then your light will break out early in the morning

φῶς, φωτός, τό (Trag.+ [in Hom. φάος or φόως]; loanw. in rabb.) ‘light’

① light in contrast to darkness, light

ⓐ in the physical realm καθόλου τὸ φῶς μὴ βλέπειν (of Judas) Papias (3:2).—Opp. σκότος, as Job 18:18; En 104:8; PGM 5, 101; 7, 262; 13, 335; Theoph. Ant. 1, 2 (p. 60, 7) 2 Cor 4:6 (cp. Gen 1:3ff); 6:14. Not present at night J 11:10. λευκὸς ὡς τὸ φ. Mt 17:2. νεφέλη φωτός a bright cloud vs. 5 v.l. (TestAbr A 9 p. 87, 12 [Stone p. 22]). Of the light of the sun (φ. ἡλίου: Dio Chrys. 57 [74], 20 fr. Eur., Hippol. 617; Ael. Aristid. 45, 29 K.=8 p. 95 D; ApcZeph; Just., D. 128, 4; τὸ φ. τοῦ ἡλίου Theoph. Ant. 1, 2 [p. 60, 16]) Rv 22:5b; of a wondrous star IEph 19:2ab. Of lamp-light (Jer 25:10; Jos., Ant. 12, 319) Lk 8:16; 11:33 (v.l. φέγγος); J 5:35 (in imagery); Rv 18:23; 22:5a. Light fr. a transcendent source (Ael. Aristid. 49, 46 K.=p. 500, 17 D. ἐγένετο φῶς παρὰ τῆς Ἴσιδος; Marinus, Vi. Procli 23: a halo of light around Proclus’ head moves the beholder to προσκύνησις): an angel Ac 12:7; 2 Cor 11:14 (here ἄγγελος φωτός [cp. 1QS 3:20] is a messenger of the world of light in contrast to Satan); of Paul’s conversion experience Ac 9:3; 22:6 (both w. ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, as X., Cyr. 4, 2, 15; Dio Chrys. 11 [12], 29), 9, 11; 26:13 (οὐρανόθεν); the heavenly city Rv 21:24 (s. also bα below). ἐφάνη φῶς μέγα ἐν τῷ σπηλαίῳ a bright light appeared in the cave GJs 19:2, followed by φῶς ἐκεῖνο ὑπεστέλλετο that light faded out. ἦν τὸ ὄρος ἐκεῖνο διαφαίνων (pap=διαφαῖνον) αὐτῇ φ. that mountain was shining a light for her GJs 22:3.—In imagery: (εἰς φ. ἐλθεῖν=‘become apparent’ Hippol., Ref. 4, 28, 4) ἐν τῷ φωτί in the open, publicly (φ. of ‘the open’ X., Ages. 9, 1.—Opp. ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ) Mt 10:27; Lk 12:3 (Proverbia Aesopi 104 P.: ἅπερ ἐν νυκτὶ καλύπτεται, ταῦτα εἰς φῶς λαληθέντα … ‘what is hidden in the night gets talked about in the light’). Of an evil-doer it is said: μισεῖ τὸ φῶς καὶ οὐκ ἔρχεται πρὸς τὸ φῶς J 3:20 (cp. Eur., Iph. T. 1026 κλεπτῶν γὰρ ἡ νύξ, τῆς δʼ ἀληθείας τὸ φῶς=the night’s for thieves, the light’s for truth; Plut., Mor. 82b, Contra Volupt. in Stob., Anthol. 3, 6, 33 vol. III 299 H.; Philo, De Jos. 68, Spec. Leg. 1, 319–23; TestNapht 2:10).

