ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ὁ εἰπὼν ἐκ σκότους φῶς λάμψαι, ὃς ἔλαμψεν ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ἡμῶν πρὸς φωτισμὸν τῆς γνώσεως τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν προσώπῳ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.
Causal Conjunction and Thematic Emphasis: ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς
– ὅτι: Conjunction introducing a causal or explanatory clause—”because” or “for.”
– ὁ Θεός: Nominative singular subject—”God.”
– This phrase links directly with the preceding verse (2 Corinthians 4:5), explaining why Paul and his companions preach Christ as Lord and not themselves.
Identifying God as Creator by His Speech: ὁ εἰπὼν ἐκ σκότους φῶς λάμψαι
– ὁ εἰπὼν: Aorist active participle, nominative masculine singular of λέγω, “the one who said.”
– Used adjectivally to describe ὁ Θεός—”God who said.”
– ἐκ σκότους: Preposition ἐκ with genitive noun—”out of darkness.”
– φῶς: Accusative neuter singular noun—”light.”
– λάμψαι: Aorist active infinitive of λάμπω, “to shine.”
– Infinitive of indirect discourse, complementing εἰπὼν: “God who said for light to shine out of darkness.”
– This alludes to Genesis 1:3 (LXX): “Let there be light,” identifying God’s creative act through speech.
Main Clause: ὃς ἔλαμψεν ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ἡμῶν
– ὃς: Relative pronoun referring back to ὁ Θεός.
– ἔλαμψεν: Aorist active indicative, 3rd person singular of λάμπω, “he shone” or “has shone.”
– Aorist tense views the divine illumination as a decisive event.
– ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ἡμῶν: Preposition ἐν with dative plural of καρδία, “in our hearts.”
– Locative: the sphere of spiritual enlightenment.
– This clause declares that the same God who caused light at creation has now caused spiritual light in the hearts of believers.
Purpose Clause: πρὸς φωτισμὸν τῆς γνώσεως
– πρὸς: Preposition with accusative—”toward,” indicating purpose or result.
– φωτισμόν: Accusative singular masculine noun from φωτίζω, “enlightenment,” “illumination.”
– The aim of God’s shining.
– τῆς γνώσεως: Genitive singular feminine noun—”of the knowledge.”
– Genitive of content or definition—illumination consisting in knowledge.
– The phrase expresses a divine goal: enlightenment aimed at intimate, spiritual knowledge.
Object of Knowledge: τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ
– τῆς δόξης: Genitive singular of δόξα, “glory.”
– τοῦ Θεοῦ: Genitive singular masculine—”of God.”
– Together: “the knowledge of the glory of God.”
– A compound genitive expressing the object and substance of the knowledge imparted.
Location of Revelation: ἐν προσώπῳ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ
– ἐν: Preposition governing the dative—”in.”
– προσώπῳ: Dative singular neuter noun—”face,” “person,” or “presence.”
– Conveys personal encounter and visibility.
– Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ: Genitive of apposition—Jesus is the one whose face reveals God’s glory.
– Translation: “in the face of Jesus Christ.”
– The glory of God is now seen not in a tabernacle or a theophany, but in the incarnate Christ.
Theological Illumination through Christ as the New Creation
Paul’s syntax draws a direct line between Genesis 1 and the new creation through Christ. The phrase ὁ εἰπὼν… λάμψαι mirrors the language of creation, positioning the spiritual transformation of the believer’s heart as a new cosmic act. The aorist participle εἰπών and the aorist indicative ἔλαμψεν form a theological parallel: God speaks, and light appears—first in the cosmos, now in the human heart.
The infinitival clause πρὸς φωτισμὸν τῆς γνώσεως shows that this inner illumination has a cognitive dimension—divine glory is not just seen; it is known. The culmination ἐν προσώπῳ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ confirms the Christological center of Pauline theology: Jesus is not the mirror of God’s glory—he is its living presence.
Paul’s grammar therefore structures theology: through verbal aspect, prepositional precision, and clause layering, the apostle conveys the miracle of divine revelation—the same God who spoke light into creation now speaks light into hearts, and the lamp of that knowledge is Christ himself.
