The original Greek word of "see" in 2 Corinthians 4:4 appears only once in the entire scriptures.

**Architecture, see footnote 3.   

    "The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God."1 - 2 Cor 4:4 (NIV)

    " ... to keep them from seeing the light..."1 - ESV

    Translating this phrase from original Greek must be tricky. The Greek word of the word "see" there is (augazō) which only appears once in the bible compared to the most common (horaō).2

"See" is the most common except among this few:

  • "to beam forth" - Berean Literal Bible1
  • "shine" - King James1
  • "dawn" - World English Bible1

    It is interesting to find out what do augazō means, especially it occurred only once in the entire bible where it shows up in this verse. According to the LSJ dictionary, it means, "view in the clearest light, see distinctly, discern" it is also closely related to the word in Greek "daybreak".2 It makes sense especially if we read the entire phrase which states, "light of the gospel of the glory of Christ". The word "display" is not originally there and the reason why the translators put it there is to supply what the simple English word "see" is lacking.


    Thus, using augazō is also meant to give the characteristic or quality of what one is seeing/looking which is in this case the "light" which is full of radiance and clarity. The sun during daybreak shines, and it gives the clearest light to all. It hurts the eyes if you look at it directly. The "light" being described here refers to the "gospel of the glory of Christ".

    The gospel gives light, and it provides clarity on whatever decision that we are facing. No matter how big or small abide yourselves into the light which is the word of God. If you have questions like this "What will I do next? What will I do after this job? - You will know exactly what you need to do... if you seek the word of God".4





Footnotes:

1 BibleHub. https://biblehub.com/2_corinthians/4-4.htm (Accessed on March 7, 2022)
2 StepBible. https://www.stepbible.org/?q=reference=2Cor.4|version=NIV|version=ASV-TH|version=SBLG&options=GVUVNH&display=COLUMN
3 These are some collections of thoughts and reflections during and after the discipleship group. Not intended for formal essays, blogs, or academic writing.
4 Valentin, Roland. Abide, Week 4. Sermon at ENCM, Mississauga, ON, February 27, 2022.



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