Ten cases of theophany in the Bible

The word theophany is a combination of two Greek words, meaning “God” and “appearance”. A theophany is an appearance of God. More precisely, it is a visible display to human beings that expresses the presence and character of God.

Theophany in the Old Testament

There are at least eight examples of theopathy in the Old Testament. I have used a conservative approach. It leaves out cases involving angels where there is no mention of God as it is uncertain whether these are angels or God (see Appendix). And it leaves out dreams and visions because they were not seen with physical eyes.

1. There are two instances that don’t describe how God appeared.
   – “The Lord appeared to Abram” on his arrival in the land God had promised to him and his descendants (Gen. 12:7-9NIV). The only detail given is that the Lord spoke to Abram.
   – At Mount Sinai God also appeared to Moses with Aaron and his sons and the seventy elders (Ex. 24:9-11). It says that they “saw the God of Israel” and they ate a meal to celebrate the Sinai covenant.
2. God appeared to Moses in the form of a burning bush, telling him exactly what He wanted him to do. He appeared “in flames of fire from within the bush”. The “angel of the Lord” said that “I am the God of your father …… (Ex. 3:2 – 4:17).
3. During the exodus from Egypt to Canaan, “By day the Lord went ahead of them [the Israelites] in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people” (Ex. 13:21-22). The pillars were visible symbols of God’s presence. The Lord often spoke to them from the pillar of cloud (Num. 12:5-6; Dt. 31:15-16; Ps. 99:6-7).
4. When the Lord descended to the top of Mount Sinai, “there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled … Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the Lord descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently” (Ex. 19:16, 18). The mountain was ablaze with fire and God spoke out of the fire (Dt. 5:22-26).
5. God appeared in a pillar of cloud to Moses and Joshua at the transfer of leadership to Joshua (Dt. 31:14-15).
6. God answered Job out of a thunderstorm and spoke at great length in answer to Job’s questions (Job 38–42).
7. The Lord appeared to Isaiah, “high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of His robe filled the temple” (Isa. 6:1).

Frequently, the term “glory of the Lord” reflects a theophany, as in Exodus 24:16-18; the “pillar of cloud” has a similar function in Exodus 33:9. A frequent introduction for theophanies may be seen in the words “the Lord came down,” as in Genesis 11:5; Exodus 34:5; Numbers 11:25; and 12:5.

In these theophanies God appears via a fire, or a cloud, or smoke, or a thunderstorm or as a king. What do these tell us about God?
– Fire symbolizes God’s holiness, purity, and judgment.
– Clouds and smoke represent God’s presence, mystery and glory.
– Thunder and lightning signify God’s power and authority.
– Royalty indicates God’s sovereignty and rule over creation and over Israel.

While God is transcendent (existing beyond the physical realm), He is also immanent (choosing to engage directly with His creation). He desires to guide and be in relationship with His people. God is holy and pure. The proper human response to a theophany is awe and humility.

These theophanies in the Old Testament are precursors to the incarnation of Jesus Christ, which showed His humility and suffering.

Theophany in the New Testament

There are at least three examples of theopathy in the New Testament.

8. At Christ’s baptism, John the Baptist “saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on Him [Jesus]”, and God spoke from heaven (Jn. 1:32).
9. At Christ’s transfiguration:
   – God spoke from a “bright cloud” and “when the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified” (Mt. 17:5-6).
   – And Christ’s “face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light” (Mt. 17:2). His clothes” became as bright as a flash of lighting” (Lk. 9:29).
10. One day when Paul was travelling to Damascus, at about noon suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around him and his companions (Acts 9:1-99; 22:3-16; 26:9-18). It was brighter than the sun. They all fell to the ground and Saul heard a message from Jesus Christ.

In these theophanies God appears via a dove, or a bright cloud, or a bright light. What do these tell us about God?
– The dove symbolizes God’s integrity, gentleness and purity (Mt. 10:16).
– The bright cloud represented God’s presence, like the pillar of cloud during the exodus.
– The bright light also represented Christ’s presence, like how His face and clothes shone at the transfiguration.

These theophanies in the New Testament are precursors to the second coming of Jesus Christ, which will show His power and glory.

All the theophanies described above are brief visual appearances of God. The final appearance of God is not brief but is ongoing. In the second coming of Christ, He comes as a victorious conqueror to rule the world for 1,000 years (Rev. 19:11-13).

Conclusion

Appearances of God in visible form in the Bible show His authority, gentleness, glory, holiness, integrity, judgment, mystery, power, presence, purity, rule, and sovereignty. The greatest appearance of all will be the second advent of Christ.

The appearances in the Old Testament often involved Moses and those in the New Testament always involved Jesus Christ. The old covenant came through Moses, while the new covenant came through Jesus.

Appendix: Angels

Some Bible commentators believe that whenever someone received a visit from “the angel of the Lord,” this was in fact the pre-incarnate Christ. These appearances can be seen in Genesis 16:7-14; Genesis 22:11-18; Judges 5:23; 2 Kings 19:35; and other passages. Other commentators believe these were appearances of angels. While there are no indisputable Christophanies in the Old Testament, every theophany wherein God takes on human form foreshadows the incarnation, where God took the form of a man to live among us as Emmanuel, “God with us” (Mt. 1:23).

Written, March 2025