UBS Dictionary of the Greek New Testament

Sense 1: shadow

Semantic entry: 14.61

Semantic domains: Physical Events and States

Subdomains: Darkness

Definition: the shape or shade cast by an object which blocks rays of light

Notes: In a number of languages a term for ‘shadow’ has a number of very important meanings. In some instances it is regarded as a part of personality which goes on to the next world, since a dead person no longer ‘casts a shadow.’ The shadow may also be regarded as a kind of counterpart of the personality, a type of alter ego. In cases of severe illness one may say ‘his shadow has walked away,’ and in many parts of the world the shadow of a person is an important element in the practice of black magic, for to damage a shadow may be regarded as a means of causing harm to a person.|In OET JAM 1:17 one may translate ‘shifting shadow’ as ‘a shadow which constantly changes.’