### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Hebrew word **ʻêyphâh**, represented by `{{H5890}}`, refers to **darkness** or **obscurity**. Derived from a root suggesting "covering," it appears only **2 times** in **2 unique verses**. This specific term carries a sense of profound and overwhelming gloom.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
The two uses of `{{H5890}}` highlight its thematic weight. In [[Amos 4:13]], it is used to describe God's immense power, as He is the one who "maketh the morning **darkness**," demonstrating his sovereignty over creation itself. In [[Job 10:22]], Job uses the word to describe a land of ultimate despair, a place of **darkness** `{{H5890}}` that is "without any order, and where the light is as darkness."
### Related Words & Concepts
Several related words help define the concept of darkness and its opposite:
* `{{H652}}` **ʼôphel** (dusk; darkness, obscurity, privily): This term appears alongside `{{H5890}}` in [[Job 10:22]], emphasizing the intensity of the gloom described as a "land of darkness, as **darkness** itself."
* `{{H6757}}` **tsalmâveth** (shadow of death): Also used in [[Job 10:22]], this word links the darkness of `{{H5890}}` directly to the concept of calamity and the grave, describing a land of darkness and "of the **shadow of death**."
* `{{H3313}}` **yâphaʻ** (to shine; be light, shew self): As the direct antonym, this word for light is used in [[Job 10:22]] to create a powerful contrast, describing a place where even the **light** is like darkness.
### Theological Significance
The theological significance of `{{H5890}}` is tied to its powerful imagery.
* **Divine Sovereignty:** The use of `{{H5890}}` in [[Amos 4:13]] showcases God's absolute authority over the natural order, capable of turning light into profound darkness.
* **Ultimate Despair:** In Job's lament, `{{H5890}}` becomes a metaphor for a state of utter hopelessness and chaos, a land so bleak it is "without any order" [[Job 10:22]].
* **A State of Calamity:** Paired with terms like "darkness" `{{H652}}` and "shadow of death" `{{H6757}}`, `{{H5890}}` illustrates a condition of grave misfortune where God's light seems entirely absent.
### Summary
In summary, `{{H5890}}` is a rare but impactful word for **darkness**. Though used only twice, it powerfully conveys themes of God's supreme power over creation and the depths of human despair. It contributes to the biblical understanding of darkness not merely as an absence of light, but as a state of chaos, calamity, and overwhelming gloom.
TRV