'Light' in the Bible

And God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light.

God saw that the light was good (pleasing, useful) and He affirmed and sustained it; and God separated the light [distinguishing it] from the darkness.

And God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.

and let them be useful as lights in the expanse of the heavens to provide light on the earth”; and it was so, [just as He commanded].

God made the two great lights—the greater light (the sun) to rule the day, and the lesser light (the moon) to rule the night; He made the [galaxies of] stars also [that is, all the amazing wonders in the heavens].

God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to provide light upon the earth,

to rule over the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good and He affirmed and sustained it.

You shall make a window [for light and ventilation] for the ark, and finish it to at least a cubit (eighteen inches) from the top—and set the [entry] door of the ark in its side; and you shall make it with lower, second and third decks.

As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys.

The Egyptians could not see one another, nor did anyone leave his place for three days, but all the Israelites had [supernatural] light in their dwellings.

The [presence of the] Lord was going before them by day in a pillar (column) of cloud to lead them along the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, so that they could travel by day and by night.

So it came between the camp of Egypt and the camp of Israel. It was a cloud along with darkness [even by day to the Egyptians], but it gave light by night [to the Israelites]; so one [army] did not come near the other all night.

[olive] oil for lighting, balsam for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense,

Then you shall make the lamps [of the lampstand] seven in number [with one lamp at the top of the shaft]. The priests shall set up its seven lamps so that they will light the space in front of it.

“You shall command the Israelites to provide you with clear oil of beaten olives for the light, to make a lamp burn continually [every night].

and [olive] oil for the lighting, and balsam for the anointing oil, and for the fragrant incense,

the lampstand also for the light and its utensils and its lamps, and the oil for the light;

and spice and [olive] oil for the light and for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense.

the pure gold lampstand and its lamps, with the lamps placed in order, all its utensils, and the oil for the light;

You shall bring in the table [for the bread] and arrange its setting; you shall bring in the lampstand and mount and light its lamps.

“Command the children of Israel to bring to you clear oil from beaten olives for the light [of the golden lampstand], to make a lamp burn continually.

Then they shall take a blue cloth and cover the lampstand for the light, along with its lamps, its wick cutters, its trays, and all the oil vessels, by which it is supplied;

“The responsibility of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, is the oil for the light, the fragrant incense, the continual grain offering, and the anointing oil—the responsibility of all the tabernacle and everything that is in it, with the sanctuary and its furnishings.”

“Speak to Aaron and say to him, ‘When you set up and light the lamps, the seven lamps will shine in front of the lampstand.’”

And Aaron did so; he set up the lamps at the front of the lampstand, just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

So the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread, nor is there any water, and we loathe this miserable food.”

“Let my teaching drop as the rain,My speech distill as the dew,As the light rain upon the tender grass,And as the spring showers upon the herb.

The Gazites were told, “Samson has come here.” So they surrounded the place and waited all night at the gate of the city to ambush him. They kept quiet all night, saying, “In the morning, when it is light, we will kill him.”

At daybreak the woman came and collapsed at the door of the man’s house where her master was, until it was [fully] light.

So Saul’s servants spoke these words to David. But David said, “Is it a trivial thing in your sight to become a king’s son-in-law, seeing that I am a poor man and insignificant?”

Then Abigail came to Nabal, and he was holding a feast in his house [for the shearers], like the feast of a king. And Nabal’s mood was joyous because he was very drunk; so she told him nothing at all until the morning light.

So now, get up early in the morning with your master’s servants who have come with you, and as soon as you are up in the morning and have light, leave.”

Three sons of Zeruiah [the half sister of David] were there: Joab, Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was as light and swift-footed as one of the [wild] gazelles in the field.

So shall we come upon David in one of the places where he can be found, and we will fall on him as the dew falls [unseen and unheard] on the ground; and of him and of all the men who are with him, not even one will be left.

Is like the morning light when the sun rises,A morning without clouds,When the fresh grass springs out of the earthThrough sunshine after rain.’

Yet to his son I will give one tribe, so that My servant David may have a lamp always before Me in Jerusalem, the city where I have chosen to put My Name and Presence.

It came about, as if it had been a trivial thing for Ahab to walk in the sins of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, that he married Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal and worshiped him.

This is but a simple thing in the sight of the Lord; He will also hand over the Moabites to you.

Yet the Lord would not destroy the house of David because of the covenant which He had made with David, and because He had promised to give a lamp to him and to his sons forever.

“And with a pillar of cloud You led them by day,And with a pillar of fire by nightTo light the way for themIn which they were to go.

You, in Your great mercy and compassion,Did not abandon them in the wilderness;The pillar of the cloud did not leave them by day,To lead them in the way,Nor the pillar of fire by night, to light for them the way they should go.

For [at this time] the Jews had light [a dawn of new hope] and gladness and joy and honor.

“May that day be darkness;Let God above not care about it,Nor light shine on it.

“Let the stars of its early dawn be dark;Let the morning wait in vain for the light,Let it not see the eyelids of morning (the day’s dawning),

“Or like a miscarriage which is hidden and put away, I would not exist,Like infants who never saw light.

