Reference: Light
American
One of the most wonderful, cheering, and useful of all the works of God; called into being on the first of the six days of creation, by his voice: "Let there be light;" and there was light. No object better illustrates whatever is pure, glorious, spiritual, joyful, and beneficent. Hence the beauty and force of the expressions, "God is light," 1Jo 1:5, and "the Father of lights," Jas 1:17; Christ is the "Sun of righteousness," and "the light of the world," Joh 1:9; 8:12. So also the word of God is "a light," Ps 119:105; truth and Christians are lights, Joh 3:19; 12:36; prosperity is "light," Es 8:16; and heaven is full of light, Re 21:23-25. The opposite of all these is "darkness."
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With all my heart I have sought Thee, Let me not err from Thy commands.
He was the true Light, which doth enlighten every man, coming to the world;
'And this is the judgment, that the light hath come to the world, and men did love the darkness rather than the light, for their works were evil;
Again, therefore, Jesus spake to them, saying, 'I am the light of the world; he who is following me shall not walk in the darkness, but he shall have the light of the life.'
while ye have the light, believe in the light, that sons of light ye may become.' These things spake Jesus, and having gone away, he was hid from them,
every good giving, and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the lights, with whom is no variation, or shadow of turning;
And this is the message that we have heard from Him, and announce to you, that God is light, and darkness in Him is not at all;
and the city hath no need of the sun, nor of the moon, that they may shine in it; for the glory of God did lighten it, and the lamp of it is the Lamb; and the nations of the saved in its light shall walk, and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it, read more. and its gates shall not at all be shut by day, for night shall not be there;
Easton
the offspring of the divine command (Ge 1:3). "All the more joyous emotions of the mind, all the pleasing sensations of the frame, all the happy hours of domestic intercourse were habitually described among the Hebrews under imagery derived from light" (1Ki 11:36; Isa 58:8; Es 8:16; Ps 97:11). Light came also naturally to typify true religion and the felicity it imparts (Ps 119:105; Isa 8:20; Mt 4:16, etc.), and the glorious inheritance of the redeemed (Col 1:12; Re 21:23-25). God is said to dwell in light inaccessible (1Ti 6:16). It frequently signifies instruction (Mt 5:16; Joh 5:35). In its highest sense it is applied to Christ as the "Sun of righteousness" (Mal 4:2; Lu 2:32; Joh 1:7-9). God is styled "the Father of lights" (Jas 1:17). It is used of angels (2Co 11:14), and of John the Baptist, who was a "burning and a shining light" (Joh 5:35), and of all true disciples, who are styled "the light of the world" (Mt 5:14).
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and God saith, 'Let light be;' and light is.
and to his son I give one tribe, for there being a lamp to David My servant all the days before Me in Jerusalem, the city that I have chosen to Myself to put My name there.
Light is sown for the righteous, And for the upright of heart -- joy.
With all my heart I have sought Thee, Let me not err from Thy commands.
To the law and to the testimony! If not, let them say after this manner, 'That there is no dawn to it.'
Then broken up as the dawn is thy light, And thy health in haste springeth up, Gone before thee hath thy righteousness, The honour of Jehovah doth gather thee.
And risen to you, ye who fear My name, Hath the sun of righteousness -- and healing in its wings, And ye have gone forth, and have increased as calves of a stall.
the people that is sitting in darkness saw a great light, and to those sitting in a region and shadow of death -- light arose to them.'
