In Exodus 10:21 the Lord said unto Moses, "Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, darkness which may even be felt." No matter how dark it was, how could you feel darkness? — James of Bentonville, AR

Dear James,

Other kids may have wondered the same thing. Obviously, since darkness is only the absence of light, we cannot feel it in the same way we can feel a horse or a rock. But, have you ever been in a really dark place (like a deep cave)? I have, and when I tell people about my experience I use word pictures to describe it. For example, I might say: "The darkness surrounded me like a black wool blanket." That is just a description.

The Bible also uses descriptive language. Do you remember what Jesus called Herod? He said "Go, tell that fox" (Luke 13:32). The Lord didn’t mean that Herod was a furry animal, but that he acted like a fox. Here is another example. One ancient writer said to God: "How sweet are Your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth!" (Psalms 119:103). He did not mean that if you ate a page out of your Bible it would taste like honey. He was just saying how much he treasured God’s Word. The Lord knows that some things are understood better when told in word pictures. So the Bible often uses descriptive language as it does in Exodus 10:21. In other words, it was very, very dark!