For with you is the source of life,
in your light we see (the) light.
Psalm 36:10 (Schlachter 2000)
David writes about two things that belong to each other:
- With the Lord is the source of life
- in His light we see the light.
One belongs to the other. If we come to the source of life, we come to the origin – where life bubbles up. With Him is this bubbling fountain of life. You could also say: fountain of life. He gives life, breath and all things to all (Acts 17:25).
Whoever finds his way back to the origin of his life sees the world with different eyes. When we come to God and see everything in His light, our lives and our world also brighten up. In His light we see light.
Light (hb.אור, owr Or) has to do with order. The root word אר, or, means container. Just as containers bring order, light brings order and dispels darkness. In the light we learn to distinguish things. When David testifies that in His light we see the light, it describes this order that takes place.
If we come back to the origin of life and stand in His light, we will recognize the world from His point of view. Things fall into place. Peace returns. The world brightens up. It becomes light.
Light separates from darkness (Gen 1:3-4 Psalm 112:4 John 1:5).
Jesus said, “I am the light of the world; whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).
Paul later writes: “For God, who said, “Out of darkness light shall shine!”, it is he who has shone in our hearts to the brightness of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. 4:6).
(References to Hebrew according to Jeff A. Benner, “Ancient Hebrew Lexicon of the Bible.”)
