"The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven."
— Hebrews 1:3 (NIV)
People who search bible verses about radiance want Scripture on the Son as the radiance of God's glory — Greek apaugasma in Hebrews 1:3 — not only a general God's glory inventory, not the image of God eikōn list alone, and not a broad Christ title catalog alone. This page is a numbered list of twelve passages with the NIV text and a short note on each. Related lists: Bible verses about the author and finisher, Bible verses about the heir of all things, Bible verses about the firstborn, Bible verses about God's glory, Bible verses about the image of God, Bible verses about Jesus, Bible verses about the light of the world, and Bible verse of the day. Radiance here means the Heb 1:3 apaugasma brightness of the Father's glory in the Son — distinct from glory-alone or image-alone surveys.
Quick answer. Scripture uses radiance for God's glory shining, fully shown in Jesus and reflected on the faces of those who look to him. Hebrews 1:3 says the Son is "the radiance of God's glory." Moses "was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord" (Exodus 34:29), and at the transfiguration "his face shone like the sun" (Matthew 17:2).
Word study (lead theme). In Greek, ἀπαύγασμα apaugasma (Strong's G541; Bible Hub G541) — radiance, brightness, reflected brightness; used in Hebrews 1:3 of the Son as the radiance of God's glory. KJV says "brightness of his glory." This list tracks that radiance / shining-glory vocabulary centered on the Son, not the whole glory inventory and not the eikōn / image catalog (charaktēr / exact imprint is the companion page).
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Hebrews 1 presses that the Son is the brightness of the Father's glory and the express image of his person — the outshining of the divine glory in the Son (Bible Hub MHC Hebrews 1; Blue Letter Bible, Matthew Henry on Hebrews 1). (God's-glory and image-of-god lists live on those pages; this list centers apaugasma / radiance.)
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12 Bible verses about radiance
Hebrews 1:3. "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven." The Son is the radiance of God's glory — apaugasma. See Bible verses about God's glory.
Habakkuk 3:4. "His glory was like the sunrise; rays flashed from his hand, where his power was hidden." Glory like the sunrise — rays from his hand. See Bible verses about God's power.
Psalm 104:2. "The Lord wraps himself in light as with a garment; he stretches out the heavens like a tent." Wraps himself in light as with a garment. See Bible verses about light of the world.
Isaiah 60:1. "'Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.'" Arise, shine — the glory of the Lord rises. See Bible verses about hope.
Isaiah 60:19. "The sun will no more be your light by day, nor will the brightness of the moon shine on you, for the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory." The Lord will be your everlasting light. See Bible verses about heaven.
Matthew 17:2. "There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light." His face shone like the sun. See Bible verses about Jesus.
Luke 2:9. "An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified." The glory of the Lord shone around them. See Bible verses about incarnation.
Acts 26:13. "About noon, King Agrippa, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions." A light from heaven, brighter than the sun. See Bible verses about Jesus.
Exodus 34:29. "When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord." His face was radiant — he had spoken with the Lord. See Bible verses about covenant.
Revelation 1:16. "In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance." His face was like the sun shining. See Bible verses about morning star.
Psalm 36:9. "For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light." In your light we see light. See Bible verses about fountain of life.
Malachi 4:2. "But for you who revere my name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its rays. And you will go out and frolic like well-fed calves." Sun of righteousness — healing in its rays. See Bible verses about sun of righteousness.
How to use these verses
Pick one verse when you need the radiance of God's glory in the Son — not twelve as a grind. If you need Hebrews 1:3 apaugasma, start there. If you need the shining face at the transfiguration, open Matthew 17:2. If you need a radiant face after meeting the Lord, open Exodus 34:29. For God's glory more broadly, open Bible verses about God's glory. For the exact imprint beside radiance, open Bible verses about exact imprint. For a daily verse, open Bible verse of the day.
Questions people ask
What does radiance mean in the Bible?
Scripture uses radiance for God's glory shining. Hebrews 1:3 says the Son is "the radiance of God's glory," and that light is fully shown in Jesus, whose "face shone like the sun" (Matthew 17:2).
What is the "radiance of God's glory"?
Hebrews 1:3 says, "The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being." It is the Father's glory shining out in the Son. Habakkuk 3:4 says, "His glory was like the sunrise; rays flashed from his hand, where his power was hidden."
Why did Moses' face shine?
Exodus 34:29 says Moses "was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord." The shining came from speaking with the Lord, not from Moses himself.
How can a believer reflect God's radiance?
Isaiah 60:1 says, "Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you." Psalm 36:9 says, "in your light we see light." Exodus 34:29 shows a face made radiant by speaking with the Lord. Looking to him is how that light shows on a believer.
Sources
- Blue Letter Bible lexicon: G541 (links above).
- Bible Hub Greek entries and Matthew Henry Concise on Hebrews 1 (links above).
- Cross-links: author and finisher, heir of all things, firstborn, God's glory, image of God, Jesus, light of the world, Christ, heaven, incarnation, morning star, sun of righteousness, hope, God's power, covenant, fountain of life.
