Hebrew word · H5051

נֹ֫גַהּ

nogah

brightness

Brightness or radiance, especially light that comes on or breaks out: the glow of sunrise, the shining of a fire or of the moon, the radiance around God's presence (Ezek 1:4, 27–28; Hab 3:4, 11).

Appears 19 times in 19 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

brightness

Aramaic equivalent: no.gah (נֹ֫גַהּ "daylight" H5053)

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Proverbs 4:18

Range of meaning

Brightness or radiance, especially light that comes on or breaks out: the glow of sunrise, the shining of a fire or of the moon, the radiance around God's presence (Ezek 1:4, 27–28; Hab 3:4, 11).

Against the English

KJV 'the shining light' and YLT 'a shining light' keep the general idea of brightness but drop the dawn. BSB 'first gleam of dawn', ESV/NASB 'light of dawn' and WEB 'dawning light' bring out the sunrise picture that the rest of the verse needs: a light that starts faint and keeps growing.

How it drifted

Not really drift. The word itself does not say 'dawn', and the KJV translators gave it a general sense. The sunrise sense comes from the context and from usage elsewhere.

Used elsewhere in the period

2 Sam 23:4: the just ruler is 'like the light of morning when the sun rises … from the brightness (nogah) after rain'. Isa 60:3: 'kings to the brightness (nogah) of your rising'. Isa 62:1: 'until her righteousness goes out like brightness (nogah)'. That last verse pairs righteousness and nogah just as Proverbs 4:18 does. The noun later became a Hebrew name for the planet Venus, the morning star.

From the study of Isaiah 62:1

Range of meaning

Brightness, radiance, gleam. It is used especially of dawn light, of fire, and of the glow of God's presence.

Against the English

KJV/ESV/NASB 'brightness' is literal. WEB and NRSV-type 'dawn' interpret it, but with good warrant, because the verb 'go out' is the sunrise verb and nogah is used of dawn light.

Used elsewhere in the period

Proverbs 4:18: 'the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn (ʾor nogah)'. Isaiah 60:3: 'kings to the brightness (nogah) of your rising'. Isaiah 60:19: the moon's brightness will not be needed. 2 Samuel 23:4: morning light after rain.

From the study of Isaiah 60:3

Range of meaning

Brightness, radiance, a gleam: the glow of dawn, of fire, of lightning, of heavenly bodies, of God's appearing. It is more vivid and luminous than plain 'light.'

Against the English

'Brightness' (KJV, BSB, ESV, NASB, WEB) is accurate. NLT's 'radiance' is also good. Neither English word carries the strong dawn association the Hebrew word often has.

Used elsewhere in the period

2 Sam 22:13; Isa 4:5 ('the brightness of a flaming fire' over Zion); Isa 59:9 ('we wait for light, but there is darkness; for brightness, but we walk in gloom'); Isa 62:1 ('until her righteousness goes out like brightness'); Amos 5:20 (the Day of the LORD as 'gloom with no brightness'); Prov 4:18 (the path of the righteous 'like the light of dawn'); Hab 3:4, 11. The Aramaic of Dan 6:19/20 uses it for first light at daybreak. In later Hebrew, Nogah is the name of the planet Venus, the morning star.

Where it appears

2 Samuel · 2

  1. 2 Samuel 22:13 מִנֹּ֖גַהּ from [the] brightness

    From the brightness of His presence coals of fire blazed forth.

  2. 2 Samuel 23:4 מִנֹּ֥גַהּ from brightness

    is like the light of the morning at sunrise of a cloudless dawn, the glistening after the rain on the sprouting grass of the earth.’

    Here: 'From' here means 'by' or 'because of': the green comes up by means of the bright sunshine. Nogah is brilliant, radiating light. The chapter before uses the same phrase for the blaze of God's presence (2 Samuel 22:13).

Psalms · 1

  1. Psalm 18:12 מִנֹּ֗גַהּ from [the] brightness

    From the brightness of His presence His clouds advanced—hailstones and coals of fire.

Proverbs · 1

  1. Proverbs 4:18 נֹ֑גַהּ brightness

    The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday.

    Here: Radiance, used elsewhere for the glow of sunrise (2 Sam 23:4; Isa 60:3). Together with 'light' it means 'the light of the brightness', the first gleam of day that will keep growing.

Isaiah · 5

  1. Isaiah 4:5 וְנֹ֛גַהּ and brightness of

    Then the LORD will create over all of Mount Zion and over her assemblies a cloud of smoke by day and a glowing flame of fire by night. For over all the glory there will be a canopy,

    Here: 'And the radiance of'. It means shining brightness, the light that comes from something. The stress is on the light the fire gives off, which lights up the night.

