Black is, of course, the darkest color in the Bible. It lacks brightness or a hue, and although it absorbs light, it does not reflect any back. Scripture states that God is light (Psalm 104:2, 1John 1:5) and that Lucifer's name, given him by his Creator, means "light bringer" or "morning star" (Strong's #H1966 in Isaiah 14:12). The universe was initially created not to be dark or black but rather to be filled with light (both literally and figuratively, see Revelation 21:23 - 24, 22:5).
When Lucifer chose to sin, however, he turned the light within himself to black (which God determined beforehand would be a consequence of disobedience - see Isaiah 45:7). He became the first dark 'thing' that had ever existed (John 8:44) when he committed spiritual suicide.
In the physical universe, a black hole is a celestial object whose massive gravity pulls in all matter, including light, yet itself remains dark. Lucifer became a spiritual version of this physical phenomenon when he took all the light God gave him and turning it into darkness.
In Western cultures today darkness symbolizes death and mourning. People sometimes wear dark clothes when they are mourning the death of someone they love.
Appearances of the Color Black
In the King James translation the word "black" (or variation) is found 26 times. Similiar references to this color include "dark," "darkness," and so on come from a variety of original language sources (Strong's Concordance #H380, #H2821, #H3648, #H5508, #H6937, #H7835, etc.). Its use in Scripture lends itself to the below meanings.
It can represent famine in general (Jeremiah 14:1 - 2, Lamentations 5:10), mourning and sorrow (Job 30:28, 30, Jeremiah 8:21, 14:2), or a period of time when no revelation (spiritual light) comes from God (Micah 3:6).
This color can symbolize the location of the dead (Job 3:5, 10:21 - 22) or where some evil spirits will spend eternity as punishment for their rebellion (Jude 13).
Black can signify punishment that is eternal for disobeying God (Matthew 8:12, 22:13, 25:30), a place of temporary restraint for disobedient angels (2Peter 2:4) or Satan, his ways and the power of evil (Acts 26:18, 1Thessalonians 5:5).
Natural objects referenced as this coloration include hair, marble, skin, the sky, the sun and the sun and moon together (Matthew 5:36, Leviticus 13:31, Esther 1:6, Job 30:30, 1Kings 18:45, Proverbs 7:9, Revelation 6:12, Joel 2:10).
More Info on Biblical Meaning of Black
The third of the four horsemen of the apocalypse rides a black horse (Revelation 6:5 - 6). The rider represents the famine conditions God will allow Satan, who will visibly rule the earth in the End Time, to bring upon all humanity.
This color represents the deceitful treatment of Job by his friends (Job 6:16) and God's judgment (Zechariah 6:2, 6). It can also symbolize affliction, calamity, adversity or suffering for one's sins (Lamentations 4:8, Job 3:5, 30:26, Psalm 107:10, 143:3, Isaiah 5:30, 8:22, Joel 2:6, Zephaniah 1:14 - 15, Revelation 16:10).
The Bible is clear in its condemnation of occult practices such as witchcraft, fortune telling (soothsaying), consulting the dead through mediums (channeling), sorcery, astrology and alike (Deuteronomy 18, Leviticus 19:31, 20, Acts 19:18 - 19 and so on). These practices are collectively known as black magic.