What does "Light" mean in the Bible?
Light is Scripture's image for God's presence, truth, and moral clarity, set against darkness as its opposite. John's Gospel applies it directly to Jesus, and Matthew 5:14 extends it to his followers. Light appears in 51 verses across 13 books of the Bible.
What does the Bible say about Light?
LIGHT. By an easy transition from the physical to the moral sphere, light is used in Scripture in numerous figurative expressions imaging forth the mysteries of the spiritual world. Not only are cheerfulness, joy, intellectual clearness, moral truth, and divine blessedness repeatedly described as light, but the expression is also applied to the sources of these states; to men, John 5:35; Matt 4:16; to angels, 2 Cor 11:14; to Christ Luke 2:32; John 1:7-9; Ezr 8:12; John 12:35; and to God himself. Jas 1:17; 1 John 1:5; 1 Tim 6:16.
Definition text: Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible · 1898. Public domain.
Compiled by Protos: the verse list on this page. Where one name belongs to more than one person or place, each of them gets a separate entry.
What is the Greek word for Light?
Greek · G5457
φῶς
phōs
light
TBESG, from Abbott-Smith (1922). Public domain.
Where does Light appear in the Bible?
Light is referenced in 51 verses across 13 books. Every passage below is about this one, not just every verse the word turns up in.
- 1 John 1:5
- 1 John 1:7
- 1 John 2:8
- 1 John 2:9
- 1 John 2:10
- 1 Peter 2:9
- 1 Thessalonians 5:5
- 1 Timothy 6:16
- 2 Corinthians 6:14
- 2 Corinthians 11:14
- Acts 9:3
- Acts 12:7
- Acts 13:47
- Acts 22:6
- Acts 22:9
- Acts 22:11
- Acts 26:13
- Acts 26:23
- Colossians 1:12
- Ephesians 5:8
- Ephesians 5:9
- Ephesians 5:13
- John 1:4
- John 1:5
Showing the first 24 of 51.
Open all 51 references in ProtosWhat else appears in these passages?
These turn up in the same passages as Light.
Common questions
How many times does the Bible mention Light?
Light appears in 51 verses across 13 books, most often in John, which accounts for 15 of them.
Which books of the Bible mention Light?
John, Acts, 1 John, Matthew, Luke, Ephesians, Revelation, 2 Corinthians, and 5 more.
Where can I read every verse about Light?
This page lists 24 of them. Protos carries all 51, and opens this entry on the verse you are reading rather than in a separate tab.
