Hebrew word · H2823
חָשֹׁךְ
chashukim
obscure
An adjective from חשך, 'to be dark'. Literally it means 'dark', and figuratively 'obscure, unknown, low in rank'. As an adjective it occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible.
Appears once in the Hebrew Old Testament. ·
What it means
obscure, insignificant, low
Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
From the study of Proverbs 22:29
- Range of meaning
An adjective from חשך, 'to be dark'. Literally it means 'dark', and figuratively 'obscure, unknown, low in rank'. As an adjective it occurs only here in the Hebrew Bible.
- Against the English
KJV has 'mean men'. In 1611 'mean' meant common or low-born ('of mean estate'), but today it means unkind or stingy. BSB, ESV and NASB have 'obscure men'. NIV has 'officials of low rank', which makes them minor officials. NLT has 'ordinary people'.
- How it drifted
The shift of 'mean' from 'humble, common' to 'nasty' happened mostly in the 19th century, and the KJV wording is now misleading.
- Used elsewhere in the period
The ancient translators guessed differently because the word is rare. The Greek translation appears to render it 'sluggish' or 'dull' men (nōthroi). That contrasts them with the 'quick' man rather than with kings. The Latin has ignobiles, 'low-born, undistinguished'. Darkness as a picture of obscurity is natural in Hebrew poetry.
Similar words
Where it appears
Proverbs · 1
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Proverbs 22:29 חֲשֻׁכִּֽים׃ פ insignificant [people]
Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will be stationed in the presence of kings; he will not stand before obscure men.
Here: Literally 'dark ones', from the root for darkness. It means people who live in obscurity: unknown and of low rank, the opposite of kings in the public eye. It is a judgment about social standing, not morals. This adjective appears only here in the Hebrew Bible.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.