ⓑ in a transcendent sense

α. the passages in the central portion of 1a above show that light is the element and sphere of the divine (Ael. Aristid. 28, 114 K.=49 p. 528 D.: τοῦ θεοῦ φῶς; SibOr 3, 787 ἀθάνατον φ.; Tat. 13, 2 λόγος … ἐστὶ τὸ τοῦ θεοῦ φ.—Iren. 1, 4, 1 [Harv. I 32, 1]). God is called φῶς οἰκῶν ἀπρόσιτον 1 Ti 6:16 (Plut., Pericl. 173 [39, 2] the gods dwell in τὸν τόπον ἀσάλευτον φωτὶ καθαρωτάτῳ περιλαμπόμενον, Mor. 567f: the divine φωνή proceeds fr. a φῶς μέγα that suddenly shines forth), or it is said that God dwells ἐν τῷ φωτί 1J 1:7b. In fact, God is described as light pure and simple ὁ θεὸς φῶς ἐστιν vs. 5 (Philo, Somn. 1, 75; cp. TestJob 4:1 εἶπεν τὸ φῶς; ParJer 6:12; Ath. 31, 3 πάντα δὲ φῶς αὐτὸν ὄντα.—OSchaefer, StKr 105, ’33, 467–76). Cp. Dg 9:6. Likew. the Divine Redeemer (ParJer 9:14 τὸ φῶς τῶν αἰώνων πάντων) in the Fourth Gospel: J 1:7–9 (FAuer, Wie ist J 1:9 zu verstehen?: ThGl 28, ’36, 397–407); 12:35ab, 36ab (for 1J 2:8 s. β; on divinity as light s. RCharles, The Book of Enoch 1912, 71f; GWetter, Phōs [ΦΩΣ] 1915. S. also MDibelius, Die Vorstellung v. göttl. Licht: Deutsche Literaturzeitung 36, 1915, 1469–83 and MNilsson, GGA 1916, 49ff; FDölger, Die Sonne der Gerechtigkeit 1918, Sol Salutis 1920; WBousset, Kyrios Christos 2, 1921, 173; 174, 2 and 3; HJonas, Gnosis u. spätantiker Geist I ’34; Dodd 133–36; 183–87 al.; EGoodenough, By Light, Light: The Mystic Gospel of Hellenistic Judaism ’35; RBultmann, Z. Gesch. der Lichtsymbolik im Altertum: Philol 97, ’48, 1–36; 1QH 4:6; 18:29; BGU 597, 33 [I A.D.]). Jesus calls himself τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου J 8:12a; 9:5; 12:46; cp. 3:19a (Mel., P. 103, 795; Wetter, ‘Ich bin das Licht der Welt’: Beiträge zur Religionswissenschaft I/2, 1914, 171ff), and is called τὸ φῶς τῶν ἀνθρώπων 1:4 (Ael. Aristid. 45, 33 K.=8 p. 97 D.: Sarapis as κοινὸν ἄπασιν ἀνθρώποις φῶς; hymn to Anubis fr. Kios [IAndrosIsis, p. 139] 7: Isis as φῶς πᾶσι βροτοῖσι). His very being is light and life (ζωή 2aβ; s. JWeisengoff, CBQ 8, ’46, 448–51) 1:4. Cp. also vs. 5; 3:19b, 21; Lk 2:32 (Jesus is a φῶς εἰς ἀποκάλυψιν ἐθνῶν).—FDölger, Lumen Christi: Ac V/1, ’35, 1–43. The martyr καθαρὸν φῶς λαμβάνει receives the pure light of heaven IRo 6:2.

β. light, that illuminates the spirit and soul of humans (OdeSol 11:19 μεταβληθέντες ἀπὸ σκότους εἰς τὸ φῶς; JosAs 15:13 ἀναγαγεῖν με εἰς τὸ φῶς; Mel., P. 68, 491 ῥυσάμενος … ἐκ σκότους εἰς φῶς; Philosoph. Max. 499, 39 σωφροσύνη … ψυχῆς φῶς ἐστιν), is gener. the element in which the redeemed person lives, rich in blessings without and within (En 5:6 σωτηρία, φῶς ἀγαθόν; vs. 8 φ. καὶ χάρις; PsSol 3:12 ἡ ζωὴ αὐτῶν ἐν φωτὶ κυρίου): τότε ῤαγήσεται πρώϊμον τὸ φῶς σου then your light will break out early in the morning B 3:4 (Is 58:8; s. πρόϊμος, end). Of God δεῖξαι αὐτῷ (God’s servant) φῶς 1 Cl 16:12 (Is 53:11); of Messianic salvation, the gospel, etc. (opp. σκοτία, σκότος) Mt 4:16ab; AcPl Ha 8, 32f (Is 9:1ab; cp. Lucian, Nigr. 4 ἔχαιρον ὥσπερ ἐκ ζοφεροῦ ἀέρος ἐς μέγα φῶς ἀναβλέπων ‘I rejoiced, looking up as it were from a gloomy atmosphere into a bright light’); Ac 26:18; Eph 5:13; Col 1:12; 1 Pt 2:9; 1 Cl 36:2; 59:2; 2 Cl 1:4. τὸ φῶς τῆς ζωῆς (cp. 1QS 3:7) J 8:12b. τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινόν (ParJer 9:3 φ. ἀληθινόν; cp. τὸ τῆς ἀληθείας φ. Did., Gen. 87, 23f; Orig., C. Cels. 5, 13, 20; saying of Pythagoreans: WienerStud 8, 1886 p. 280 no. 118 in contrast to σκότος; cp. TestJob 43:6 ὁ τοῦ σκότους καὶ οὐχὶ τοῦ φωτός [of Elihu]) 1J 2:8, cp. J 1:9 (s. α above). φῶς καταγγέλλειν Ac 26:23. To be filled w. Christian truth means ἐν τῷ φωτὶ περιπατεῖν 1J 1:7a, εἶναι 2:9, μένειν vs. 10. Such persons are called υἱοὶ τοῦ φωτός Lk 16:8; J 12:36c (cp. 1QS 1:9 et passim); 1 Th 5:5; τέκνα φωτός Eph 5:8b (ESelwyn, 1 Pt ’46, 375–82; KKuhn, NTS 7, ’61, 339: 1QS 3:20; 5:9, 10); τέκνα φωτὸς ἀληθείας IPhld 2:1 (Porphyr., Ep. ad Marcellam 20 φῶς τοῦ θεοῦ τῆς ἀληθείας; Simplicius p. 88, 3; 138, 30 Düb. τὸ τῆς ἀληθείας φῶς). They put on τὰ ὅπλα τοῦ φωτός Ro 13:12, travel the ὁδὸς τοῦ φωτός B 18:1; 19:1, 12, and produce the καρπὸς τοῦ φωτός Eph 5:9. The rdg. τ̣ο̣ [φω]ς Ox 1081, 29 is better restored after the Coptic SJCh as τέλος (q.v. 1).

