In all of the Bible's references to light, light is not self-generated. It comes (usually unbidden) from outside the earthly and human sphere with a transcendent splendor. As a symbol light thus pictures the simultaneous transcendence and immanence of God: it is from above, but permeates everyday life.
A survey of light imagery in the Bible illustrates the implied thesis of this dictionary—that the main outline of biblical belief and the feelings it generates can be traced by following the Bible's master images. Light in its varied meanings is at the heart of such central biblical themes as creation, providence, judgment, redemption and sanctification. It embodies much of the theological teaching of the Bible about God, which explains why light has been so prominent in the history of theology. In its literal, physical manifestations, moreover, light contributes significantly to the elemental quality of the biblical world, keeping spiritual reality rooted in the lives that people actually live.
The text that comes the closes to summarizing the range of meanings of light is 2 corinthians 4:6…… For it is the God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ…… Here is the link between creation and new creation, between OT and NT, between the physical reality and the spiritual symbol.
From the Dictionary of Biblical imagery
