or · give light, shine

What it means

or (אוֹר) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “give light, shine”.

Light up.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. To fill with light and drive away darkness; also to light a lamp.
2. Literally "light up the face": to look on with favor.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

Word study

To give light, to shine; to make something shine on another. It is the verb of אוֹר, ‘light’ (H216). Making the face shine is showing favor.

• The lights, “to give light on the earth” Genesis 1:15Genesis 1:17
• “May YHWH make his face shine on you” Numbers 6:25Psalms 80:3
• The pillar of fire, to give them light Exodus 13:21Nehemiah 9:12
• Eyes that brighten; “give light to my eyes” 1 Samuel 14:27Psalms 13:3Psalms 19:8
• “Arise, shine” Isaiah 60:1Ezekiel 43:2
• Dawning Genesis 44:32 Samuel 2:32

Historical and cultural background

The priestly blessing says: “may YHWH make his face shine on you and show you favor” (Numbers 6:25), and Psalm 80 turns it into a plea: “make your face shine, and we will be saved” (80:3).

How we translate it

“Light” 18 times (“to give light on the earth”, Genesis 1:15; “give light to my eyes”, Psalm 13:3). With the face as object it reads “make his face shine” (Numbers 6:25; Psalm 80:3; Daniel 9:17) or “Let your face shine” (Psalm 31:16); of Jonathan’s eyes, “brightened”; of the morning light, “As the morning dawned” (Genesis 44:3).

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• light ×18
• make shine ×6
• shine ×5
• lit up ×3
• brightened ×2
• dawned ×2
• Radiant are ×1
• lights up ×1
• may brighten ×1
• set it on fire ×1
• others ×3

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Genesis×3
• Exodus×3
• Numbers×2
• 1 Samuel×3
• 2 Samuel×1
• Ezra×1
• Nehemiah×2
• Job×2
• Psalms×16
• Proverbs×2
• Ecclesiastes×1
• Isaiah×3
• Ezekiel×2
• Daniel×1
• Malachi×1

• Genesis 1:15

  and let them be lights in the vault of the heavens to give light on the earth.” And it was so.

• Genesis 1:17

  And Elohim set them in the vault of the heavens to give light on the earth,

• Genesis 44:3

  As the morning dawned, the men were sent off, they and their donkeys.

• Exodus 13:21

  YHWH went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give light to them, so that they could travel by day and by night.

• Exodus 14:20

  and it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness, and it lit up the night; and the one did not come near the other all night.

• Exodus 25:37

  You shall make its lamps, seven, and set up its lamps so that it gives light on the space in front of it.

• Numbers 6:25

  may YHWH make his face shine on you and show you favor;

• Numbers 8:2

  “Speak to Aaron and say to him, ‘When you light the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light toward the front of the lampstand.’”

• 1 Samuel 14:27

  But Jonathan had not heard when his father put the people under oath; and he stretched out the tip of the rod that was in his hand and dipped it in the comb of honey, and brought back his hand to his mouth, and his eyes brightened.

• 1 Samuel 14:29

  Jonathan said, “My father has brought ruin on the land. See, please, how my eyes have brightened because I tasted a little of this honey.

• 1 Samuel 29:10

  Now rise early in the morning, with the servants of your lord who came with you; rise early in the morning, and when you have light, go.”

• 2 Samuel 2:32

  They carried Asahel and buried him in the tomb of his father, which was in Bethlehem. Joab and his men went all night, and day dawned for them at Hebron.

• Ezra 9:8

  And now, for a brief moment there has been favor from YHWH our Elohim, to leave us escapees, and to give us a peg in his holy place, that our Elohim may brighten our eyes and give us a little life in our servitude.

• Nehemiah 9:12

  And with a pillar of cloud you led them by day, and with a pillar of fire by night, to light for them the way in which they should go.

• Nehemiah 9:19

  you, in your many mercies, did not abandon them in the wilderness: the pillar of cloud did not depart from over them by day, to lead them on the way, nor the pillar of fire by night, to light for them the way in which they should go.

• Job 33:30

  to bring back his soul from the pit, to light him up with the light of the living.

• Job 41:32

  Behind it it makes shine a path; one would take the deep for gray hair.

• Psalms 13:3

  Look at me, answer me, YHWH my Elohim; give light to my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,

• Psalms 18:28

  For you light my lamp, YHWH; my Elohim lights up my darkness.

• Psalms 19:8

  The precepts of YHWH are upright, making glad the heart; the commandment of YHWH is clean, giving light to the eyes.

• Psalms 31:16

  Let your face shine on your servant; save me in your loyal love.

• Psalms 67:1

  For the director. With stringed instruments. A psalm. A song. May Elohim show us favor and bless us; may he make his face shine with us. Selah.

• Psalms 76:4

  Radiant are you, magnificent, more than the mountains of prey.

• Psalms 77:18

  The voice of your thunder was in the whirlwind; the lightning flashes lit up the world; the earth shuddered and quaked.

• Psalms 80:3

  Elohim, bring us back; and make your face shine, and we will be saved.

• Psalms 80:7

  Elohim Tsevaot, bring us back; and make your face shine, and we will be saved.

• Psalms 80:19

  YHWH Elohim Tsevaot, bring us back; make your face shine, and we will be saved.

• Psalms 97:4

  His lightnings lit up the world; the earth saw and trembled.

• Psalms 105:39

  He spread out a cloud as a covering, and fire to give light at night.

• Psalms 118:27

  El is YHWH, and he has given us light; bind the victim of the festival with cords up to the horns of the altar.

• Psalms 119:130

  The opening of your words gives light, giving understanding to the simple.

• Psalms 119:135

  Make your face shine on your servant, and teach me your statutes.

• Psalms 139:12

  even darkness is not dark to you, and the night shines like the day; as the darkness, so the light.

• Proverbs 4:18

  But the path of the righteous is like the light of brightness, going on and shining until full day.

• Proverbs 29:13

  The poor man and the man of oppressions meet; YHWH gives light to the eyes of both.

• Ecclesiastes 8:1

  Who is like the wise man? And who knows the interpretation of a matter? The wisdom of a human being lights up his face, and the hardness of his face is changed.

• Isaiah 27:11

  When its boughs dry up, they will be broken; women will come and set it on fire. For it is not a people of understanding; therefore its Maker will not have compassion on it, and the one who formed it will not show it favor.

• Isaiah 60:1

  Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of YHWH has risen upon you.

• Isaiah 60:19

  The sun will no longer be your light by day, nor for brightness will the moon give you light; but YHWH will be your eternal light, and your Elohim will be your beauty.

• Ezekiel 32:7

  And when I extinguish you I will cover the heavens and darken their stars; the sun with a cloud I will cover, and the moon will not make its light shine.

And 3 more times.