out cloth on rock

usu. turn, incline

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H5186 נָטָה stretch out, spread out, extend, incline, bend .. . stretch out, extend, hand, rod

. stretch line and plummet

. = offer

. Spread out, i.e. pitch, tent

. Bend, turn, incline

. be stretched out

. . rarely stretch out, hand

. rarely spread out cloth on rock

. usu. turn, incline

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

5186 natah naw-taw'

a primitive root; to stretch or spread out; by implication,

to bend away (including moral deflection); used in a great

variety of application (as follows):--+ afternoon, apply, bow

(down, - ing), carry aside, decline, deliver, extend, go down,

be gone, incline, intend, lay, let down, offer, outstretched,

overthrown, pervert, pitch, prolong, put away, shew, spread

(out), stretch (forth, out), take (aside), turn (aside, away),

wrest, cause to yield.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

נָטָה (na.tah) — to stretch.

1) to stretch out, extend, spread out, pitch, turn, pervert, incline, bend, bow

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to stretch out, extend, stretch, offer

1a2) to spread out, pitch (tent)

1a3) to bend, turn, incline

1a3a) to turn aside, incline, decline, bend down

1a3b) to bend, bow

1a3c) to hold out, extend (fig.)

1b) (Niphal) to be stretched out

1c) (Hiphil)

1c1) to stretch out

1c2) to spread out

1c3) to turn, incline, influence, bend down, hold out, extend, thrust aside, thrust away

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3ms — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine singular
Hc/Vqw3ms
and he bowed [the] heavens and he came down and thick darkness [was] under feet his
שָׁמַ֖יִםsha.Ma.yim [the] heavens H8064 Noun common · masculine plural absolute
421× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
The Hebrew word for heaven or sky, it refers to the visible universe and the abode of God. It is often used in the Bible to describe the dwelling place of celestial bodies.
Amplified meaning
the visible universe, the abode of God
Tyndale gloss
heaven
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word שָׁמַיִם (*shamayim*) is a dual noun meaning 'heavens' or 'sky.' It refers to the visible heavens where celestial bodies are found, as well as the abode of God. The dual form may suggest both the arch of the sky and the higher ether. It is noted in contexts such as Elijah's ascent in a whirlwind.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

[שָׁמַי] n.m. only pl. שָׁמַיִם 421 heavens, sky

visible heavens, sky, where stars, etc., are

phrases

as abode of God

Elijah taken up הַשּׁ׳ in whirlwind

הַשּׁ׳ personified in various relations

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H8064 שָׁמַי only pl. שָׁמַיִם heavens, sky . . visible heavens, sky, where stars, etc., are

. phrases

. . as abode of God

. Elijah taken up הַשּׁ׳ in whirlwind

. הַשּׁ׳ personified in various relations

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

8064 shamayim shaw-mah'-yim

dual of an unused singular shameh {shaw-meh'}; from an unused

root meaning to be lofty; the sky (as aloft; the dual perhaps

alluding to the visible arch in which the clouds move, as well

as to the higher ether where the celestial bodies

revolve):--air, X astrologer, heaven(-s).

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

שָׁמַיִם (sha.ma.yim) — heaven.

1) heaven, heavens, sky

1a) visible heavens, sky

1a1) as abode of the stars

1a2) as the visible universe, the sky, atmosphere, etc

1b) Heaven (as the abode of God)

Aramaic equivalent: sha.ma.yin (שָׁמַ֫יִן "heaven" H8065)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-mp — Noun common · masculine plural absolute
HNcmpa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

hev'-'nz (shamayim; ouranoi): On the physical heavens see ASTRONOMY; WORLD. Above these, in popular conception, were the celestial heavens, the abode of God and of the hosts of angels (Ps 11:4; 103:19-21; Isa 66:1; Re 4:2; 5:11; compare Da 7:10), though it was recognized that Yahweh's presence was not confined to any region (1Ki 8:27). Later Judaism reckoned seven heavens. The apostle Paul speaks of himself as caught up into "the third heaven," which he evidently identifies with Paradise (2Co 12:2).