“Why is the light given to him who is in misery,And life to the bitter in soul,

“Why is the light of day given to a man whose way is hidden,And whom God has hedged in?

The [sunless] land of utter gloom as darkness itself,[The land] of the shadow of death, without order,And [where] it shines as [thick] darkness.”

“He uncovers mysteries [that are difficult to grasp and understand] out of the darknessAnd brings black gloom and the shadow of death into light.

“They grope in darkness without light,And He makes them stagger like a drunken man.”

“These [thoughts try to] make the night into the day;‘The light is near,’ they say in the presence of darkness [but they pervert the truth].

“Indeed, the light of the wicked will be put out,And the flame of his fire will not shine.

“The light will be dark in his tent,And his lamp beside him will be put out.

“He is driven and propelled from light into darkness,And chased from the inhabited world.

Or darkness, so that you cannot see,And a flood of water covers you.

“You will also decide and decree a thing, and it will be established for you;And the light [of God’s favor] will shine upon your ways.

“Others have been with those who rebel against the light;They do not want to know its waysNor stay in its paths.

“The murderer rises at dawn;He kills the poor and the needy,And at night he becomes a thief.

“Is there any number to His [vast celestial] armies?And upon whom does His light not rise?

“He has inscribed a circular limit (the horizon) on the face of the watersAt the boundary between light and darkness.

“Man dams up the streams from flowing [so that they do not trickle into the mine],And what is hidden he brings out to the light.

When His lamp shone upon my headAnd by His light I walked through darkness;

“I smiled at them when they did not believe,And they did not diminish the light of my face.

“When I expected good, then came evil [to me];And when I waited for light, then came darkness.

‘God has redeemed my life from going to the pit [of destruction],And my life shall see the light.’”

To bring his life back from the pit [of destruction],That he may be enlightened with the light of the living.

“Now people cannot look at the light when it is bright in the skies [without being blinded],When the wind has passed and cleared them.

So that light may take hold of the corners of the earthAnd shake the wickedness out of it?

“Their light is withheld from the wicked,And the uplifted arm is broken.

“Where is the way where light dwells?And as for darkness, where is its place,

“Where is the way that the light is distributed,Or the east wind scattered over the earth?

“His sneezes flash forth light,And his eyes are like the [reddish] eyelids of the dawn.

Many are saying, “Oh, that we might see some good!”Lift up the light of Your face upon us, O Lord.

The Lord is my light and my salvation—Whom shall I fear?The Lord is the refuge and fortress of my life—Whom shall I dread?

For with You is the fountain of life [the fountain of life-giving water];In Your light we see light.

He will make your righteousness [your pursuit of right standing with God] like the light,And your judgment like [the shining of] the noonday [sun].

My heart throbs violently, my strength fails me;And as for the light of my eyes, even that has also gone from me.

O send out Your light and Your truth, let them lead me;Let them bring me to Your holy hillAnd to Your dwelling places.

For our fathers did not possess the land [of Canaan] by their own sword,Nor did their own arm save them,But Your right hand and Your arm and the light of Your presence,Because You favored and delighted in them.

He shall go to the generation of his fathers;They shall never again see the light.

For You have rescued my soul from death,Yes, and my feet from stumbling,So that I may walk before GodIn the light of life.

The day is Yours, the night also is Yours;You have established and prepared the [heavenly] light and the sun.

In the daytime He led them with a cloudAnd all the night with a light of fire.

Blessed and happy are the people who know the joyful sound [of the trumpet’s blast]!They walk, O Lord, in the light and favor of Your countenance!

You have placed our wickedness before you,Our secret sins [which we tried to conceal, You have placed] in the [revealing] light of Your presence.

Light is sown [like seed] for the righteous and illuminates their path,And [irrepressible] joy [is spread] for the upright in heart [who delight in His favor and protection].

[You are the One] who covers Yourself with light as with a garment,Who stretches out the heavens like a tent curtain,

The Lord spread a cloud as a covering [by day],And a fire to illumine the night.

Light arises in the darkness for the upright;He is gracious and compassionate and righteous (upright—in right standing with God).

Precious [and of great consequence] in the sight of the LordIs the death of His godly ones [so He watches over them].

The Lord is God, and He has given us light [illuminating us with His grace and freedom and joy].Bind the festival sacrifices with cords to the horns of the altar.

Nun.Your word is a lamp to my feetAnd a light to my path.

The unfolding of Your [glorious] words give light;Their unfolding gives understanding to the simple (childlike).

If I say, “Surely the darkness will cover me,And the night will be the only light around me,”

Even the darkness is not dark to You and conceals nothing from You,But the night shines as bright as the day;Darkness and light are alike to You.

Praise Him, sun and moon:Praise Him, all stars of light!

But the path of the just (righteous) is like the light of dawn,That shines brighter and brighter until [it reaches its full strength and glory in] the perfect day.

For the commandment is a lamp, and the teaching [of the law] is light,And reproofs (rebukes) for discipline are the way of life,

The light of the righteous [within him—grows brighter and] rejoices,But the lamp of the wicked [is a temporary light and] goes out.

The light of the eyes rejoices the hearts of others,And good news puts fat on the bones.