Shadow

The Greek word σκιά (skia)^[1] is frequently used as a metaphor in both classical and biblical contexts to represent abstract concepts beyond physical shadows.

In the New Testament, σκιά (skia) and σκότος (skotos)^[2] are distinct metaphors for darkness, representing different concepts.

The Greek term σκιά (skia) primarily means a shadow or outline.

Metaphorically, it is believed by some that it may signify something that is a foreshadowing or adumbration of a greater, future reality.

It implies a lesser, temporary image that points to a more substantial truth, as seen in Colossians 2:17 and Hebrews 8:5, Hebrews 10:1, where the Old Covenant is described as a "shadow" of the good things to come in Christ.

The absence of light

The Greek verb σκότος (skotos)^[2] means darkness in a more absolute sense. Skotos represents the absence of light and is used metaphorically to denote the realm of sin, ignorance, evil, and spiritual death in opposition to God.

It signifies a state of moral and spiritual blindness,^[3] as in John 3:19 ("men loved darkness rather than light")^[4] and Colossians 1:13 ("rescued us from the dominion of darkness").

Colossians 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power^[5] of darkness^[2] , and hath translated^[6] us into the kingdom of his dear Son:

Thus, skia is about imperfect representation (a shadow of the real word of God which is seen more clearly in the Doctrine of Jesus), while skotos is about moral and spiritual opposition to God (the domain of evil).

Footnotes

↑ 4639 σκιά skia skee’-ah apparently a primary word; n f; TDNT-7:394,1044; {See TDNT 718 } AV-shadow 7; 7
1) shadow
1a) shade caused by the interception of light

1b) an image cast by an object and representing the form of that object

1c) a sketch, outline, adumbration
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 4653 σκοτία skotia [skot-ee’-ah] from 4655; n f; TDNT-7:423,1049; [{See TDNT 724 }] AV-darkness 14, dark 2; 16
1) darkness

2) the darkness due to want of light

3) metaph. used of ignorance of divine things, and its associated wickedness, and the resultant misery in hell
↑ False prophets and Guru theories
Isaiah 42:16 "And I will bring the blind by a way [that] they knew not; I will lead them in paths [that] they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them. 17 They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images, that say to the molten images, Ye [are] our gods. 18 Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see."

Isaiah 30:20 "And [though] the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers: 21 And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This [is] the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. 22 Ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven images of silver, and the ornament of thy molten images of gold: thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous cloth; thou shalt say unto it, Get thee hence. 23 Then shall he give the rain of thy seed,..."

Matthew 13:13 "Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand."

Matthew 15:14 "Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch."

Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recoveing of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

John 9:39 ¶ "And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind."

Luke 6:39 "And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch? 40 The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master."

Acts 13:11 "And now, behold, the hand of the Lord [is] upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand."
↑ If you are born again
John 14:15 If "ye love me, keep my commandments."

1 John 3:24 "And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us."

1 John 4:13 "Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit."

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. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God."

1 John 5:1 "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. 4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith."
↑ 1849 ~ἐξουσία~ exousia \@ex-oo-see’-ah\@ from 1832 (in the sense of ability); n f AV-power 69, authority 29, right 2, liberty 1, jurisdiction 1, strength 1; 103 See Romans 13
1) power of choice, liberty of doing as one pleases
1a) leave or permission

2) physical and mental power
2a) the ability or strength with which one is endued, which he either possesses or exercises

3) the power of authority (influence) and of right (privilege)

4) the power of rule or government (the power of him whose will and commands must be submitted to by others and obeyed)
4a) universally
4a1) authority over mankind

4b) specifically
4b1) the power of judicial decisions

4b2) of authority to manage domestic affairs

4c) metonymically
4c1) a thing subject to authority or rule
4c1a) jurisdiction

4c2) one who possesses authority

4c2a) a ruler, a human magistrate

4c2b) the leading and more powerful among created beings superior to man, spiritual potentates

4d) a sign of the husband’s authority over his wife
4d1) the veil with which propriety required a women to cover herself

