Psalms 119:105

נ (Nun)

119:105 Your word ¹  is a lamp to walk by,

and a light to illumine my path. ² 

Proverbs 6:23

6:23 For the commandments ³  are like ⁴  a lamp, ⁵ 

instruction is like a light,

and rebukes of discipline are like ⁶  the road leading to life, ⁷ 

Isaiah 9:2

9:2 (9:1) The people walking in darkness

see a bright light; ⁸ 

light shines

on those who live in a land of deep darkness. ⁹ 

Isaiah 60:1-2

Zion’s Future Splendor

60:1 “Arise! Shine! For your light arrives!

The splendor ¹⁰  of the Lord shines on you!

60:2 For, look, darkness covers the earth

and deep darkness covers ¹¹  the nations,

but the Lord shines on you;

his splendor ¹²  appears over you.

Matthew 4:16

4:16 the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light,

and on those who sit in the region and shadow of death a light has dawned.” ¹³ 

Luke 1:78-79

1:78 Because of ¹⁴  our God’s tender mercy ¹⁵ 

the dawn ¹⁶  will break ¹⁷  upon us from on high

1:79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, ¹⁸ 

to guide our feet into the way ¹⁹  of peace.”

John 1:7-9

1:7 He came as a witness ²⁰  to testify ²¹  about the light, so that everyone ²²  might believe through him. 1:8 He himself was not the light, but he came to testify ²³  about the light. 1:9 The true light, who gives light to everyone, ²⁴  was coming into the world. ²⁵ 

John 5:35

5:35 He was a lamp that was burning and shining, ²⁶  and you wanted to rejoice greatly for a short time ²⁷  in his light.

John 8:12

Jesus as the Light of the World

8:12 Then Jesus spoke out again, ²⁸  “I am the light of the world. ²⁹  The one who follows me will never ³⁰  walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Ephesians 5:7-8

5:7 Therefore do not be partakers with them, ³¹  5:8 for you were at one time darkness, but now you are ³²  light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light –

[119:105]  ¹ tn Many medieval Hebrew mss read the plural (“words”).

[119:105]  ² tn Heb “[is] a lamp for my foot and a light for my path.”

[6:23]  ³ tn Heb “the commandment” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV).

[6:23]  ⁴ tn The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.

[6:23]  ⁵ sn The terms “lamp,” “light,” and “way” are all metaphors. The positive teachings and commandments will illumine or reveal to the disciple the way to life; the disciplinary correctives will provide guidance into fullness of life.

[6:23]  ⁶ tn The comparative “like” does not appear in the Hebrew text, but is implied by the metaphor; it is supplied in the translation for the sake of clarity.

[6:23]  ⁷ tn Heb “the way of life” (so KJV, NASB, NRSV); NIV, NLT “the way to life.” The noun “life” is a genitive following the construct “way.” It could be an attributive genitive modifying the kind of way/course of life that instruction provides, but it could also be objective in that the course of life followed would produce and lead to life.

[9:2]  ⁸ sn The darkness symbolizes judgment and its effects (see 8:22); the light represents deliverance and its effects, brought about by the emergence of a conquering Davidic king (see vv. 3-6).

[9:2]  ⁹ tn Traditionally צַלְמָוֶת (tsalmavet) has been interpreted as a compound noun, meaning “shadow of death” (so KJV, ASV, NIV), but usage indicates that the word, though it sometimes refers to death, means “darkness.” The term should probably be repointed as an abstract noun צַלְמוּת (tsalmut). See the note at Ps 23:4.

[60:1]  ¹⁰ tn Or “glory” (so most English versions).

[60:2]  ¹¹ tn The verb “covers” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).

[60:2]  ¹² tn Or “glory” (so most English versions); TEV “the brightness of his presence.”

[4:16]  ¹³ sn A quotation from Isa 9:1.

[1:78]  ¹⁴ tn For reasons of style, a new sentence has been started in the translation at this point. God’s mercy is ultimately seen in the deliverance John points to, so v. 78a is placed with the reference to Jesus as the light of dawning day.

[1:78]  ¹⁵ sn God’s loyal love (steadfast love) is again the topic, reflected in the phrase tender mercy; see Luke 1:72.