See HEAVENLY.

and he bowed [the] heavens and he came down and thick darkness [was] under feet his
וַיֵּרַ֑דvai.ye.Rad and he came down H3381 Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine singular
381× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
To go down or descend, like going to a lower place or falling. It appears in Genesis and Exodus, describing people and things moving downwards.
Amplified meaning
descended, went down
Tyndale gloss
to go down
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

The Hebrew word יָרַד (yarad) means to come or go down, covering various contexts such as descending from mountains, going to battle, or sinking in water. It can also refer to divine manifestations descending or being prostrated. The word has different forms including Qal, Hiphil, and Hophal, which indicate various nuances of bringing down or being brought down.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

יָרַד 380 vb. come or go down, descend

Qal 306

come or go down

go down (usu. from mountain or hill-country into plain), to battle

go down to (acc.) threshing-floor

go down (abs.) from Palestine to Egypt

from Jerusalem

from altar

go down

= sink, in water

go down to She’ôl

fig. going down (dissolving) in tears

= be prostrated

of divine manifestations: descend

of inanimate things

Hiph.

cause to come or go down

bring down

send down rain = cause to flow down

= lay prostrate to (acc.) threshing-floor

bring down to She’ôl

take down (from cart)

let down

Hoph.

be brought down

be taken down

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H3381 יָרַד come or go down, descend .. . come or go down

. go down (usu. from mountain or hill-country into plain), to battle

. go down to (acc.) threshing-floor

. go down (abs.) from Palestine to Egypt

. from Jerusalem

. from altar

. go down

. = sink, in water

. go down to She’ôl

. fig. going down (dissolving) in tears

. = be prostrated

. of divine manifestations: descend

. of inanimate things

. . cause to come or go down . bring down

. send down rain = cause to flow down

. = lay prostrate to (acc.) threshing-floor

. bring down to She’ôl

. take down (from cart)

. let down

. . be brought down

. be taken down

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

3381 yarad yaw-rad'

a primitive root; to descend (literally, to go downwards; or

conventionally to a lower region, as the shore, a boundary,

the enemy, etc.; or figuratively, to fall); causatively, to

bring down (in all the above applications); -X abundantly,

bring down, carry down, cast down, (cause to) come(-ing) down,

fall (down), get down, go(-ing) down(-ward), hang down, X

indeed, let down, light (down), put down (off), (cause to,

let) run down, sink, subdue, take down.

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

יָרַד (ya.rad) — to go down.

1) to go down, descend, decline, march down, sink down

1a) (Qal)

1a1) to go or come down

1a2) to sink

1a3) to be prostrated

1a4) to come down (of revelation)

1b) (Hiphil)

1b1) to bring down

1b2) to send down

1b3) to take down

1b4) to lay prostrate

1b5) to let down

1c) (Hophal)

1c1) to be brought down

1c2) to be taken down

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | V-Qal-ConsecImperf-3ms — Verb · Qal · sequential imperfect third person masculine singular
Hc/Vqw3ms
and he bowed [the] heavens and he came down and thick darkness [was] under feet his
וַעֲרָפֶ֖לva.'a.ra.Fel and thick darkness H6205 Conjunction · noun common masculine singular absolute
15× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
A cloud or dark cloud symbolizes gloom or thick darkness, often used to describe a heavy or ominous sky.
Amplified meaning
thick, heavy
Tyndale gloss
cloud
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

עֲרָפֶל (araphel) refers to a cloud, specifically a heavy or dark cloud. It conveys a sense of gloom or thick darkness, as noted in various lexicons. The word is built from a root associated with darkness, and it emphasizes the heaviness of the cloud.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

עֲרָפֶל n.m. cloud, heavy cloud

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H6205 עֲרָפֶל cloud, heavy cloud

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

6205 `araphel ar-aw-fel'

probably from 6201; gloom (as of a lowering sky):--(gross,

thick) dark (cloud, -ness).

see HEBREW for 06201

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

עֲרָפֶל (a.ra.phel) — cloud.

cloud, heavy or dark cloud, darkness, gross darkness, thick darkness

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Conj | N-ms — Conjunction · noun common masculine singular absolute
HC/Ncmsa
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
Easton's Bible Dictionary

Darkness

The plague (the ninth) of darkness in Egypt (Ex. 10:21) is described as darkness “which may be felt.” It covered “all the land of Egypt,” so that “they saw not one another.” It did not extend to the land of Goshen (ver. 23).

When Jesus hung upon the cross (Matt. 27:45; Luke 23:44), from the “sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.”

