What kind of Death from the word “shadow of Death”? (Matthew 4:16)

  1. What kind of Death from the word “shadow of Death”? (Matthew 4:16)
  2. Matthew 4:16 "The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great light, and to those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, upon them a light dawned."
  3. The people which sat in darkness: Barnes says that those who are ignorant of God and their duty are said to be in darkness. As ignorance is often connected with crime and vice, so darkness is sometimes used to denote sin (1 Thess. 5:5; Eph 5:11; Lk 22:53; Barnes). These expressions seem to be very much spiritual, therefore, the author expresses it once again with another term in tandem. 
  4. The region and shadow of death. The author seemed to mention the stronger word of death again, but theologians prefer interpreting the spiritual nuance of death only, which denotes great ignorance, sin, and woe (Barnes). But according to Job 10:21, the shadow of death refers to the graves or tombs (Sheol). It denotes a gloomy and dreadful shade of the grave, where dead bones lie down (shadow of imminent death, Job16:16;  darkest valley, Ps 23:4; where no one lives, Jer 2:6; Barnes). According to the Greek interpretation (Septuagint, LXX): θανάτου; “Thanatos” means 1. natural physical death; Mt 10:21; 20:18; J 11:4, 13; Ac 22:4; Ro 5:12, 14, 17; Phil 2:27, 30; Hb 7:23; Rv 18:8. 2. Figurative meaning of spiritual death; Mt 4:16; J 8:51; Ro 1:32; 7:10, 13:1 J 5:16f ; Ginggrich). 
  5. Thus, in Greek Bible the word “death” (Thanatos) are used to refer “physical death” more frequently, but theologians today seem to use more symbolic meaning of it describing sin and spiritual death (Pulpit; Ahn).
  6. Therefore, Bible readers get lesser feeling of a real and dire tragedy of death caused by the sin. Then, the brightness of light lesser spotlighted as well. In the Hebrew, it is interpreted as Va Eerets Tsel Mooth (בארצ צלמות); “in the land of shadow of death.” 
  7. According to Ancient Hebrew language what would death (Mut מות) mean?
  8. Mem, M, water (sea, river, spring, or well)
  9. Vav, or Wav, W, tent peg, verb. Put in the tent peg, put in the big nail, Pitch up tent.
  10. Tav. T or Th, final alphabet, the last or death, standing grave stone, mark of important thing
  11. Attempt to interpret them:
  12. 1. Death is like the dead body are nailed in the water. 
  13. 2. Death is like the water pitch up a house for dead.
  14. In these pictures one may imagine the scene of great flood during the time of Noah. So many people and animals were drowned or buried (like putting in tent peg) by the great muddy water so that they were not able to be saved. The universal judgment of death happened in the time of Noah, of which Bible readers need to imagine this kind of shadow of death. The day of the Lord will be like the days of Noah (Matthew 24:37). 
  15. According to immediate context (Mt 4:23-24), Jesus Christ healed so many sick people. Therefore, suffering severe pain from all kind of sickness or demon possession may be understood as those who are in the shadow of death. For people are dying soon out of such painful diseases (Ahn).