[1:78]  ¹⁶ sn The Greek term translated dawn (ἀνατολή, anatolh) can be a reference to the morning star or to the sun. The Messiah is pictured as a saving light that shows the way. The Greek term was also used to translate the Hebrew word for “branch” or “sprout,” so some see a double entendre here with messianic overtones (see Isa 11:1-10; Jer 23:5; 33:15; Zech 3:8; 6:12).

[1:78]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “shall visit us.”

[1:79]  ¹⁸ sn On the phrases who sit in darkness…and…death see Isa 9:1-2; 42:7; 49:9-10.

[1:79]  ¹⁹ tn Or “the path.”

[1:7]  ²⁰ tn Grk “came for a testimony.”

[1:7]  ²¹ tn Or “to bear witness.”

[1:7]  ²² tn Grk “all.”

[1:8]  ²³ tn Or “to bear witness.”

[1:9]  ²⁴ tn Grk “every man” (but in a generic sense, “every person,” or “every human being”).

[1:9]  ²⁵ tn Or “He was the true light, who gives light to everyone who comes into the world.” The participle ἐρχόμενον (ercomenon) may be either (1) neuter nominative, agreeing with τὸ φῶς (to fw"), or (2) masculine accusative, agreeing with ἄνθρωπον (anqrwpon). Option (1) results in a periphrastic imperfect with ἦν (hn), ἦν τὸ φῶς… ἐρχόμενον, referring to the incarnation. Option (2) would have the participle modifying ἄνθρωπον and referring to the true light as enlightening “every man who comes into the world.” Option (2) has some rabbinic parallels: The phrase “all who come into the world” is a fairly common expression for “every man” (cf. Leviticus Rabbah 31.6). But (1) must be preferred here, because: (a) In the next verse the light is in the world; it is logical for v. 9 to speak of its entering the world; (b) in other passages Jesus is described as “coming into the world” (6:14, 9:39, 11:27, 16:28) and in 12:46 Jesus says: ἐγὼ φῶς εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἐλήλυθα (egw fw" ei" ton kosmon elhluqa); (c) use of a periphrastic participle with the imperfect tense is typical Johannine style: 1:28, 2:6, 3:23, 10:40, 11:1, 13:23, 18:18 and 25. In every one of these except 13:23 the finite verb is first and separated by one or more intervening words from the participle.

[5:35]  ²⁶ sn He was a lamp that was burning and shining. Sir 48:1 states that the word of Elijah was “a flame like a torch.” Because of the connection of John the Baptist with Elijah (see John 1:21 and the note on John’s reply, “I am not”), it was natural for Jesus to apply this description to John.

[5:35]  ²⁷ tn Grk “for an hour.”

[8:12]  ²⁸ tn Grk “Then again Jesus spoke to them saying.”

[8:12]  ²⁹ sn The theory proposed by F. J. A. Hort (The New Testament in the Original Greek, vol. 2, Introduction; Appendix, 87-88), that the backdrop of 8:12 is the lighting of the candelabra in the court of women, may offer a plausible setting to the proclamation by Jesus that he is the light of the world. The last time that Jesus spoke in the narrative (assuming 7:53-8:11 is not part of the original text, as the textual evidence suggests) is in 7:38, where he was speaking to a crowd of pilgrims in the temple area. This is where he is found in the present verse, and he may be addressing the crowd again. Jesus’ remark has to be seen in view of both the prologue (John 1:4, 5) and the end of the discourse with Nicodemus (John 3:19-21). The coming of Jesus into the world provokes judgment: A choosing up of sides becomes necessary. The one who comes to the light, that is, who follows Jesus, will not walk in the darkness. The one who refuses to come, will walk in the darkness. In this contrast, there are only two alternatives. So it is with a person’s decision about Jesus. Furthermore, this serves as in implicit indictment of Jesus’ opponents, who still walk in the darkness, because they refuse to come to him. This sets up the contrast in chap. 9 between the man born blind, who receives both physical and spiritual sight, and the Pharisees (John 9:13, 15, 16) who have physical sight but remain in spiritual darkness.

[8:12]  ³⁰ tn The double negative οὐ μή (ou mh) is emphatic in 1st century Hellenistic Greek.

[5:7]  ³¹ tn The genitive αὐτῶν (autwn) has been translated as a genitive of association because of its use with συμμέτοχοι (summetocoi) – a verb which implies association in the σύν- (sun-) prefix.

[5:8]  ³² tn The verb “you are” is implied in the Greek text, but is supplied in the English translation to make it clear.