G2217 — ζόφος (zóphos)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G2217
Original: ζόφος
Transliteration: zóphos
Pronunciation: dzof'-os
Part of Speech: Masculine noun
Root: Akin to γνόφος, δνόφος, νέφος, κνέφας (related words for gloom, murk, cloud)
Occurrences: 4 in NT (Greek parser also attests Heb 12:18 in manuscripts L T Tr WH)
Books: 2 Peter, Jude (+ Heb 12:18 in some MSS)
First Occurrence: 2Pe 2:4 — "delivered [them] into chains of darkness [ζόφου], to be reserved unto judgment"
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition (Thayer)¶

ζόφος, -ου, ὁ — darkness, blackness. Akin to γνόφος, δνόφος, νέφος, κνέφας (Buttmann, Lexilogus 2, p. 266). Used as in Homer (Iliad 15:191; 21:56) of the darkness of the nether world (cf. Grimm on Wis. 17:14): 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6. The compound ζόφος τοῦ σκότους — "the blackness of (i.e., the densest) darkness" — cf. Heb. חֹשֶׁךְ אֲפֵלָה (Exod 10:22): 2 Peter 2:17; Jude 1:13. Also attested at Heb 12:18 (L T Tr WH). [Cf. Trench, §c.]

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Primary Domain: 014007 — Darkness (Physical Events and States)
Secondary Domain: 001003 — Regions Below the Surface of the Earth
Domain neighbors (014007): γνόφος (G1105), σκοτεινός (G4652), σκοτία (G4653), σκοτίζω (G4654), σκότος (G4655), σκιά (G4639), νύξ (G3571)

UBS Semantic Domains¶

[014] Physical Events and States
[001] Geographical Objects and Features

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Count	%
blackness	1	25%
darkness	1	25%
mist	1	25%
of darkness	1	25%

Each of the 4 verses receives a different KJV rendering, reflecting context-driven translation. "Mist" in 2Pe 2:17 renders ζόφος within the compound ζόφος τοῦ σκότους; the KJV divides the phrase, translating ζόφος as "mist" and σκότος as "darkness."

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
2 Peter	2	3.3
Jude	2	—

Concentrated entirely in two brief epistles dealing with apostasy, false teachers, and fallen angels. Absent from Paul, John, the Gospels, and Revelation — a notably narrow distribution for a darkness term.

Semantic Categories¶

1. Atmospheric / Elemental Darkness¶

Dense, palpable gloom — the thick murk of storm or theophany. Attested in some manuscripts at Sinai.

Heb 12:18 (L T Tr WH) — "ye are not come unto the mount that might be touched...nor unto blackness [ζόφῳ], and darkness, and tempest"

2. The Darkness of the Netherworld — Prison of Fallen Angels¶

ζόφος as the condition and place of divine punishment where fallen supernatural beings await final judgment. Draws on Homer's usage of ζόφος for the murky underworld.

2Pe 2:4 — "cast [them] down to hell, and delivered [them] into chains of darkness [ζόφου], to be reserved unto judgment"
Jude 1:6 — "he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness [ζόφον] unto the judgment of the great day"

3. The Blackness of Darkness — Final Eschatological Doom¶

The compound ζόφος τοῦ σκότους ("blackness of darkness") intensifies the darkness imagery to its extreme. A Hebraism (cf. חֹשֶׁךְ אֲפֵלָה, the plague darkness of Exod 10:22). Reserved as the eternal lot of the ungodly.

2Pe 2:17 — "to whom the mist of darkness [ζόφος τοῦ σκότους] is reserved for ever"
Jude 1:13 — "wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness [ζόφος τοῦ σκότους] for ever"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
σκότος (skótos)	G4655	2x	compound ζόφος τοῦ σκότους — "blackness of [the] darkness"
κρίσις (krísis)	G2920	2x	darkness as the punishment reserved for judgment
ἄγγελος (ággelos)	G32	2x	fallen angels held in ζόφος awaiting judgment
αἰών (aiṓn)	G165	2x	εἰς αἰῶνα — "for ever" — paired with final doom passages
ἀΐδιος (aḯdios)	G126	1x	"everlasting chains" — Jude 1:6
δεσμόν (desmón)	G1199	1x	"chains" of darkness — 2Pe 2:4; Jude 1:6

Word Family / Cognates¶

G1105 γνόφος (gnóphos) — blackness, gloom; cognate root; 1x in NT (Heb 12:18 KJV tradition); used of Sinai in LXX (Deut 4:11; 5:22); semantically very close to ζόφος

Synonyms¶

G3509 νέφος (néphos) — cloud; grouped by search_relationships.py with ζόφος in the murk/cloud vocabulary.
G3507 νεφέλη (nephélē) — cloud; overlapping atmospheric-darkness imagery.

Antonyms¶

No antonym set was returned by search_relationships.py for ζόφος.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
σκότος (skótos)	G4655	both "darkness"	σκότος is the common NT term (31x), used broadly; ζόφος is rare (4x), poetic, specifically the murk of the abyss
σκοτία (skotía)	G4653	both "darkness"	σκοτία preferred by John (13x) for moral/spiritual darkness; ζόφος limited to Peter/Jude for netherworld imagery
γνόφος (gnóphos)	G1105	both "blackness/gloom"	cognate words; γνόφος used of Sinai theophany (LXX); ζόφος used for the abyss; overlap at Heb 12:18

Domain Neighbors (Louw-Nida 014007 — Darkness)¶

Strong's	Lemma	Total Verses	Primary KJV Translation	Key Difference
G1105	γνόφος	1	blackness	cognate; Sinai theophany context
G4652	σκοτεινός	3	dark, full of darkness	adjective form of σκότος
G4653	σκοτία	13	darkness	Johannine; moral/spiritual darkness
G4655	σκότος	31	darkness	most frequent NT darkness word; general
G3571	νύξ	55	night	literal nighttime; also moral metaphor
G4639	σκιά	7	shadow	shade/shadow; less intense than darkness words

Hebrew Source¶

No systematic LXX alignment found. The conceptual parallel to Heb. חֹשֶׁךְ אֲפֵלָה ("thick darkness," Exod 10:22) noted by Thayer for ζόφος τοῦ σκότους is a conceptual echo, not a translation equivalence. ζόφος does not appear as a consistent LXX rendering of any specific Hebrew word.