Strong's Hebrew: 2819. חַשְׁחוּת (chashchuwth) -- Darkness, obscurity

◄ 2819. chashchuwth ►

Lexical Summary

chashchuwth: Darkness, obscurity

Original Word: חַשְׁחוּת
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: chashchuwth
Pronunciation: khash-khooth'
Phonetic Spelling: (khash-khooth')
KJV: be needful
Word Origin: [from a root corresponding to H281 (אֲחִיָה אֲחִיָהוּ - Ahijah)8]

1. necessity

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

be needful

From a root corresponding to chashach; necessity -- be needful.

see HEBREW chashach

Brown-Driver-Briggs

[חַשְׁחוּ] noun feminine collective things needed, requirement (Syriac id.); — construct חַשְׁתוּת בֵּית אֱלָהָח Ezra 7:20.

Topical Lexicon

Overview

Strong’s Hebrew 2819, ḥashḥuth, is a rare feminine noun derived from the verbal root “to be dark.” While the specific form never appears in the received Old Testament text, its lexical preservation highlights the biblical motif of intense darkness—both literal and figurative—and invites reflection on the way Scripture contrasts darkness with God’s redemptive light.

Relative Forms and Scriptural Parallels

Although ḥashḥuth itself is unattested, cognate terms saturate Scripture:

• choshekh (“darkness”) – Exodus 10:22
• machshak (“gloom”) – Psalm 107:14
• chashakh (“be dark”) – Isaiah 13:10

These passages demonstrate that darkness regularly serves as a backdrop for divine activity, judgment, and salvation.

Historical and Cultural Setting

In Ancient Near Eastern thought, darkness conveyed danger, chaos, and separation from deity. Israel’s prophets employed this imagery to underscore covenant blessings and curses. The lexicon’s retention of ḥashḥuth suggests the existence of an archaic or dialectal term for the deepest gloom, possibly used in oral tradition or non-canonical writings that informed the biblical milieu.

Theological Significance

1. Judgment

Darkness accompanies divine wrath (Joel 2:2; Amos 5:18), signaling moral and spiritual blindness.

2. Deliverance

God alone dispels darkness: “He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death” (Psalm 107:14).

3. Revelation

Paradoxically, the Lord “makes darkness His hiding place” (Psalm 18:11), revealing that He transcends created light while graciously unveiling Himself.

Christological Fulfillment

At Calvary “darkness fell over all the land” (Matthew 27:45). This literal ḥashḥuth climaxes salvation history, as the Light of the world absorbs judgment’s gloom to illuminate humankind (John 8:12).

Eschatological Outlook

Prophetic oracles link final judgment with cosmic darkness (Isaiah 60:2; Revelation 6:12), yet the consummation promises, “There will be no night there” (Revelation 21:25). Ultimate deliverance abolishes every vestige of ḥashḥuth.

Ministry Applications

• Evangelism: 2 Corinthians 4:6 frames conversion as divine light dispelling inner darkness.
• Discipleship: Romans 13:12 urges believers to “cast off the deeds of darkness.”
• Pastoral Care: Psalm 23:4 offers comfort when saints walk through “the valley of the shadow of death.”

Homiletical Outline

1. Genesis 1:2-3 – Darkness precedes creation light.
2. Exodus 10 – Plague of darkness confronts Pharaoh.
3. Isaiah 9:2 – Messianic hope for a darkened people.
4. Matthew 27:45 – Darkness at the cross.
5. Revelation 22:5 – Eternal banishment of night.

Conclusion

Though ḥashḥuth itself is not found in canonical verses, the concept it embodies permeates Scripture. From the primordial void to the new Jerusalem, the narrative arc testifies that the Lord conquers the deepest gloom, guiding His people from darkness into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9).

Links

Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts