Greek word · G5338
φέγγος
phengos
brightness
Light, radiance, brightness, especially the shining of a source such as the moon, the stars or a lamp. In the NT it occurs only here, in the parallel Matt 24:29, and in Luke 11:33 in some manuscripts (lamplight).
Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Greek New Testament. ·
What it means
φέγγος, -ους, τό
[in LXX chiefly for נֹגַהּ ;]
light, brightness, usually with genitive of something that shines or reflects: of the moon, Matthew 24:29, Mark 13:24; of a lamp, Luke 11:33 (WH, RV, φῶς).†
SYN.: αὐγή, q.v (AS)
From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
- Range of meaning
Light, radiance, brightness, especially the shining of a source such as the moon, the stars or a lamp. In the NT it occurs only here, in the parallel Matt 24:29, and in Luke 11:33 in some manuscripts (lamplight).
- Against the English
'Light' is fine. 'Radiance' or 'shining' keeps the sense that the glow of the moon is what fails.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Greek Old Testament Joel 2:10 and 3:15 [4:15]: 'the sun and moon will be darkened, and the stars will withdraw their shining (φέγγος)'. Isaiah 13:10 in the Greek Old Testament has φῶς ('light') where Mark has φέγγος.
Where it appears
Matthew · 1
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Matthew 24:29 φέγγος light
Immediately after the tribulation of those days: ‘The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.’
Here: The soft shining of the moon, a common Greek word for moonlight. Joel 2:10 in the Greek Old Testament uses this same word for heavenly lights going dark.
Mark · 1
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Mark 13:24 φέγγος light
But in those days, after that tribulation: ‘The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light;
Here: The glow or sheen of a light source, often used of moonlight or lamplight. Its shining will go out.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.