thumb|.

"Let there be light" is an English translation of the Hebrew phrase (yehi 'or) found in Genesis 1:3 of the Torah, the first part of the Hebrew Bible. In Old Testament translations of the phrase, translations include the Greek phrase (genēthḗtō phôs) and the Latin phrases and . It is part of the Genesis creation narrative.

Genesis 1:3

The phrase comes from the third verse of the Book of Genesis. In the King James Bible, it reads, in context:

Origin and etymology

In biblical Hebrew, the phrase (yəhî ’ôr) is made of two words. (yəhî) is the third-person masculine singular jussive form of "to exist" and (’ôr) means "light."

In the Koine Greek Septuagint the phrase is translated "" — kaì eîpen ho Theós genēthḗtō phôs kaì egéneto phôs. Γενηθήτω is the imperative form of γίγνομαι, "to come into being."

The original Latinization of the Greek translation used in the Vetus Latina was lux sit ("light – let it exist" or "let light exist"), which has been used occasionally, although there is debate as to its accuracy.

In the Latin Vulgate Bible, the Hebrew phrase is translated in Latin as . In context, the translation is "" ("And said God let there be light, and there was light"). Literally, would be translated as "let light be made" ( is the third person singular present passive subjunctive form of the verb , meaning "to do" or "to make"). The Douay–Rheims Bible translates the phrase, from the Vulgate, as "Be light made. And light was made."

Usage

"Let there be light", sometimes in its Latin form, , is used as a motto by many educational institutions (using light as a metaphor for knowledge). The University of California is one example. The phrase also forms the chorus of John Marriott's hymn about creation, "Thou, Whose Almighty Word".

References

  • .
  • Let There Be More Light, a song by Pink Floyd
  • .
  • .
  • .
  • .
  • .
  • .