Matthew 4:16 (ESV)
The people dwelling in darkness
have seen a great light,
and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death,
on them a light has dawned.
The Awakening of Christian, c. 1885
from Pilgrim's Progress
Henry Clarence Whaite (1828–1912)
Isaiah 49:6 (ESV)
“It is too light a thing that you should be my servant
to raise up the tribes of Jacob
and to bring back the preserved of Israel;
I will make you as a light for the nations,
that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”
Glorious Jerusalem
Yossi Bitton (Israeli, 1956-present)
Micah 7:8 (ESV)
Rejoice not over me, O my enemy;
when I fall, I shall rise;
when I sit in darkness,
the Lord will be a light to me.
Geghard Monastery, Armenia
Photograph by Rob Wilson
Psalm 27:1 (NKJV)
The Lord is my light and my salvation;
whom shall I fear?
The Lord is the stronghold of my life;
of whom shall I be afraid?
The Faithful Knight
Thomas Jones Barker (English, 1815-1882)
Proverbs 4:18 (ESV)
But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn,
which shines brighter and brighter until full day.
Valley of the Yosemite, 1864
Albert Bierstadt (German-American, 1830-1902)
Psalm 112:4 (ESV)
Light dawns in the darkness for the upright;
he is gracious, merciful, and righteous.
Sunrise over Naples, 1862
Thomas Dessoulavy (British, 1800–1869)
Psalm 18:28 (ESV)
For it is you who light my lamp;
the Lord my God lightens my darkness.
Woman Sewing by Lamplight, 1852
Jean-François Millet (French, 1814-1875)
Psalm 43:3 (RSV)
Oh send out thy light and thy truth;
let them lead me,
let them bring me to thy holy hill
and to thy dwelling!
The Altar at Tanum Church in Bærum (Alteret I Tanum Kirke), 1891
Harriet Backer (Norwegian, 1845-1932)
2 Samuel 22:29 (ESV)
For you are my lamp, O Lord,
and my God lightens my darkness.
A Woman with A Lantern, 1818
Alexander Lauréus (Finnish, 1783-1823)
Exodus 13:21 (KJV)
And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way;
and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night:
He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night,
from before the people.
Job 29:3 (ESV)
“Oh, that I were as in the months of old,
as in the days when God watched over me,
when his lamp shone upon my head,
and by his light I walked through darkness”
Girl with Lantern
Otto Toaspern (American, 1863-1940)
Psalm 119:105 (GNV)
Thy word is a lantern unto my feet,
and a light unto my paths.
Thy Word is a Lamp unto My Feet and a Light unto My Path, c.1878-81
also known as 'Reading the Bible'.
Eastman Johnson (American, 1824-1906)
Daniel 2:20,22 (ESV)
“Blessed be the name of God forever and ever,
to whom belong wisdom and might...
he reveals deep and hidden things;
he knows what is in the darkness,
and the light dwells with him.”
The First Day of Creation, 1545
Francisco de Holanda (Portuguese, 1517-1585)
Genesis 1:3 (NASB1995)
Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.
God called the light day, and the darkness He called night.
And there was evening and there was morning, one day.
God Made the World
Illustration from the book 'Bible Primer: Old Testament' by Adolf Hult, 1919
Psalm 23:4 (ESV)
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
The Valley of the Shadow of Death, 1867
George Inness (American, 1825-1894)
Isaiah 42:1 (ESV)
Behold my servant, whom I uphold,
my chosen, in whom my soul delights;
I have put my Spirit upon him;
he will bring forth justice to the nations.
Simeon's Song of Praise c. 1700-10
Aert de Gelder (Dutch, 1645-1727)
Isaiah 54:10 (ESV)
"For the mountains may depart
and the hills be removed,
but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,
and my covenant of peace shall not be removed”
says the Lord, who has compassion on you.
Mount Vesuvius in Eruption, 1817
Joseph Mallord William Turner (English, 1775-1851)
Zechariah 3:8 (ESV)
Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, you and your friends who sit before you, for they are men who are a sign: behold, I will bring my servant the Branch.
From a Postcard.
44. JOSHUA. The Joshua who appears in the Old Testament tableaux was High Priest at the time of the return from the captivity and had an important part in the rebuilding of the temple.
Zechariah 8:7-8 (ESV)
“Thus says the Lord of hosts: Behold, I will save my people from the east country and from the west country, and I will bring them to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. And they shall be my people, and I will be their God, in faithfulness and in righteousness.”
Behold Your Little Ones
Gary L. Kapp (American)
Ezekiel 36:26 (ESV)
And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
Heavenly Charity, 1635
Simon Vouet (French, 1590-1649)
Isaiah 40:11 (ESV)
He will tend his flock like a shepherd;
he will gather the lambs in his arms;
he will carry them in his bosom,
and gently lead those that are with young.
The Good Shepherd
Bernhard Plockhorst (German, 1825-1907)
Isaiah 61:1 (ESV)
The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me
to bring good news to the poor;
he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound
The Calling of the Prophet Isaiah, 1771
Bayeu, Francisco (Italian, 1734-1795)
Hosea 6:1-2 (ESV)
Come, let us return to the Lord;
for he has torn us, that he may heal us;
he has struck us down, and he will bind us up.
After two days he will revive us;
on the third day he will raise us up,
that we may live before him.
The Ascension, 1879
Gustave Doré (French, 1832-1883)
Genesis 3:17-18 (NKJV)
“Cursed is the ground for your sake;
In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life.
Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you,
And you shall eat the herb of the field.”
The Family of Cain and Abel Working the Land
Willem van Herp (Flemish, c. 1613/14-1677)
Jeremiah 23:5-6 (ESV)
Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land.
The Last Judgment, 1606
Frans Francken II (Flemish, 1581-1642)