'Ye are the light of the world, a city set upon a mount is not able to be hid;
so let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and may glorify your Father who is in the heavens.
a light to the uncovering of nations, and the glory of Thy people Israel.'
this one came for testimony, that he might testify about the Light, that all might believe through him; that one was not the Light, but -- that he might testify about the Light. read more. He was the true Light, which doth enlighten every man, coming to the world;
he was the burning and shining lamp, and ye did will to be glad, for an hour, in his light.
he was the burning and shining lamp, and ye did will to be glad, for an hour, in his light.
and no wonder -- for even the Adversary doth transform himself into a messenger of light;
Giving thanks to the Father who did make us meet for the participation of the inheritance of the saints in the light,
who only is having immortality, dwelling in light unapproachable, whom no one of men did see, nor is able to see, to whom is honour and might age-during! Amen.
every good giving, and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the lights, with whom is no variation, or shadow of turning;
and the city hath no need of the sun, nor of the moon, that they may shine in it; for the glory of God did lighten it, and the lamp of it is the Lamb; and the nations of the saved in its light shall walk, and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honour into it, read more. and its gates shall not at all be shut by day, for night shall not be there;
Hastings
To the ancient mind light was a holy thing, and the Scriptures associate it with God. He dwells in light (Ex 24:10; 1Ti 6:16); He is clothed with light (Ps 104:2); He is light, and in Him is no darkness at all (1Jo 1:5); His glory is the effulgence of His light (Re 21:23). Cf. the ancient Greek Evening Hymn rendered by Keble: 'Hail, gladdening Light, of His pure glory poured,' etc. Hence Jesus, God Incarnate, is called 'the Light of the world' (Joh 1:4-5,9; 18:12), 'an effulgence of the glory of God' (Heb 1:3); and salvation is defined as walking in His light and being enlightened by it (Joh 8:12; 12:36,38; 1Jo 1:7; 2Co 4:6; Eph 5:8,14; 1Th 5:5; 1Pe 2:3). And Christians as His representatives and witnesses are the light of the world (Mt 5:14,16; Php 2:15). On the contrary, a godless life is darkness (Joh 3:10; 8:12; 12:46; 1Jo 2:11).
David Smith.
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and they see the God of Israel, and under His feet is as the white work of the sapphire, and as the substance of the heavens for purity;
Only, be strong and very courageous, to observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded thee; thou dost not turn aside from it right or left, so that thou dost act wisely in every place whither thou goest;
And we hear, and melt doth our heart, and there hath not stood any more spirit in any man, from your presence, for Jehovah your God, He is God in the heavens above, and on the earth beneath.
Covering himself with light as a garment, Stretching out the heavens as a curtain,
'Ye are the light of the world, a city set upon a mount is not able to be hid;
so let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and may glorify your Father who is in the heavens.
In him was life, and the life was the light of men, and the light in the darkness did shine, and the darkness did not perceive it.
He was the true Light, which doth enlighten every man, coming to the world;
Jesus answered and said to him, 'Thou art the teacher of Israel -- and these things thou dost not know!
Again, therefore, Jesus spake to them, saying, 'I am the light of the world; he who is following me shall not walk in the darkness, but he shall have the light of the life.'
Again, therefore, Jesus spake to them, saying, 'I am the light of the world; he who is following me shall not walk in the darkness, but he shall have the light of the life.'
while ye have the light, believe in the light, that sons of light ye may become.' These things spake Jesus, and having gone away, he was hid from them,
that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he said, 'Lord, who gave credence to our report? and the arm of the Lord -- to whom was it revealed?'
I a light to the world have come, that every one who is believing in me -- in the darkness may not remain;
The band, therefore, and the captain, and the officers of the Jews, took hold on Jesus, and bound him,
for ye were once darkness, and now light in the Lord; as children of light walk ye,
wherefore he saith, 'Arouse thyself, thou who art sleeping, and arise out of the dead, and the Christ shall shine upon thee.'
that ye may become blameless and harmless, children of God, unblemished in the midst of a generation crooked and perverse, among whom ye do appear as luminaries in the world,
your word always in grace -- with salt being seasoned -- to know how it behoveth you to answer each one.