  2. Isaiah 50:10 נֹ֙גַהּ֙ brightness

    Who among you fears the LORD and obeys the voice of His Servant? Who among you walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the LORD; let him lean on his God.

    Here: Not the ordinary word for light (ʾôr) but 'brightness, glow', the shining of dawn or a gleam on the horizon. Not even a glimmer of coming relief is visible.

  3. Isaiah 60:3 לְנֹ֥גַהּ to [the] brightness of

    Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

    Here: A word for gleaming radiance, especially the glow at first light or of fire. It answers the lament of 59:9, where the people waited 'for brightness' (the same root) but walked in gloom. Now that brightness is what draws kings.

  4. Isaiah 60:19 וּלְנֹ֕גַהּ and for brightness

    No longer will the sun be your light by day, nor the brightness of the moon shine on your night; for the LORD will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your splendor.

    Here: 'And for brightness.' It means the shining glow given off by a light source, here the soft light of the moon in the dark.

  5. Isaiah 62:1 כַנֹּ֙גַהּ֙ like <the> brightness

    For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem’s sake I will not keep still, until her righteousness shines like a bright light, her salvation like a blazing torch.

    Here: The growing glow of daybreak. It continues Isaiah 60:3, where kings come to 'the brightness of your rising'.

Ezekiel · 5

  1. Ezekiel 1:4 וְנֹ֥גַֽהּ and brightness

    I looked and saw a whirlwind coming from the north, a great cloud with fire flashing back and forth and brilliant light all around it. In the center of the fire was a gleam like amber,

    Here: Radiance, a shining glow. It is a set word for the brightness around God when he appears (Ps 18:12; Hab 3:4), and Ezekiel uses it again for the brightness of the glory (1:27–28; 10:4).

  2. Ezekiel 1:13 וְנֹ֣גַהּ and brightness

    In the midst of the living creatures was the appearance of glowing coals of fire, or of torches. Fire moved back and forth between the living creatures; it was bright, and lightning flashed out of it.

    Here: Radiance, a glow that shines out. It is the key word of the frame of the vision: brightness surrounds the storm cloud (1:4) and the enthroned figure (1:27–28).

  3. Ezekiel 1:27 וְנֹ֥גַֽהּ and brightness

    From what seemed to be His waist up, I saw a gleam like amber, with what looked like fire within it all around. And from what seemed to be His waist down, I saw what looked like fire; and brilliant light surrounded Him.

  4. Ezekiel 1:28 הַנֹּ֙גַהּ֙ the brightness

    The appearance of the brilliant light all around Him was like that of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the LORD. And when I saw it, I fell facedown and heard a voice speaking.

    Here: A shining radiance or glow. The same word ends 1:27 ("brightness around him"), so this verse finishes describing the light that surrounded the enthroned figure.

  5. Ezekiel 10:4 נֹ֖גַהּ [the] brightness of

    Then the glory of the LORD rose from above the cherubim and stood over the threshold of the temple. The temple was filled with the cloud, and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the LORD.

    Here: The shining glow around the divine presence. It is the same word Ezekiel used for the radiance around the throne-vision in chapter 1 (1:4, 1:27–28).

Joel · 2

  1. Joel 2:10 נָגְהָֽם׃ brightness their

    Before them the earth quakes; the heavens tremble. The sun and moon grow dark, and the stars lose their brightness.

    Here: 'Their shining', the glow that radiates out from a light. Amos 5:20 said the Day of YHWH would be 'gloom with no brightness (nogah) in it'. Joel's stars hold back exactly that brightness.

  2. Joel 3:15 נָגְהָֽם׃ brightness their

    The sun and moon will grow dark, and the stars will no longer shine.

    Here: "Their brightness." Nogah is shining radiance. It is often used of the glow around God's presence (Psalm 18:12; Ezekiel 1:4). The stars hold their gleam back.

Amos · 1

  1. Amos 5:20 נֹ֥גַֽהּ brightness

    Will not the Day of the LORD be darkness and not light, even gloom with no brightness in it?

    Here: The glow of dawn or the moon. It is also the radiance that surrounds God when he appears (2 Sam 22:13; Ezek 1:4, 28). 'No nogah' means not one glimmer, and it suggests that this appearance of God gives off no saving radiance at all.

Habakkuk · 2

  1. Habakkuk 3:4 וְנֹ֙גַהּ֙ and brightness

    His radiance was like the sunlight; rays flashed from His hand, where His power is hidden.

  2. Habakkuk 3:11 לְנֹ֖גַהּ to brightness

    Sun and moon stood still in their places at the flash of Your flying arrows, at the brightness of Your shining spear.

    Here: "At the radiance of." This is the same word used for God's own brightness in 3:4 ("his brightness was like the light"). It matches "light" in the first half of the line.

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