Phrase guide

valley of the shadow of death

noun · 2 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

The world, a place where darkness and death are figurative valleys one must walk through as part of the human experience.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A very dangerous place.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, idiomatic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From Psalm 23 of the Book of Psalms. "Shadow of death" is a calque of Hebrew צלמות.

Across languages

Translations

10 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 死蔭的幽谷 /死荫的幽谷 (sǐ yīn dí yōugǔ) — biblical phrase
  • Finnish: kuoleman varjon laakso — biblical phrase
  • German: das finstere Tal — biblical phrase
  • Ancient Greek: ἐν μέσῳ σκιᾶς θανάτου (en mésōi skiâs thanátou) — biblical phrase
  • Hebrew: גיא צלמות (ge' tsalmawet) — biblical phrase
  • Japanese: 死の陰の谷 (shi no kage no tani) — biblical phrase
  • Latin: in mediō umbrae mortis — biblical phrase
  • Portuguese: vale da sombra da morte — biblical phrase
  • Spanish: valle de sombra de muerte — biblical phrase
  • Swedish: dödsskuggans dal — biblical phrase