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What is the Hebrew biblical meaning of light?

What is the Hebrew biblical meaning of light?

In the Hebrew Bible, the concept of light carries deep theological significance. Light is closely associated with God’s essence and acts of creation. The first thing God creates in the Genesis creation narrative is light, demonstrating its primordial importance (Genesis 1:3). Throughout the Hebrew scriptures, light serves as a metaphor for God’s presence, truth, righteousness, salvation, and guidance for humanity.

Light as Part of God’s Nature

Light is intrinsically tied to the nature of God in the Hebrew Bible. In 1 John 1:5 it states, “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all.” God’s pure goodness and perfection are often conveyed through radiant light imagery. When Moses encounters God on Mount Sinai, the visible manifestation of God’s presence is a burning bush radiating with fire and light (Exodus 3:2). The Psalms also describe God as being “clothed in splendor and majesty, covering himself in light as with a garment” (Psalm 104:2-3). For the ancient Israelites, God’s bright, luminous essence set him apart from the dark forces of chaos and evil.

The Hebrew word for light, “or” shares a root with words meaning to illuminate and give light. God is the source of absolute illumination. 1 John 1:5 further explains that “God is light and in Him is no darkness at all.” Light thus expresses God’s omnipresence. As David proclaims in Psalm 139:12, even the darkness cannot hide from God since the “night will shine like the day” in His sight.

Light and the Creation Story

In Genesis chapter 1, God’s first spoken act of creation is “Let there be light.” As God hovered over the dark, formless void, He summoned light into being. Genesis 1:3 states, “And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” On the first day, God separated the light from the primordial darkness. This act established the alternating rhythm of day and night before the sun, moon, and stars were formed (Genesis 1:14-19).

For the ancient Israelites, light’s priority in the cosmic order conveyed its special status. They believed light was the precursor for God’s creative actions. As Gerald Schroeder explains, “light was created first so that the world could be witnessed coming into being.” By calling forth light, God illuminated the path for subsequent acts of ordering, separating, and defining the spaces of creation.

Light as Truth, Wisdom, and Moral Purity

Across the Hebrew scriptures, light often represents moral and spiritual illumination. In contrast to darkness associated with evil and chaos, light symbolizes truth, wisdom, and ethical purity. The books of Psalms, Proverbs, and Isaiah frequently use the metaphor of light to describe the righteous path.

In Psalm 119:105, God’s word is depicted as a “lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” The laws and teachings provide moral guidance, just as a lamp lights the traveler’s way at night. Similarly, Proverbs 4:18 describes the path of the righteous as being “like the first gleam of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until full daylight.” As people walk in wisdom, their lives reflect increasing enlightenment.

Isaiah 58:10 associates light with righteousness and restoration, promising that if God’s people “spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness.” Light signifies the break of relief after injustice. Through merciful action, the people can radiate God’s restorative light into the world’s brokenness.

The Messiah as Light

Prophecies of the coming Messiah describe him as a great light. Isaiah 9:2 foretells that “The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.” This points ahead to Jesus, the light coming into the world (John 1:9).

Isaiah 49:6 further prophesies the Messiah will be a “light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.” Jesus applies this prophecy to himself in Acts 13:47, affirming he is the true light shining God’s salvation across nations and generations. The New Testament consistently refers to Christ as the light of the world and the light of life (John 8:12).

Menorah as Everlasting Light

The seven-branched menorah became a key symbol of God’s eternal light presence with Israel. God instructs Moses to construct a seven-lamped menorah out of pure gold, to be permanently lit inside the tabernacle (Exodus 25:31-40). The priests were commanded to tend the lamps continuously so they never went out (Leviticus 24:1-4). The menorah light represented the perpetual shining of God’s glory.

The menorah light also signified God’s guidance. Psalm 18:28 expresses, “You, LORD, keep my lamp burning; my God turns my darkness into light.” As the priests lit each new day with the menorah, it served as a reminder of God’s daily renewing mercy and illumination.

The menorah became associated with the Tree of Life and the light of Torah wisdom. Proverbs 6:23 describes the Torah’s commands as “a lamp” and “a light.” The menorah served as an ongoing flame reflecting God’s instructions and presence.

Innumerable Metaphors for God’s Light

The Hebrew scriptures use a wide array of metaphors to convey qualities of God’s light:

  • Dawn’s radiance bursting into the sky (Isaiah 58:8)
  • Blazing sun at full strength (Judges 5:31)
  • Glowing lightning flash (Ezekiel 1:13)
  • Brilliant jasper stone (Revelation 21:11)
  • Flaming torch (Genesis 15:17)
  • Bright morning star (Revelation 22:16)

Each of these vivid word-pictures reveals another facet of God’s luminous character. He is the Morning Star rising in our hearts (2 Peter 1:19), the radiant jasper stone adorning heaven’s gate (Revelation 21:11), the brilliant lightning unveiling glimpses of His glory. Every element of creation bearing light reflects God’s nature in some way.

Light Permeates the Kingdom of God

In Revelation, light saturates descriptions of God’s coming kingdom. Revelation 21:23 describes the New Jerusalem as needing no sun or moon, “For the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.” The eternal city will shine with the unveiled brilliance of God’s presence.

John’s vision goes on to portray a “great street of the city of pure gold, like transparent glass” (Revelation 21:21). This crystallizing, transparent golden street depicts the perfect infusion of illumination and truth. The consummation of God’s kingdom promise is a realm of dazzling light.

Conclusion

Across the pages of the Hebrew Bible, light consistently symbolizes God’s divine attributes and actions. From the first verses of Genesis, light bursts forth in Creation by God’s decree. The visual motif of radiance permeates depictions of God’s character, wisdom, salvation, and righteousness. Prophecies foretelling the Messiah as light find their fulfillment in Christ, the living embodiment of God’s illumination. And in Revelation, the light of God’s unveiled glory fills the Holy City through the lamp of the Lamb. For the ancient Israelites, light perfectly captured the essence of God’s holy, life-giving presence with humanity.