who being the brightness of the glory, and the impress of His subsistence, bearing up also the all things by the saying of his might -- through himself having made a cleansing of our sins, sat down at the right hand of the greatness in the highest,
And this is the message that we have heard from Him, and announce to you, that God is light, and darkness in Him is not at all;
and the city hath no need of the sun, nor of the moon, that they may shine in it; for the glory of God did lighten it, and the lamp of it is the Lamb;
Morish
Besides the references to physical light as existing distinct from the sun, and then emanating from the sun as the great light-bearer, the term is mainly used in scripture in a moral sense. Light from God is His word revealing Himself, and not only making manifest the dangers here, but acting as a lamp in showing the true path. Ps 119:105. The Psalmist asked Jehovah to lift upon him the light of His countenance ( Ps 4:6 ), and declared that Jehovah Himself was his light, Ps 27:1. As natural light brings vigour and health to the body, so the light of God gives cheerfulness and strength to the soul.
God is light, and the Lord Jesus came to the earth as the true light which lighteth every man. He not only exposed all the evil in the world and all the false pretensions of the leaders of Israel; but "the life was the light of men." Joh 1:4; 8:12. Christians are "light in the Lord," and are exhorted to walk as "children of light." Eph 5:8; 1Th 5:5. In the midst of darkness they are set to shine as lights in the world. Php 2:15. A grave responsibility rests upon them lest they should not have the heavenly lustre that would characterise them as having in their hearts the light of the glory of the Lord. If the light in the Christian become darkness by his not walking in the reality of it, how great is that darkness! Mt 6:23.
It has been very properly said that light is appropriately descriptive of God; for light, invisible in itself, manifests everything. Christians, as we have seen, are 'light in the Lord,' and thus convict the unfruitful works of darkness; but here we may notice that it is not said of them, as of God, that they are 'love,' for love is the sovereign spring of activity in God.
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Many are saying, 'Who doth show us good?' Lift on us the light of Thy face, O Jehovah,
By David. Jehovah is my light and my salvation, Whom do I fear? Jehovah is the strength of my life, Of whom am I afraid?
With all my heart I have sought Thee, Let me not err from Thy commands.
but if thine eye may be evil, all thy body shall be dark; if, therefore, the light that is in thee is darkness -- the darkness, how great!
Again, therefore, Jesus spake to them, saying, 'I am the light of the world; he who is following me shall not walk in the darkness, but he shall have the light of the life.'
for ye were once darkness, and now light in the Lord; as children of light walk ye,
that ye may become blameless and harmless, children of God, unblemished in the midst of a generation crooked and perverse, among whom ye do appear as luminaries in the world,
Watsons
LIGHT, ???, is used in a physical sense, Mt 17:2; Ac 9:3; 12:7; 2Co 4:6; for a fire giving light, Mr 14:54; Lu 22:56; for a torch, candle, or lamp, Ac 16:29; and for the material light of heaven, as the sun, moon, or stars, Ps 136:7; Jas 1:17. Figuratively taken, it signifies a manifest or open state of things, Mt 10:27; Lu 12:3; also prosperity, truth, and joy.
God is said to dwell in light inaccessible, 1Ti 6:16. This seems to contain a reference to the glory and splendour which shone in the holy of holies, where Jehovah appeared in the luminous cloud above the mercy seat, and which none but the high priest, and he only once a year, was permitted to approach unto, Le 16:2; Eze 1:22,26,28; but this was typical of the glory of the celestial world. It signifies, also, instruction, both by doctrine and example, Mt 5:16; Joh 5:35; or persons considered as giving such light, Mt 5:14; Ro 2:19. It is applied figuratively to Christ, the true Light, the Sun of Righteousness, who is that in the spiritual, which the material light is in the natural, world; who is the great Author, not only of illumination and knowledge, but of spiritual life, health, and joy to the souls of men.