γ. bearers or bringers of this kind of light (φῶς of persons: Od. 16, 23; Anacr. 51 Diehl [32 Page; 124 Bergk] φάος Ἑλλήνων; Pind., I. 2, 17; Trag.; Biogr. p. 453 Hippocr. as ἀστήρ and φῶς of the healing art; TestJob 53:3 Job as φῶς τῶν τυφλῶν; SIG 1238, 2 [c. 160 A.D.] Φήγιλλα, τὸ φῶς τῆς οἰκίας) Is 49:6 φῶς ἐθνῶν is referred to Paul and Barnabas Ac 13:47, and to Christ B 14:8 (as Just., D. 65, 7); cp. 14:7 (Is 42:6) and cp. bα above. The Ἰουδαῖος considers himself a φῶς τῶν ἐν σκότει Ro 2:19. Jesus’ disciples are τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου Mt 5:14; cp. vs. 16.—On Is 49:6 s. HOrlinsky, The 75th Anniv. Vol. of the JQR ’67, 409–28.

δ. by metonymy, one who is illuminated or filled w. such light, or who stands in it Eph 5:8a (s. 1bβ above).—On the dualism of light and darkness, etc., s. Hebr. texts in the Dead Sea scrolls: KKuhn, ZTK 47, ’50, 192–211; WBrownlee, Excerpts fr. theTransl. of the Dead Sea Manual of Discipline: BASOR no. 121, ’51, 8–13; HPreisker, TLZ 77, ’52, 673–78; CHowie, The Cosmic Struggle: Int 8, ’54, 206–17.

② that which gives/bears light, torch, lamp, lantern, etc. (X., Hell. 5, 1, 8 φῶς ἔχειν; Musaeus vs. 224 of a λύχνος. Pl.: Plut., Ant. 927 [26, 6], Pelop. 284 [12, 3] al.; Lucian, Philops. 31) Ac 16:29. Fire, which furnishes both light and heat (X., Hell. 6, 2, 29; Cyr. 7, 5, 27; 1 Macc 12:29) Mk 14:54 (GBuchanan, ET 68, ’56, 27); Lk 22:56. Heavenly bodies (Manetho, Apotel. 6, 146 sun and moon δύο φῶτα; likew. Dio Chrys. 23 [40], 38; Ptolem., Apotel. 2, 13, 8; 3, 3, 3; 3, 5, 3 al. τὰ φ=constellations; Vett. Val. index II p. 384; PGM 13, 400; Ps 135:7; Jer 4:23): God is πατὴρ τῶν φώτων Js 1:17 (TestAbr B 7 p. 111, 11 [Stone p. 70] φῶς καλούμενον πατὴρ τοῦ φωτός; cp. ApcMos 36; 38); the sun as τὸ φῶς τοῦ κόσμου τούτου J 11:9 (Macrobius, Saturnal. 1, 23, 21 ἥλιε παντοκράτορ, … κόσμου φῶς; cp. Ps.-Demosth. 60, 24). Of the eye as an organ of light (Eur., Cycl. 633 φῶς Κύκλωπος; Ath. 32, 2) Mt 6:23; Lk 11:35.

③ that which is illuminated by light: πᾶν τὸ φανερούμενον φῶς ἐστιν everything that becomes visible is (= stands in the) light Eph 5:14.—CMugler, Dictionnaire historique de la terminologie optique des Grecs ’64.—B. 60. Cp. φέγγος; s. Schmidt, Syn. I 563–98. DELG s.v. φάε. Frisk s.v. φάος. New Docs 1, 98f. M-M. EDNT. TW. Spicq. Sv.