A Simile from Those Who Have Gone Before You: The Light Verse and Its Jewish Metaphor

The Light Verse (24:35) would have resonated with Jewish audiences by evoking the Temple menorah and the rabbinic concept of the Shekhinah. Through close intratextual analysis, the Light Verse is linked to the Qur’anic accounts of Moses’ theophany (20:10-12; 27:7-9; 28:29-30), highlighting shared motifs of fire, blessed tree, guidance, and celestial radiance. While paralleling the biblical burning bush, the Qur’an reconfigures its imagery in the depiction of a lamp fueled by a blessed oil that shines though untouched by fire. Symbolic correspondences align this imagery with rabbinic portrayals of the Shekhinah and menorah as embodiments of divine light. References to “houses” of remembrance (24:36) further echo Temple symbolism. Moreover, just before the Light Verse (24:34), the Qur’an explicitly states that it is providing a metaphor from a previous tradition. By invoking an established symbol rather than introducing a novel metaphor, the Qur’an situates its message within a recognizable Jewish representation.