a-per': Of eight Hebrew originals the chief is ra'ah, "to be seen." Used mainly of God's self-revelations in person and in dreams and visions: "Yahweh appeared unto Abram" (
Ge 12:7); to Moses (
Ex 3:2); to Solomon (
1Ki 3:5). All originals used of Nature's processes, of the appearing, i.e. coming of the morning (
Ex 14:27); stars (
Ne 4:21); flowers, flocks of goats, tender grapes (
So 2:12;
4:1 m;
So 7:12 margin). So New Testament
ophthen, passive of
horao, "I see," "to be seen" used especially of angelic revelations and visions: as on the Mount of Transfiguration (
Mt 17:3); an angel (
Lu 1:11); the risen Lord (
Lu 24:34); cloven tongues at Pentecost (
Ac 2:3); vision to Paul (
Ac 16:9); a great wonder in heaven (
Re 12:1, the King James Version).
opiano, in
Ac 1:3, of Christ appearing after his suffering;
phainomai, "to shine," like the above with the added thought of a resplendent, luminous revelation, as of the Bethlehem star (
Mt 2:7); the bringing to light of sin (
Ro 7:13, the King James Version). Also
phaneroo, "to make manifest," used exclusively of the post-resurrection appearances and second coming of Christ and of the disclosures of the great judgment day. See
Col 3:4;
2Co 5:10;
Re 3:18 and seven other passages the King James Version.