And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.

LUKE 23:44KJV
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Luke 23:44 (KJV)

What does Luke 23:44 mean?

Luke 23:44 describes how, around noon (“the sixth hour”), darkness covered the whole land until about 3 p.m. (“the ninth hour”) while Jesus was on the cross. This unusual darkness lasted for three hours during Jesus’s crucifixion, marking a dramatic moment in the narrative.

The Gospel of Luke is recounting the events as Jesus is being crucified, speaking to readers about what happened during those hours. The mention of darkness in the middle of the day would have been shocking to witnesses and signals that something extraordinary and deeply significant was taking place during Jesus’s death.

The Greek behind Luke 23:44

  • ὥρα (hōra): This word means “hour” and is used here to specify the timing—“the sixth hour” (about noon) and “the ninth hour” (about 3 p.m.). The detail helps readers picture the exact time of day when these events happened.
  • γῆ (gē): This word is often translated “earth” or “land.” In this context, it likely means the whole surrounding area, not necessarily the entire planet, so the darkness covered the region where the crucifixion was happening.
  • σκότος (skotos): This word means “darkness.” The Greek here carries the sense of a physical, visible darkness, not just a metaphorical one, emphasizing the unusual and striking nature of the event.

Why Luke 23:44 matters

  • Luke 23:44 clears up that the darkness was not just a passing cloud or a metaphor but a real, observable event that lasted for hours, highlighting the gravity of Jesus’s crucifixion.
  • The verse connects the timing of Jesus’s death to Jewish reckoning of hours, helping readers understand the chronology of Good Friday.
  • This detail sets the stage for the next dramatic moments in the crucifixion story, showing that nature itself responded to what was happening on the cross.

Where else these words appear

“ninth” Greek G1766 · used in 10 verses

  • Matthew 20:5 Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.
  • Mark 15:33 And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.
  • Acts 10:3 He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius.

“sixth” Greek G1623 · used in 14 verses

  • Matthew 20:5 Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise.
  • Luke 1:36 And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
  • Revelation 6:12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;

“darkness” Greek G4655 · used in 31 verses

  • Matthew 4:16 The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.
  • John 3:19 And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.
  • Ephesians 5:11 And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.

“about” Greek G5616 · used in 34 verses

  • Matthew 3:16 And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:
  • Luke 9:14 For they were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, Make them sit down by fifties in a company.
  • Acts 2:3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.