Lexical Summary bahir: Bright, clear, shining Original Word: בָּהִיר Strong's Exhaustive Concordance bright From an unused root (meaning to be bright); shining -- bright. NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom the same as bahereth Definition bright, brilliant NASB Translation bright (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs בָּהִירִ adjective bright, brilliant, of light; only Job 37:21 הוּא בַּשְּׁחָקִים ׳לֹא רָאוּ אוֺר בּ. Topical Lexicon Overview The Hebrew adjective bəhir appears once in the Old Testament and conveys the idea of dazzling brightness or clarity. Its lone placement in Job 37:21 situates the word within Elihu’s discourse on the inscrutability and majesty of God as revealed in weather phenomena. Occurrence in Scripture Job 37:21—“Now no one can look upon the light when it is bright in the skies after the wind has passed and swept them clean”. The term depicts a sky whose brilliance prevents human gaze, underscoring human limitation before divine grandeur. Literary and Poetic Function in Job 1. Heightening Awe: By choosing a rare term for “bright,” the author intensifies the description of a post-storm sky, making the audience feel the overwhelming luminosity that follows God’s stormy activity. Historical and Cultural Insights Ancient Near Eastern peoples often viewed intense celestial light as a divine manifestation. Unlike surrounding cultures that personified the sun itself, Job’s theology attributes the brightness to the Creator, not the creation. The singular use of bəhir signals a deliberate emphasis on God’s unique, unrivaled splendor. Theological Significance 1. Revelation and Concealment: The light is both revelatory (announcing God’s presence) and concealing (too intense for direct observation), mirroring themes found in Exodus 33:20 and 1 Timothy 6:16. Implications for Ministry and Worship • Humble Reverence: The verse calls worshipers to acknowledge limits when contemplating divine majesty. Christological Connections Jesus is “the radiance of God’s glory” (Hebrews 1:3). The unapproachable brightness in Job anticipates the transfiguration light (Matthew 17:2) and the blinding encounter of Saul on the Damascus road (Acts 9:3-5), pointing to Christ as the fullest manifestation of divine brilliance both revealing and overwhelming. Personal Application Believers are invited to lift their eyes to the “bright” heavens not to worship creation but to cultivate wonder, repentance, and faith in the Sovereign who controls both storm and calm. The passage encourages trust when God’s ways exceed comprehension, reminding readers that the same One who sends the wind also clears the sky. Further Study Compare Job 37:21 with Psalms 18:12, Isaiah 30:26, and Revelation 22:5, tracing the motif of overwhelming divine light from poetic wisdom literature through prophetic and apocalyptic texts. Forms and Transliterations בָּהִ֣יר בהיר bā·hîr baHir bāhîrLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts |
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