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See the verses at:https://www.biblegateway.com/quicksearch/?quicksearch=light&qs_version=ESV
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Verse
The role of "light"
Literal or figurative?
CommentKey:Summary:
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Genesis 1:3centralambiguousAll the verses in the creation story are marked "ambiguous", as it is to interpret this passage that I'm doing this study.central: the concept of light is one of the central topics in this verse, and it is a crucial element in interpreting the text.central + literal:
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Genesis 1:4centralambiguous5
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Genesis 1:5centralambiguouscentral + figurative:
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Genesis 1:15centralambiguousperipheral: light is mentioned, but it's not the main topic. The text could easily be understood with 'light" left out, or substituted with something else.49
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Genesis 1:16centralambiguouscentral + both:
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Genesis 1:17centralambiguous10
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Genesis 1:18centralambiguouscentral + ambiguous:
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Genesis 44:3peripheralliteral12
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Exodus 10:23 centralliteraln/a: "light" doesn't appear in this verse in the sense that we're interested in. Either it only appears in the section heading and not in the text itself, or a homonym appears instead, such as "light" in the sense of weight, or to "light upon" something.peripheral + literal:
14
Exodus 13:21centralbothPillar of cloud and fire, which is referenced often elsewhere21
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Exodus 25:37centralliteralperipheral + figurative:
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Exodus 27:20centralboth98
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Exodus 35:8peripheralliteralperipheral + both:
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Exodus 35:14peripheralliteral4
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Exodus 35:28peripheralliteralliteral: "light" is used in the literal sense in this verse: a physical light that actually shines and actually exists, in the real world or in the narrative of the passage.
peripheral + ambiguous:
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Exodus 39:37peripheralliteral9
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Leviticus 24:2centralbothn/a:
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Numbers 4:9peripheralliteral11
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Numbers 4:16peripheralliteralfigurative: "light" is used in a figurative sense in this verse: as representing perception, truth, awareness, etc.
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Numbers 8:2centralliteral
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Judges 16:2peripheralliteral
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Judges 19:26peripheralliteralboth: there is a literal light in this verse, but it also represents something else as well, so "light" here can be interpreted in both literally and figuratively.
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1 Samuel 14:36peripheralliteral
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1 Samuel 25:36peripheralliteral
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1 Samuel 29:10peripheralliteral
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ambiguous: I could not determine the sense in which "light" is used in this verse.
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2 Samuel 17:12 n/a
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2 Samuel 23:4centralfigurative
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1 Kings 16:31 n/a
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2 Kings 3:18 n/a
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2 Kings 7:9 peripheralliteral
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Nehemiah 9:12 peripheralbothNote that the same "pillar of fire" of Exodus 13:21 is labeled "peripheral" here, since its light is only mentioned in passing.
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Nehemiah 9:19 peripheralboth
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Esther 8:16 peripheralfigurative
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Job 3:4 centralfigurative
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Job 3:9 peripheralfigurative
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Job 3:16 peripheralboth
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Job 3:20 peripheralfigurative
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Job 3:23 peripheralfigurative
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Job 10:22peripheralfigurative
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Job 12:22peripheralfigurative
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Job 12:25peripheralfigurative
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Job 17:12peripheralfigurative
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Job 18:5peripheralfigurative
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Job 18:6peripheralfigurative
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Job 18:18peripheralfigurative
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Job 22:28peripheralfigurative
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Job 24:13centralfigurative
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Job 24:14centralboth
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Job 24:16centralfigurative
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Job 25:3peripheralfigurative
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Job 26:10peripheralambiguous
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Job 28:11peripheralfigurative
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Job 29:3peripheralfigurative
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Job 29:24peripheralfigurative
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Job 30:26peripheralfigurative
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Job 33:28peripheralfigurative
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Job 33:30peripheralfigurative
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Job 37:21peripheralfigurative
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Job 38:15peripheralambiguous
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Job 38:19centralliteral
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Job 38:24centralliteral
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Job 41:18peripheralfigurative
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Psalm 4:6peripheralfigurative
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Psalm 13:3peripheralfigurative
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Psalm 18:28peripheralfigurative
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Psalm 27:1peripheralfigurative
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Psalm 36:9peripheralfigurative
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Psalm 37:6peripheralfigurative
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Psalm 38:10peripheralfigurative
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Psalm 43:1n/a
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Psalm 43:3peripheralfigurative
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Psalm 44:3peripheralfigurative
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Psalm 49:19peripheralfigurative
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Psalm 56:13peripheralfigurative
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Psalm 78:14peripheralliteralthe same phenomena - the pillar of fire - can be labeled "literal" or "both", depending on how the verse is phrased.
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Psalm 89:15peripheralfigurative
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Psalm 90:8peripheralfigurative
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Psalm 97:4peripheralfigurative
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Psalm 97:11peripheralfigurative
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Psalm 104:2peripheralfigurative
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Psalm 105:39peripheralliteral
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Psalm 112:4peripheralfigurative
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Psalm 118:27peripheralfigurative
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Psalm 119:105peripheralfigurative
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Psalm 119:130peripheralfigurative
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Psalm 139:11centralfigurativeA good illustration of a "central" role that light could have in a metaphor. Here, only "light" could be the appropriate metaphor, whereas in many of the other verses in Psalms you can just as easily use "life" or "goodness" or other such words.
