The star around which the earth orbits. The sun was recognized in the Bible as a beneficent source of light and heat (Deut 33:14) upon which all life depended, but its power to smite was also known and feared (Isa 49:10; Jas 1:11). Created and appointed by God to “rule over the day” (Ps 136:8), it marked the hours and seasons by its movements (Gen 1:14-16), and it marked directions by its rising and setting (Isa 45:6; Deut 11:30). It surveyed the whole earth from its heavenly course (Ps 19:6), marking all that occurred below as existence “under the sun” (Eccl 1:3; Eccl 1:9). It traversed its course like a runner (Ps 19:4-5) or as if drawn by horses and chariot (2Kgs 23:11). It was resplendent as a bridegroom (Ps 19:5), as enduring as the ages (Ps 72:17). The sun’s radiance and restorative power served as figures of God’s eschatological reign (Mal 4:2: “the sun . . . with healing in its wings”; Isa 30:26; cf. Rev 21:23), and divine intervention in history was signaled by miraculous changes in the sun’s course or appearance (darkening, Isa 13:10).
