a.phe.lah denotes darkness as a setting of obscurity and as imagery for troubled, perilous, or unlit conditions in the Bible.

The attested use most often places darkness within scenes of distress, judgment, disorientation, or a wicked path; it also denotes literal or temporal obscurity, including the Egyptian plague, blind groping, and nightfall.

1. Darkness in distressing or perilous imagery · dominant

   In Isaiah 59:9 the plural form stands where light and brightness are awaited but darkness and walking in darknesses are encountered. Isaiah 8:22, Jeremiah 23:12, Joel 2:2, Zephaniah 1:15, and Proverbs 4:19 place the singular form amid distress, slippery paths and falling, a fearful day, or the wicked person's stumbling way; in each case the APB renders the surrounding clause with darkness imagery.

   Isaiah 59:9Isaiah 8:22Jeremiah 23:12Joel 2:2Zephaniah 1:15Proverbs 4:19
2. Physical or temporal obscurity · common

   Exodus 10:22 places the singular form in the account of darkness over Egypt after Moses stretches out his hand over the sky. Deuteronomy 28:29 associates it with blind groping at midday, while Proverbs 7:9 places it in an evening-and-night sequence; the APB renders these clauses with darkness.

   Exodus 10:22Deuteronomy 28:29Proverbs 7:9

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB commonly presents the relevant clauses with “darkness,” and in Isaiah 59:9 with “darknesses”; it also places the term beside expressions such as “gloom” and “thick darkness.” These English phrases show the verse-level presentation rather than a fixed rendering for each form.