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Psalm 139:12centralfigurative
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Proverbs 4:18centralfigurative
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Proverbs 6:23peripheralfigurative
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Proverbs 13:9peripheralfigurative
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Proverbs 15:30peripheralambiguous
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Proverbs 16:15peripheralfigurative
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Proverbs 23:5n/a
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Proverbs 29:13peripheralfigurative
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Ecclesiastes 2:13peripheralfigurative
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Ecclesiastes 11:7peripheralambiguous
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Ecclesiastes 12:2peripheralfigurative
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Isaiah 2:5peripheralfigurative
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Isaiah 5:20peripheralfigurative
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Isaiah 5:30peripheralfigurative
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Isaiah 9:2peripheralfigurative
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Isaiah 10:17peripheralfigurative
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Isaiah 13:10peripheralambiguous
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Isaiah 26:19peripheralfigurative
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Isaiah 30:26centralambiguous
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Isaiah 42:6peripheralfigurative
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Isaiah 42:16peripheralfigurative
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Isaiah 45:7peripheralambiguous
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Isaiah 49:6peripheralfigurative
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Isaiah 50:10centralfigurative
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Isaiah 50:11centralfigurativeOne of the very few verses where "light" is a bad thing, in that it's not God's light but man's.
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Isaiah 51:4peripheralfigurative
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Isaiah 58:8peripheralfigurative
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Isaiah 58:10peripheralfigurative
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Isaiah 59:9peripheralfigurative
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Isaiah 60:1centralfigurative
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Isaiah 60:3centralfigurative
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Isaiah 60:19centralfigurative
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Isaiah 60:20centralfigurative
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Jeremiah 4:23peripheralfigurative
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Jeremiah 13:16peripheralfigurative
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Jeremiah 25:10peripheralfigurative
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Jeremiah 31:35peripheralliteral
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Lamentations 3:2peripheralfigurative
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Ezekiel 8:17n/a
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Ezekiel 32:7peripheralambiguous
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Daniel 2:22peripheralfigurative
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Daniel 5:11peripheralfigurative
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Daniel 5:14peripheralfigurative
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Hosea 6:5peripheralfigurativeAnother one of the very rare negative portrayal of light, although it's still positive in big picture: light as judgement
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Amos 5:18peripheralfigurative
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Amos 5:20peripheralfigurative
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Micah 7:8peripheralfigurative
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Micah 7:9peripheralfigurative
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Habakkuk 3:4peripheralfigurative
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Habakkuk 3:11peripheralfigurative
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Zechariah 14:6peripheralliteral
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Zechariah 14:7peripheralliteral
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Matthew 4:16peripheralfigurative
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Matthew 5:13n/a
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Matthew 5:14centralfigurativeThe verses responsible for the name of this blog
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Matthew 5:15centralfigurative
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Matthew 5:16centralfigurative
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Matthew 6:22centralfigurative
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Matthew 6:23centralfigurative
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Matthew 10:27peripheralfigurative
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Matthew 11:30n/a
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Matthew 17:2peripheralliteral
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Matthew 24:29peripheralambiguous
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Mark 4:22peripheralfigurative
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Mark 13:24peripheralambiguous
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Luke 1:79peripheralfigurative
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Luke 2:32peripheralfigurative
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Luke 8:16centralfigurative
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Luke 8:17centralfigurative
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Luke 11:33centralfigurative
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Luke 11:34centralfigurative
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Luke 11:35centralfigurative
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Luke 11:36centralfigurative
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Luke 12:3peripheralfigurative
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Luke 12:48n/a
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Luke 15:8peripheralliteral
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Luke 16:8peripheralfigurative
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Luke 22:56peripheralliteral
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Luke 23:45centralboth
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John 1:4centralfigurativeThis is the most relevant passage for interpreting Genesis, and also one of the most extensive discussion on "light" in the Bible, on par with the Genesis creation story.
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John 1:5centralfigurative
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John 1:7centralfigurative
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John 1:8centralfigurative
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John 1:9centralfigurative
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John 3:19centralfigurative
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John 3:20centralfigurative
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John 3:21centralfigurative
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John 5:35peripheralfigurative
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John 8:12centralfigurative
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John 9:5centralfigurative
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John 11:9centralfigurative
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John 11:10centralfigurative
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John 12:35centralfigurative
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John 12:36centralfigurative
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John 12:46peripheralfigurative
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Acts 9:3peripheralboth
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Acts 12:7centralboth
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Acts 13:47peripheralfigurative
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Acts 22:6centralbothPaul's conversion: one of the best examples of a passage that falls into the "central" and "both" category simultaneously.
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Acts 22:9centralboth
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Acts 22:11centralboth
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Acts 26:13centralboth
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Acts 26:18peripheralfigurative
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Acts 26:23peripheralfigurative
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Romans 2:19peripheralfigurative
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Romans 13:12centralfigurative
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1 Corinthians 4:5peripheralfigurative
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2 Corinthians 4:1n/a
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2 Corinthians 4:4centralfigurative
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2 Corinthians 4:6centralfigurative
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2 Corinthians 4:17n/a
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2 Corinthians 6:14peripheralfigurative
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2 Corinthians 11:14peripheralfigurative
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Ephesians 3:9peripheralfigurative
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Ephesians 5:8peripheralfigurative
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Ephesians 5:9peripheralfigurative
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Ephesians 5:13centralfigurative
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Ephesians 5:14centralfigurative
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Colossians 1:12peripheralfigurative
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1 Thessalonians 5:5centralfigurative
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1 Timothy 6:16peripheralfigurative
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2 Timothy 1:10peripheralfigurative
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1 Peter 2:9peripheralfigurative
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1 John 1:5centralfigurative
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1 John 1:7centralfigurative
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1 John 2:8centralfigurative
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1 John 2:9centralfigurative
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1 John 2:10centralfigurative
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Revelation 8:12centralambiguous
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Revelation 18:23peripheralfigurative
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Revelation 21:23centralambiguousRevelation is also difficult to interpret, like the Genesis creation story.
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Revelation 21:24centralambiguous
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Revelation 22:5centralambiguous