On Mount Sinai, Moses (Ex. 20:21) “drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.” This was the “thick cloud upon the mount” in which Jehovah was when he spake unto Moses there. The Lord dwelt in the cloud upon the mercy-seat (1 Kings…

is spoken of as encompassing the actual presence of God, as that out of which he speaks, --the envelope, as it were, of divine glory. (Exodus 20:21; 1 Kings 8:12) The plague of darkness in Egypt was miraculous. The darkness "over all the land," (Matthew 27:45) attending the crucifixion has been attributed to an eclipse, but was undoubtedly miraculous, as no eclipse of the sun could have taken place at that time, the moon being at the full at the time of the passover. Darkness is also, as in the expression "land of darkness," used for the state of the dead, (Job 10:21,22) and frequently, figuratively, for ignorance and unbelief, as the privation of spiritual light. (

American Tract Society Bible Dictionary

The absence of natural light, Ge 1:2, and hence figuratively a state of misery and adversity, Job 18:6 Ps 107:10 Isa 8:22 9:1; also the absence of the sun and stars, and hence the fall of chief men and national convulsions, Isa 13:10 Ac 2:20. "Works of darkness," are the impure mysteries practiced in heathen worship, Eph 5:11. "Outer darkness" illustrates the gloom of those on whom the gates of heaven are closed, Mt 8:12. The darkness in Egypt,

→ Over the face of the earth Ge 1:2; Job 38:9; Jer 4:23

→ Called NIGHT Ge 1:5

→ God creates Isa 45:7

→ Miraculous

In Egypt Ex 10:21,22; Ps 105:28

At Mount Sinai Ex 20:21; Heb 12:18

At the crucifixion Mt 27:45; Mr 15:33

→ FIGURATIVE

and he bowed [the] heavens and he came down and thick darkness [was] under feet his
תַּ֥חַתTa.chat [was] under H8478 Noun common · masculine singular construct
505× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This Hebrew word means underneath or below, often used to describe physical locations or positions. It appears in various books, including Genesis, Exodus, and Psalms, to indicate something is under or beneath something else. The word has several related meanings.
Amplified meaning
underneath, below
Tyndale gloss
underneath: under
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

תַּחַת (tachath) refers to the concept of being underneath or below. It can function as a noun meaning 'the under part,' or as an adverb and preposition indicating position or substitution, such as 'instead of' or 'for the sake of.' The word encompasses various uses, including physical placement and metaphorical meanings related to subjection or exchange.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

תַּחַת n.[m.] the under part, hence as adv. accus. and prep. underneath, below, instead of

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H8478 תַּחַת the under part, hence as adv. accus. and prep. underneath, below, instead of

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

8478 tachath takh'-ath

from the same as 8430; the bottom (as depressed); only

adverbially, below (often with prepositional prefix

underneath), in lieu of, etc.:--as, beneath, X flat,

in(-stead), (same) place (where...is), room, for...sake, stead

of, under, X unto, X when...was mine, whereas, (where-)fore,

with.

see HEBREW for 08430

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

תַּחַת (ta.chat) — underneath: under.

: under/below

1) the under part, beneath, instead of, as, for, for the sake of, flat, unto, where, whereas n m

1a) the under part adv accus

1b) beneath prep

1c) under, beneath

1c1) at the foot of (idiom)

1c2) sweetness, subjection, woman, being burdened or oppressed (fig)

1c3) of subjection or conquest

1d) what is under one, the place in which one stands

1d1) in one's place, the place in which one stands (idiom with reflexive pronoun)

1d2) in place of, instead of (in transferred sense)

1d3) in place of, in exchange or return for (of things mutually interchanged)

conj

1e) instead of, instead of that

1f) in return for that, because that in compounds

1g) in, under, into the place of (after verbs of motion)

1h) from under, from beneath, from under the hand of, from his place, under, beneath

תַּחַת (ta.chat) — underneath: instead.

: instead/in_place/exchange

Read the full entry →
Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
Prep — Noun common · masculine singular construct
HNcmsc
and he bowed [the] heavens and he came down and thick darkness [was] under feet his
רַגְלָֽיו׃rag.Lav feet his H7272 Noun common feminine dual construct · suffix
247× in the OT scale is logarithmic — the commonest word, אֵת, appears about 11,000×
In plain English
Meaning
This word also means a foot, like when God says he will tread on the wicked in Malachi 4:3. It's used to describe human and animal feet, as well as the base of objects like tables or idols.
Amplified meaning
the foot, the leg
Tyndale gloss
foot
Hebrew lexiconskeyed to Strong's numbers
Layman’s summary of all Lexicon entries.generated

רֶ֫גֶל (regel) means 'foot' and can refer to a foot or leg in various contexts, including anthropomorphic references to God and other beings. It also implies steps or paces. The word is derived from a root meaning related to walking, and it appears in multiple forms, such as feet and paces.

