Greek word · G5462

φωτισμός

phōtismos

light

Illumination, radiance; the act or result of giving light; enlightening.

Appears 2 times in 2 verses of the Greek New Testament. · Updated October 22, 2026

What it means

φωτισμός, -οῦ, ὁ

(φωτίζω) [in LXX: Job 3:9, Psalms 27:1 44:3 78:14 139:11 (אוֹר), Psalms 89:8 (מָאוֹר) * ;]

illumination, light: metaphorically, 1 Corinthians 4:4 4:6.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

Range of meaning: Illumination, radiance; the act or result of giving light; enlightening.
Against the English: BSB, KJV, WEB, ESV and NIV say simply 'light'. YLT's 'enlightening' keeps the idea of light that is actively shining out.
Used elsewhere in the period: In the Septuagint (the Greek Old Testament used by Paul's churches): Ps 26:1 (27:1 in English) 'The Lord is my illumination (phōtismos) and my salvation'; Ps 43:4 (44:3) 'the light of your face'; Job 3:9. In the New Testament it appears only here and in 4:6: 'God, who said, Let light shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts for the illumination of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.'

Range of meaning: Lighting up, illumination, shining forth; the act or effect of giving light. A rare word. In the New Testament it appears only here and in 4:4.
Against the English: KJV, WEB and BSB say 'light'. YLT has 'enlightening', and 'radiance' or 'illumination' also appear. Plain 'light' loses the sense of something actively shining out and lighting things up.
How it drifted: From the second century, Christian writers used φωτισμός/φωτίζω ('illumination') as a term for baptism (Justin Martyr, 1 Apology 61). That technical use is later and should not be read back into Paul.
Used elsewhere in the period: In the Septuagint Psalms: 'The Lord is my illumination' (Ps 26:1 LXX = 27:1). 'The illumination of your face' brought Israel's victory (Ps 43:4 LXX = 44:3). Our hidden sins are set 'in the illumination of your face' (Ps 89:8 LXX = 90:8).

2 Corinthians · 2

2 Corinthians 4:4 φωτισμὸν illumination

The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Here: Light that is actively shining out and lighting things up, not just 'light' in general. In v.6 Paul repeats the word for God's light shining in believers' hearts.
2 Corinthians 4:6 φωτισμὸν radiance

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Here: A noun of action: the giving off of light, a lighting-up. It repeats 4:4, 'the illumination of the gospel of the glory of Christ', which unbelievers are blinded from seeing.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.