φῶς,
φωτός,
τό (contracted from
φάος, from
φάω to shine), from
Homer (who (as well as
Pindar) uses the form
φάος) down, Hebrew
אור,
light (opposed to
τό σκότος,
ἡ σκοτία);
1. properly,
a. universally:
ὁ Θεός ὁ εἰπών ἐκ σκότους φῶς λάμψαι,
2 Corinthians 4:6 (
Genesis 1:3);
λευκά ὡς τό φῶς,
Matthew 17:2;
νεφέλη φωτός (Griesbach text) i. e. consisting of light, equivalent to
φωτεινεη in
R L T Tr WH,
Matthew 17:5;
τό φῶς τοῦ κόσμου, of the sun,
John 11:9;
τό φῶς οὐκ ἐστιν ἐν αὐτῷ, the light (i. e. illumining power) is not in him, consequently he does not see or distinguish the filings about him,
John 11:10; the light emitted by a lamp,
Luke 8:16; (
Luke 11:33 L Tr text
WH). a
heavenly light, such as surrounds angels when they appear on earth: hence,
ἄγγελος φωτός,
2 Corinthians 11:14, and illumines the place where they appear,
Acts 12:7; a light of this kind shone around Paul when he was converted to Christ,
Acts 22:6, (
Acts 22:9),
Acts 22:11 (
Winer's Grammar, 371 (348)); with the addition of
οὐρανόθεν,
Acts 26:13; of
ἀπό (or
ἐκ)
τοῦ οὐρανοῦ,
Acts 9:3.
b. by metonymy,
anything emitting light: a heavenly luminary (or star), plural
James 1:17 (see
πατήρ, 3 a.);
fire, because it is light and gives light:
Luke 22:56;
θερμαίνεσθαι πρός τό φῶς,
Mark 14:54 (1 Macc. 12:29;
Xenophon, Hell. 6, 2, 29; Cyril 7, 5, 27);
a lamp or torch: plural
φῶτα,
Acts 16:29 (
φῶς ἔχειν,
Xenophon, Hell. 5, 1, 8; in plural often in
Plutarch).
c. light i. e. brightness (Latin
splendor) (see a. above),
ἡλίου,
Revelation 22:5; of a lamp,
John 5:35 (where it symbolizes his rank, influence, worth, mighty deeds); with the addition of
λύχνου,
Revelation 18:23 (
Jeremiah 25:10); of the divine Shechinah (see
δόξα, III. 1),
Revelation 21:24 (
Psalm 88:16 (
Ps. 89:16);
Isaiah 60:1,
19f).
2. φῶς is often used in poetic discourse, in metaphor, and in parable;
a. The extremely delicate, subtile, pure, brilliant quality of light has led to the use of
φῶς as an appellation of God, i. e. as by nature incorporeal, spotless, holy (cf. Westcott, Epistles of St. John, p. 15ff):
1 John 1:5 (Wis. 7:26 where cf. Grimm); he is said
εἶναι ἐν τῷ φωτί, in a state of supreme sanctity,
1 John 1:7;
φῶς οἴκων ἀπρόσιτον, a figure describing his nature as alike of consummate majesty and inaccessible to human comprehension,
1 Timothy 6:16 (
Psalm 103:2 (
Ps. 104:2)); used of that heavenly state, consummate and free from every imperfection, to which the true disciples of Christ will be exalted, equivalent to
the kingdom of light, Colossians 1:12.
b. By a figure frequently in the N. T. (cf. in classic Greek
τῆς ἀληθείας τό φῶς,
Euripides,
L T. 1046 etc.; see Liddell and Scott, under the word, II. 2),
φῶς is used to denote
truth and its knowledge, together with the spiritual purity congruous with it (opposed to
τό σκότος b.,
ἡ σκοτία, which see):
ἡ ζωή ἦν τό φῶς τῶν ἀνθρώπων, had the nature of light in men, i. e. became the source of human wisdom,
John 1:4; especially
the saving truth embodied in Christ and by his love and effort imparted to mankind, Matthew 4:16;
John 1:5;
John 3:19-21;
Acts 26:18,
23;
2 Corinthians 6:14;
Ephesians 5:13{a} (cf. below);
τό φῶς τό ἀληθινόν,
1 John 2:8;
τό θαυμαστόν τοῦ Θεοῦ φῶς,
1 Peter 2:9 (
Clement of Rome, 1 Cor. 36, 2 [ET] cf. 59, 2 [ET]);
τό φῶς ὑμῶν, the divine truth with which ye are imbued,
Matthew 5:16;
ἔχειν τό φῶς τῆς ζωῆς, the light by which the true life is gained,
John 8:12;
τά ὅπλα (Lachmann marginal reading
ἔργα)
τοῦ φωτός,
Romans 13:12;
καρπός τοῦ φωτός,
Ephesians 5:9 G L T Tr WH;
ἐν τῷ φωτί περιπατεῖν, to live agreeably to saving wisdom,
1 John 1:7;
ἐν τῷ φωτί εἶναι, to be imbued with saving wisdom,
μένειν, to continue devoted to it, to persevere in keeping it,
1 John 2:9f;
οἱ υἱοί τοῦ φωτός (see
υἱός, 2, p. 635{a}),
Luke 16:8;
John 12:36;
1 Thessalonians 5:5;
τέκνα φωτός (see
τέκνον, c.
β., p. 618^a),
Ephesians 5:8. by metonymy,
φῶς; is used of one in whom wisdom and spiritual purity shine forth, and who imparts the same to others:
φῶς τῶν ἐν σκότει,
Romans 2:19; (
φῶς ἐθνῶν,
Acts 13:47); in a pre-eminent sense is Jesus the Messiah called
φῶς and
τό φῶς:
Luke 2:32;
John 1:7;
John 12:35f,
46;
τό φῶς τοῦ κόσμου,
John 8:12;
John 9:5 (
τό φῶς τοῦ κόσμου τό δοθέν ἐν ὑμῖν εἰς φωτισμόν παντός ἀνθρώπου,
Test xii. Patr. test. Levi § 14);
τό φῶς τό ἀληθινόν,
John 1:9; by the same name the disciples of Jesus are distinguished,
Matthew 5:14; Christians are called
φῶς ἐν κυρίῳ, having obtained saving wisdom in communion with Christ,
Ephesians 5:8.
πᾶν τό φανερούμενον φῶς ἐστιν, everything made manifest by the aid of Christian truth has taken on the nature of light, so that its true character and quality are no longer hidden,
Ephesians 5:13{b} (others take
φῶς here in an outward or physical sense, and regard the statement as a general truth confirmatory of the assertion made respecting spiritual '
φωτός just before (cf. above)).
c. By a figure borrowed from daylight
φῶς is used of
that which is exposed to the view of all:
ἐν τῷ φωτί (opposed to
ἐν τῇ σκοτία),
openly, publicly (
ἐν φαει,
Pindar Nem. 4, 63),
Matthew 10:27;
Luke 12:3.
d. reason, mind; the power of understanding especially moral and spiritual truth:
τό φῶς τό ἐν σοι,
Matthew 6:23;
Luke 11:35. (Synonym: see
φέγγος, at the end.)
THAYER’S GREEK LEXICON, Electronic Database.
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