Brown-Driver-Briggs Hebrew Lexicon (full)

רֶ֫גֶל 247 n.f. foot

foot

three times (feet, paces)

base

Brown-Driver-Briggs glosses

H7272 רֶ֫גֶל foot . foot

. three times (feet, paces)

Strong's Hebrew Dictionary

7272 regel reh'-gel

from 7270; a foot (as used in walking); by implication, a

step; by euphem. the pudenda:--X be able to endure, X

according as, X after, X coming, X follow,

((broken-))foot((-ed, -stool)), X great toe, X haunt, X

journey, leg, + piss, + possession, time.

see HEBREW for 07270

Translators Brief Hebrew Lexicon

רֶ֫גֶל (re.gel) — foot.

1) foot

1a) foot, leg

1b) of God (anthropomorphic)

1c) of seraphim, cherubim, idols, animals, table

1d) according to the pace of (with prep)

1e) three times (feet, paces)

Aramaic equivalent: re.gal (רְגַל "foot" H7271)

Morphologythe parsing behind the code
Berean parsing
N-fd | Suff — Noun common feminine dual construct · suffix
HNcfdc/Sp3ms
Bible dictionarieson the English sense
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

hiz: Used often in the King James Version with reference to a neuter or inanimate thing, or to a lower animal (Ge 1:11, "after his kind"; Le 1:16, "pluck away his crop"; Ac 12:10, "of his own accord"; 1Co 15:38, "his own body"), etc. the Revised Version (British and American) substitutes "its."

Sources on this page. Lexicons and dictionaries imported from the CrossWire SWORD modules — Abbott-Smith, Strong's, Dodson, the Intermediate Liddell-Scott-Jones, Robinson and Packard, Webster and Cawdrey. Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Harper, 1889 — Grimm’s Wilke’s Clavis Novi Testamenti, translated, revised and enlarged by Joseph Henry Thayer) is public domain and is set here from the Internet Archive page scan greekenglishlex00grim; it is uncorrected OCR, marked as such on the entry itself, and the Strong’s numbers — which Thayer’s own edition does not carry — were matched by lemma against the other modules on this page. Trench’s Synonyms of the New Testament (Macmillan, 1880) and Moulton and Milligan’s Vocabulary of the Greek Testament (Hodder & Stoughton, 1930, which entered the United States public domain on 1 January 2026) are set from Internet Archive page scans synonymsofnewtes00treniala and vocabularyofgree00mouluoft, and are likewise uncorrected OCR matched to Strong’s numbers by lemma. Trench treats a group of words at once, so the same essay stands on the page of each word it compares. The Mounce Concise Greek-English Dictionary is © 1993 and is used here by permission for non-commercial use, www.teknia.com/greek-dictionary. The full Liddell-Scott-Jones and the Hebrew word data (TAHOT) come from STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0. Brown-Driver-Briggs is the OpenScriptures digitisation, public domain. Syntax analysis is the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (biblicalhumanities.org); the concordance and morphology are built from the tagged Nestle 1904 text. Septuagint occurrences use the Open Scriptures Septuagint lemma index, derived from CCAT (University of Pennsylvania) and the Rahlfs 1935 dataset by Eliran Wong, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 — used here on a non-commercial ministry site. Greek of Josephus and Barnabas from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0. Commentaries and the Ante-Nicene Fathers are public-domain texts hosted on this site. Everyday Greek from the Duke Databank of Documentary Papyri, CC BY 3.0, with dates and provenance from the Heidelberger Gesamtverzeichnis. Philo and the Apostolic Fathers from Open Greek and Latin (First1KGreek), CC BY-SA 4.0. The apparatus and the fifth Greek column are the SBL Greek New Testament, © 2010 SBL and Logos Bible Software, CC BY 4.0. The Latin is the Clementine Vulgate (public domain); the Syriac New Testament is the ETCBC edition (MIT licence). The Hebrew behind the Greek is computed here from the Septuagint index and TAHOT, not taken from any aligned edition. The translation spread and the per-word edition marks come from the Translators Amalgamated Greek NT (STEPBible, CC BY 4.0); clause roles from the Nestle 1904 Lowfat treebank (CC BY-SA 4.0); place identifications and their confidence from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding (CC BY 4.0), with map tiles © OpenStreetMap contributors. Gospel parallels are computed here from shared uncommon vocabulary, not taken from any printed harmony. Cross references are the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge and the subject headings are Nave’s Topical Bible, both public domain. Works under Creative Commons licences are used unchanged apart from markup removal.

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