G5457 — φῶς (phōs)¶

Core Data¶

Strong's: G5457
Original: φῶς
Transliteration: phōs
Pronunciation: foce
Part of Speech: Neuter noun
Root: from obsolete φάω (pháō) — to shine, make manifest by rays
Occurrences: 70 tokens in 59 unique verses across 15 books
First Occurrence: Mat 4:16 — "The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up."
Hapax Legomenon: No

Lexicon Definition¶

From an obsolete φάω (pháō) — to shine or make manifest, especially by rays. Light, luminosity. Used of both literal illumination and figurative enlightenment.

Louw-Nida Semantic Domain¶

Primary Domain: 14.006 — Light
Other domains: 28.004 (Able To Be Known), 2.003 (Fire), 6.014 (Lights and Light Holders), 11.002 (Socio-Religious)
Other words in Light domain: ἀνατέλλω (G393), ἀπαύγασμα (G541), ἀστραπή (G796), δόξα (G1391), λάμπω (G2989), φαίνω (G5316), φέγγος (G5338), φωστήρ (G5458), φωτεινός (G5460), φωτίζω (G5461)

UBS Semantic Domains¶

[014] Physical Events and States — primary UBS placement for light as an observable phenomenon.
[002] Natural Substances — captures light as a created luminous reality in the natural order.
[006] Artifacts — covers uses where light is discussed alongside lamps and light-holders.
[011] Groups and Classes of Persons and Members of Such Groups and Classes — fits "children of light" and identity-language uses.
[028] Know — reflects the revelatory sense where light makes truth visible or knowable.

Translation Distribution (KJV)¶

Translation	Verses	%
light	36	61.0%
a light	6	10.2%
of light	6	10.2%
Light	3	5.1%
the light	3	5.1%
fire	2	3.4%
A light	1	1.7%
for a light	1	1.7%
hath light	1	1.7%

Distribution by Book¶

Book	Count	Per 100 Verses
1 John	5	4.8
John	16	1.8
Ephesians	2	1.3
2 Corinthians	3	1.2
Colossians	1	1.1
1 Thessalonians	1	1.1
Acts	10	1.0
1 Peter	1	1.0
1 Timothy	1	0.9
James	1	0.9
Revelation	3	0.7
Matthew	6	0.6
Luke	6	0.5
Romans	2	0.5
Mark	1	0.1

Johannine concentration is overwhelming: John + 1 John account for 21 of 59 verses (36%). The Synoptics together have only 13. Acts provides the third-highest raw count (10 verses), mostly in Paul's conversion/defense narratives.

Semantic Categories¶

1. God / Christ as Light (Divine Nature)¶

Jhn 1:4 — "In him was life; and the life was the light of men."
Jhn 8:12 — "I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."
1Jo 1:5 — "God is light, and in him is no darkness at all."
1Ti 6:16 — "dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto"

2. Light vs. Darkness (Moral Dualism)¶

Jhn 3:19 — "light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil"
Jhn 3:20 — "every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light"
2Co 6:14 — "what communion hath light with darkness?"
Eph 5:8 — "ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord"
1Jo 2:9 — "He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness"

3. Believers as Light / Children of Light¶

Mat 5:14 — "Ye are the light of the world."
Mat 5:16 — "Let your light so shine before men"
Luk 16:8 — "the children of this world are... wiser than the children of light"
Jhn 12:36 — "believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light"
1Th 5:5 — "Ye are all the children of light"

4. Evangelistic / Revelatory Light¶

Mat 4:16 — "The people which sat in darkness saw great light"
Luk 2:32 — "A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel"
Act 13:47 — "I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles"
Act 26:18 — "to turn them from darkness to light"
Act 26:23 — "should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles"

5. Supernatural / Theophanic Light¶

Mat 17:2 — "his raiment was white as the light" (transfiguration)
Act 9:3 — "suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven"
Act 12:7 — "a light shined in the prison"
Act 22:6 — "a great light round about me"
Act 26:13 — "a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun"

