And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst.
Parallel translations
- WEB The sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two.
- BSB The sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn down the middle.
- NKJV Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two.
- NASB because the sun stopped shining; and the veil of the temple was torn in two.
- NLT The light from the sun was gone. And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
The sun was darkened and the temple veil was torn in two. Christ's death opened the way into God's presence.
Overview
As the darkness deepens, the veil separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy is rent. This dramatic sign declares that access to God is now opened through Christ's sacrifice, as Hebrews teaches that He inaugurated a new and living way through His flesh. The barrier between God and sinners is removed by the cross.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Heb 10:19–22Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
- Matt 27:51And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
- Heb 9:3–8And after the second veil, the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of all;
- Mark 15:38And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.
- Eph 2:14–18For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
- Lev 16:12–16And he shall take a censer full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD, and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it within the vail:
- 2 Chr 3:14And he made the vail of blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen, and wrought cherubims thereon.
- Heb 6:19Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;
- Exod 26:31–33And thou shalt make a vail of blue, and purple, and scarlet, and fine twined linen of cunning work: with cherubims shall it be made:
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 23:45 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.