The images of light and darkness, says Bishop Lowth, are commonly made use of in all languages to imply or denote prosperity and adversity, agreeably to the common sense and perception which all men have of the objects themselves. But the Hebrews employ those metaphors more frequently and with less variation than other people: indeed, they seldom refrain from them whenever the subject requires or will even admit of their introduction. These expressions, therefore, may be accounted among those forms of speech, which in the parabolic style are established and defined; since they exhibit the most noted and familiar images, and the application of them on this occasion is justified by an acknowledged analogy, and approved by constant and unvarying custom. In the use of images, so conspicuous and so familiar among the Hebrews, a degree of boldness is excusable. The Latins introduce them more sparingly, and therefore are more cautious in the application of them. But the Hebrews, upon a subject more sublime indeed, in itself, and illustrating it by an idea which was more habitual to them, more daringly exalt their strains, and give a loose rein to the spirit of poetry. They display, for instance, not the image of the spring, of Aurora, of the dreary night, but the sun and stars as rising with increased splendour in a new creation, or again involved in chaos and primeval darkness. Does the sacred bard promise to his people a renewal of the divine favour, and a recommencement of universal prosperity? In what magnificent colours does he depict it! Such, indeed, as no translation can illustrate, but such as none can obscure:
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yea, Jehovah saith unto Moses, 'Speak unto Aaron thy brother, and he cometh not in at all times unto the sanctuary within the vail, unto the front of the mercy-seat, which is upon the ark, and he dieth not, for in a cloud I am seen upon the mercy-seat.
And confounded hath been the moon, And ashamed hath been the sun, For reigned hath Jehovah of Hosts In mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, And over-against His elders -- honour!
And the light of the moon hath been as the light of the sun, And the light of the sun is sevenfold, As the light of seven days, In the day of Jehovah's binding up the breach of His people, When the stroke of its wound He healeth.
To thee no more is the sun for a light by day, And for brightness the moon giveth not light to thee, And Jehovah hath become to thee A light age-during, and thy God thy beauty. Thy sun goeth no more in, And thy moon is not removed, For Jehovah becometh to thee a light age-during. And the days of thy mourning have been completed.
And a likeness is over the heads of the living creatures of an expanse, as the colour of the fearful ice, stretched out over their heads from above.
And above the expanse that is over their head, as an appearance of a sapphire stone, is the likeness of a throne, and on the likeness of the throne a likeness, as the appearance of man upon it from above.
As the appearance of the bow that is in a cloud in a day of rain, so is the appearance of the brightness round about.
Of fine linen with embroidery from Egypt hath been thy sail, To be to thee for an ensign, Of blue and purple from isles of Elishah hath been thy covering. Inhabitants of Zidon and Arvad have been rowers to thee, Thy wise men, O Tyre, have been in thee, They are thy pilots.
'Ye are the light of the world, a city set upon a mount is not able to be hid;
so let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and may glorify your Father who is in the heavens.
that which I tell you in the darkness, speak in the light, and that which you hear at the ear, proclaim on the house-tops.
and he was transfigured before them, and his face shone as the sun, and his garments did become white as the light,
and Peter afar off did follow him, to the inside of the hall of the chief priest, and he was sitting with the officers, and warming himself near the fire.
because whatever in the darkness ye said, in the light shall be heard: and what to the ear ye spake in the inner-chambers, shall be proclaimed upon the house-tops.
and a certain maid having seen him sitting at the light, and having earnestly looked at him, she said, 'And this one was with him!'
he was the burning and shining lamp, and ye did will to be glad, for an hour, in his light.
And in the going, he came nigh to Damascus, and suddenly there shone round about him a light from the heaven,
and lo, a messenger of the Lord stood by, and a light shone in the buildings, and having smitten Peter on the side, he raised him up, saying, 'Rise in haste,' and his chains fell from off his hands.
And, having asked for a light, he sprang in, and trembling he fell down before Paul and Silas,
and hast confidence that thou thyself art a leader of blind ones, a light of those in darkness,
your word always in grace -- with salt being seasoned -- to know how it behoveth you to answer each one.
who only is having immortality, dwelling in light unapproachable, whom no one of men did see, nor is able to see, to whom is honour and might age-during! Amen.
every good giving, and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the lights, with whom is no variation, or shadow of turning;