6. Physical Light / Illumination¶

Luk 8:16 — "setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light"
Mar 14:54 — "he sat with the servants, and warmed himself at the fire"
Luk 22:56 — "a certain maid beheld him as he sat by the fire"
Act 16:29 — "he called for a light"

7. Eschatological Light¶

Rev 21:24 — "the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it"
Rev 22:5 — "they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light"
Rev 18:23 — "the light of a candle shall shine no more at all in thee"

Common Collocations¶

Word	Strong's	Co-occurrences	Typical Pattern
σκότος (skotos)	G4655	12x (20%)	Antithetical pairing: "darkness/light" contrast
σκοτία (skotia)	G4653	9x (15%)	Johannine "darkness vs. light" dualism
κόσμος (kosmos)	G2889	7x (12%)	"light of the world" formula
περιπατέω (peripateo)	G4043	7x (12%)	"walk in the light" ethical instruction
ἔρχομαι (erchomai)	G2064	7x (12%)	"light has come" advent language
ἔθνος (ethnos)	G1484	6x (10%)	"a light to the Gentiles" mission language
ἔργον (ergon)	G2041	5x (8%)	Deeds exposed/manifested by light
θεός (theos)	G2316	5x (8%)	God as source or dwelling-place of light
δόξα (doxa)	G1391	4x (7%)	Light linked to divine glory
ἡμέρα (hemera)	G2250	4x (7%)	Day as time of light vs. night

Word Family / Cognates¶

G5458 φωστήρ (phōstēr) — luminary, star (2x) — concrete light-bearing body
G5459 φωσφόρος (phōsphoros) — light-bearing, day-star (1x) — adjective
G5460 φωτεινός (phōteinos) — full of light, bright (5x) — adjective
G5461 φωτίζω (phōtizō) — to illuminate, to enlighten (11x) — verb
G5462 φωτισμός (phōtismos) — illumination, light (2x) — noun

Synonyms¶

G5338 φέγγος (phengos) — radiance / brightness; the closest lexical light-equivalent returned by search_relationships.py.

Antonyms¶

No direct antonyms were returned by search_relationships.py for G5457 beyond the darkness cluster already represented in collocations and See Also.

Easily Confused Words¶

Word	Strong's	Shared Translation	Key Difference
λύχνος (lychnos)	G3088	"light" (4x each)	lychnos = the physical lamp/object; phōs = the light itself (phenomenon)
φέγγος (phengos)	G5338	"light" (3x)	phengos = radiance/brightness, esp. of moon/luminaries; phōs = light broadly
ἐλαφρός (elaphros)	G1645	"light" (2x)	Different concept entirely: elaphros = light in weight, not illumination
φωτίζω (phōtizō)	G5461	"light" (2x)	phōtizō = the verb (to illuminate); phōs = the noun (light itself)

Domain Neighbors (Louw-Nida 028.004 — Able To Be Known)¶

Strong's	Lemma	Total Verses	Primary KJV	Key Difference
G1110	γνωστός (gnōstos)	12	known, acquaintance	Known through familiarity; phōs makes things visible
G1131	γυμνός (gymnos)	14	naked	Exposed/uncovered; phōs reveals by illumination
G1212	δῆλος (dēlos)	3	certain, manifest	Self-evidently clear; phōs = the agent that makes things manifest
G1552	ἔκδηλος (ekdēlos)	1	manifest	Openly manifest; phōs is the light by which manifestation occurs

Hebrew Source¶

Hebrew Source	Strong's	Co-occurrences	PMI Score
אוֹר (ʼôwr)	H216	90	32.97
חֹשֶׁךְ (chôshek)	H2822	24	19.05
נֹגַהּ (nôgahh)	H5051	10	16.00
נִיר (nîyr)	H5216	12	14.85
מָאוֹר (mâʼôwr)	H3974	6	12.41

H216 (ʼôwr) is the dominant Hebrew source, mapping to phōs in 90 of its LXX occurrences — a near-exclusive equivalence.