Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary Matthew 27:45

"Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour." — Matthew 27:45 (ASV)

The darkness that “came over all the land” from noon till 3:00 P. M. was a sign of judgment and/or tragedy (cf. Amos 8:9–10). The judgment is therefore a judgment on the land and its people. But it is also a judgment on Jesus; for out of this darkness comes his cry of desolation. The cosmic blackness hints at the deep judgment that was taking place (20:28; 26:26–29; Galatians 3:13).