From the sixth hour … until the ninth hour (so also New Jerusalem Bible, New International Version) is transformed by Good News Translation to read “At noon … for three hours.” Barclay has “From twelve o’clock midday until three o’clock in the afternoon” and New English Bible has “From midday … until three in the afternoon.” The calculation is according to the Roman day, which began at six in the morning.

There was darkness over all the land (so also New Jerusalem Bible) is restructured as a passive construction in Good News Translation: “the whole country was covered with darkness.” Matthew probably sees in these events the fulfillment of Amos 8.9: “The time is coming when I will make the sun go down at noon and the earth grow dark in daytime” (TEV).

All the land probably refers to the land of Israel (Good News Translation “the whole country”), though it may also be interpreted to mean “all the earth” (RSV footnote). Although most translations reflect the first of these two possibilities, it is quite possible that Matthew intends his readers to understand the crucifixion as a cosmic event, affecting the entire created order.

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .