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H5051 · Hebrew · Old Testament
נֹגַהּ
nogah
Noun, masculine
brightness/radiance/shining

Definition

A noun meaning brightness, radiance, or shining light. It describes the luminous quality of something that shines — the brightness of the dawn, of divine glory, of lightning. It appears in prophetic visions of divine splendor and in descriptions of the morning light.

Usage & Theological Significance

Nogah describes the quality of radiant light — not just that light exists but that it blazes with brilliance. It appears in Joel's description of the Day of the LORD as preceded by fire, in Habakkuk's vision of God's glory filling the earth, and in Ezekiel's complex vision of the divine chariot. The ultimate theological import is that God is surrounded by and constituted by blazing light — his holiness is not a moral category alone but a luminous reality that consumes impurity. Yet this brightness is also promise: the righteous will shine like the brightness of the firmament.

Key Bible Verses

Joel 2:10 Before them the earth shakes, the heavens tremble, the sun and moon are darkened, and the stars no longer shine.
Habakkuk 3:4 His splendor was like the sunrise; rays flashed from his hand, where his power was hidden.
Isaiah 62:1 For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem's sake I will not remain quiet, till her vindication shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch.
Daniel 12:3 Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens.
2 Samuel 23:4 Like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings grass from the earth.

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