4e) the sign of regal authority, a crown

For Synonyms see entry 5820
↑ 3179 ‭μεθιστημὶ methistemi meth-is’-tay-mee; or (#1 Corinthians 13:2) μεθιστανω methistano meth-is-tan’-o or Colossians 1:13; from 3326 and 2476; v; AV-remove 2, put out 1, turn away 1, translate 1; 5
1) to transpose, transfer, remove from one place to another
1a) of change of situation or place

1b) to remove from the office of a steward

1c) to depart from life, to die

[skia-1] 4639 σκιά skia skee’-ah apparently a primary word; n f; TDNT-7:394,1044; {See TDNT 718 } AV-shadow 7; 7
1) shadow
1a) shade caused by the interception of light

1b) an image cast by an object and representing the form of that object

1c) a sketch, outline, adumbration

[skotos-2] 2.0 ^2.1 ^2.2 4653 σκοτία skotia [skot-ee’-ah] from 4655; n f; TDNT-7:423,1049; [{See TDNT 724 }] AV-darkness 14, dark 2; 16
1) darkness

2) the darkness due to want of light

3) metaph. used of ignorance of divine things, and its associated wickedness, and the resultant misery in hell

[Blindlead'-3] False prophets and Guru theories
Isaiah 42:16 "And I will bring the blind by a way [that] they knew not; I will lead them in paths [that] they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them. 17 They shall be turned back, they shall be greatly ashamed, that trust in graven images, that say to the molten images, Ye [are] our gods. 18 Hear, ye deaf; and look, ye blind, that ye may see."

Isaiah 30:20 "And [though] the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers: 21 And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This [is] the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. 22 Ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven images of silver, and the ornament of thy molten images of gold: thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous cloth; thou shalt say unto it, Get thee hence. 23 Then shall he give the rain of thy seed,..."

Matthew 13:13 "Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand."

Matthew 15:14 "Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch."

Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord [is] upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recoveing of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,

John 9:39 ¶ "And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world, that they which see not might see; and that they which see might be made blind."

Luke 6:39 "And he spake a parable unto them, Can the blind lead the blind? shall they not both fall into the ditch? 40 The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master."

Acts 13:11 "And now, behold, the hand of the Lord [is] upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand."

[Bornagain'-4] If you are born again
John 14:15 If "ye love me, keep my commandments."

1 John 3:24 "And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us."

1 John 4:13 "Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit."

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. 20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21 But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God."

1 John 5:1 "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is begotten of him. 2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. 3 For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous. 4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith."

[Exousia-5] 1849 ~ἐξουσία~ exousia \@ex-oo-see’-ah\@ from 1832 (in the sense of ability); n f AV-power 69, authority 29, right 2, liberty 1, jurisdiction 1, strength 1; 103 See Romans 13
1) power of choice, liberty of doing as one pleases
1a) leave or permission

2) physical and mental power
2a) the ability or strength with which one is endued, which he either possesses or exercises

3) the power of authority (influence) and of right (privilege)

4) the power of rule or government (the power of him whose will and commands must be submitted to by others and obeyed)
4a) universally
4a1) authority over mankind

4b) specifically
4b1) the power of judicial decisions

4b2) of authority to manage domestic affairs

4c) metonymically
4c1) a thing subject to authority or rule
4c1a) jurisdiction

4c2) one who possesses authority

4c2a) a ruler, a human magistrate

4c2b) the leading and more powerful among created beings superior to man, spiritual potentates

4d) a sign of the husband’s authority over his wife
4d1) the veil with which propriety required a women to cover herself

4e) the sign of regal authority, a crown

For Synonyms see entry 5820

[methistemi-6] 3179 ‭μεθιστημὶ methistemi meth-is’-tay-mee; or (#1 Corinthians 13:2) μεθιστανω methistano meth-is-tan’-o or Colossians 1:13; from 3326 and 2476; v; AV-remove 2, put out 1, turn away 1, translate 1; 5
1) to transpose, transfer, remove from one place to another
1a) of change of situation or place

1b) to remove from the office of a steward

1c) to depart from life, to die

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[5]

[6]

Shadow

Shadow

The absence of light

Footnotes

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