23:45a

The sun was darkened: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as The sun was darkened is literally “the sun’s light having failed.” This clause gives the reason or cause for the darkness in 23:44. It became dark because the sun stopped shining. Some other ways to translate the clause are:

because the sun did not shine (New Century Version)
-or-
The light from the sun was gone. (New Living Translation (2004))

In some languages it may be more natural to put this reason clause before the result in 23:44. You may also decide to include this clause in 23:44, as some English versions do. See the General Comment on 23:44–45 below for examples.

This phrase not necessarily mean that the sun had no light at all during that time. God may have caused something to block the light of the sun so that it could not shine on part of the earth. Then the land became dark. However, this was not an eclipse. Bible scholars do not know what caused this darkness.

General Comment on 23:44–45

There is a close connection between 23:44b and 23:45a. The sun stopped shining (23:45a), and that caused the land to become dark (23:44b). Some languages may need to change the order of clauses so that the cause in 23:45 comes before the result in 23:44. For example:

44aIt was now about the sixth hour 45aand the sun’s light failed, 44bso that darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. (New Jerusalem Bible)

In some languages it may be helpful to combine 23:44–45. For example:

44–45It was about twelve o’clock when the sun stopped shining and darkness covered the whole country until three o’clock…. (Good News Translation)

In some other languages it may be better to include 23:45a in 23:44 without changing the verse numbers. For example:

44When it was about twelve o’clock, the sun suddenly-stopped shining and the entire country became dark until three o’clock.

You should order 23:44b–45a in a way that is natural in your language.

23:45b

and: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as and connects the tearing of the veil/curtain of the temple into two parts with the darkness that came upon the land in 23:44–45a. At some time during this darkness the veil/curtain in the temple was torn in two. In some languages a conjunction is not necessary. Connect the events in a natural way in your language.

the veil of the temple: The phrase the veil of the temple refers to the large, thick curtain that hung in the temple. It divided a very holy place from the rest of the temple. It either hung at the entrance to the temple building or between two rooms in the temple building. (These two rooms are called “The Holy Place” and “The Holy of Holies.”) This curtain was possibly as much as twenty-five meters tall.

Some other ways to translate this are:

⌊heavy⌋ cloth door
-or-
cloth divider
-or-
the thick cloth that makes/acts-as a wall in the temple

temple: Here the word temple refers to the main building of the temple. See temple, Meaning 2, in the Glossary.

was torn down the middle: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as was torn down the middle indicates that the curtain was split down the middle into two parts. According to Matthew 27:51 and Mark 15:38 this curtain split apart from top to bottom.

The verb was torn is passive. The text probably implies that God caused the curtain to tear like that. In some languages it may be more natural to translate the clause without a passive verb. For example:

tore into two parts
-or-
ripped down the middle

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