that is, over wicked men in it, who are in a state of darkness itself; and so Satan is called the prince, and god of the world, (John 12:31 ) ( 2 Corinthians 4:4 ) . The Jews use this very word, the apostle does here, of the angel of death; who is called darkness F6; and the devil is called by them, (Kvwx lv rv) , “the prince of darkness” F7; and mention is made by them of (amle ykwvx) , “the darkness of the world” F8; from whom the apostle seems to have taken these phrases, as being in common use among the Jews; who also use it of civil governors F9, and render it, as here, “the rulers of the world”, and say it signifies monarchs, such as rule from one end of the world to the other F11: some copies, and the Ethiopic version, leave out the phrase, of this world. It follows,