choshek, “darkness,” strong’s H2822

The first occurrence

Now the earth was unformed and void, and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters. Gen 1:2

The primitive root

Strong’s H2822, choshek, a concrete noun meaning, “darkness,” from Strong’s H2821 חשך chashak, a primitive root meaning, “to be dark.” The 3-letter root is chet + shin + kaph.

chet ח = the wall, thus outside, divide, half
shin ש = two front teeth, thus sharp, press, eat, two, again
kaph כ, ך = the open palm, thus bend, open, allow, tame

The story: The wall (chet) which is sharp (shin) refers to the wall of a pit dug into the ground for the purpose of trapping someone or something, according to the Ancient Hebrew Lexicon. The sharp walls which go straight down prevent the trapped person or animal from climbing out to safety.  When the pit is covered (kaph, as the open palm covers the head of the son when he receives his father’s blessing), there is total darkness.

THE ANCIENT HEBREW LEXICON | INDEX OF HEBREW ROOTS