"Let there be light" is an English translation of the Hebrew יְהִי אוֹר (yehiy 'or). Other translations of the same phrase include the Latin phrase fiat lux, and the Greek phrase γενηθήτω φῶς (or genēthētō phōs). The phrase is often used for its metaphorical meaning of dispelling ignorance.
The phrase comes from the third verse of the Book of Genesis. In the King James Bible, it reads, in context:
- 1:1 - In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
- 1:2 - And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
- 1:3 - And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
- 1:4 - And God saw the light, and it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness.
Read more about Let There Be Light: Origin and Etymology, Use By Educational Institutions, In Literature
Famous quotes containing the word light:
“Nobody had ever instructed him that a slave-ship, with a procession of expectant sharks in its wake, is a missionary institution, by which closely-packed heathen are brought over to enjoy the light of the Gospel.”
—Harriet Beecher Stowe (1811–1896)