In this post we will look at a collection of Bible verses about the sun. All these scriptures on the sun will be from the NKJV and can be used for studying the topic of the sun in the Bible. So, grab your Bible and let’s start learning…
I thought it would be fun to add some celestial type scriptures to my Topical Bible Verse collection. So, today we are going to look at the sun!
Now, the Bible is chock full of Bible verses about the sun…183 verses in the KJV to be exact. Today we are going to look at 44 of those verses.
And to make things a little easier to digest. I have a table of content for you to use. All you have to do is click on the section you want to read on. Or you can just scroll through the whole post like you would normally.
The Sun In The Bible
The sun has incredible symbolism and meaning in the Bible. It’s seen at the start of creation as the greater light, with the moon being the lesser light. God uses the sun to covey images of power and leadership/headship as in Joseph’s dreams and God many times demonstrated He was and still is in charge of the sun.
This was to show that Yahweh, the God of Israel is the One True God amongst those who worshipped the sun.
This is what Easton’s Bible Dictionary says about the sun:
Sun: (Heb. shemesh), first mentioned along with the moon as the two great luminaries of heaven (Gen. 1:14-18). By their motions and influence they were intended to mark and divide times and seasons. The worship of the sun was one of the oldest forms of false religion (Job 31:26, 27), and was common among the Egyptians and Chaldeans and other pagan nations. The Jews were warned against this form of idolatry (Deut. 4:19; 17:3; comp. 2 Kings 23:11; Jer. 19:13).
Ok, now that we have a little insight into what does the Bible say about the sun. Let’s take look at some scripture verses.
Bible Verses On The Sun
All verses below are from the NKJV. You can hover over the reference and you can check out the Amplified translation of the Bible verse. If you would like to check out other translations then head over to Bible Gateway.
And don’t forget to check some Bible Verses on Light…
God Created The Sun
Genesis 1:14-16 NKJV – 14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years; 15 “and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. 16 Then God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. [He made] the stars also.
Bible Verses about Sunshine and Sunlight
2 Samuel 23:3-4 NKJV – 3 The God of Israel said, The Rock of Israel spoke to me: ‘He who rules over men [must be] just, Ruling in the fear of God. 4 And [he shall be] like the light of the morning [when] the sun rises, A morning without clouds, [Like] the tender grass [springing] out of the earth, By clear shining after rain.’
Revelation 1:16 NKJV – 16 He had in His right hand seven stars, out of His mouth went a sharp two-edged sword, and His countenance [was] like the sun shining in its strength.
Habakkuk 3:4 NKJV – 4 [His] brightness was like the light; He had rays [flashing] from His hand, And there His power [was] hidden.
Sunrise Bible Verses
As poetic and beautiful a sunrise is, we don’t really see that word much in scripture. In the KJV we see it mentioned 10 times as “sunrising” or 7 other verses that both have the word “sun” and “risen” in it.
7 times in the NKJV as “sunrise” and 11 variations of “sun rise” Some of these verses are used to describe direction to a location. Here are a few Bible verses on the sun rising
2 Samuel 23:4 NKJV – 4 And [he shall be] like the light of the morning [when] the sun rises, A morning without clouds, [Like] the tender grass [springing] out of the earth, By clear shining after rain.’
Job 9:7 NKJV – 7 He commands the sun, and it does not rise; He seals off the stars;
Psalm 104:21-22 NKJV – 21 The young lions roar after their prey, And seek their food from God. 22 [When] the sun rises, they gather together And lie down in their dens.
Matthew 5:45 NKJV – 45 “that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
Ecclesiastes 1:5 NKJV – 5 The sun also rises, and the sun goes down, And hastens to the place where it arose.
James 1:11 NKJV – 11 For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits.
Sun Worship In The Bible
Sun worship was prohibited by the Lord. Here are some verses on that topic.
Deuteronomy 4:19 NKJV – 19 “And [take heed], lest you lift your eyes to heaven, and [when] you see the sun, the moon, and the stars, all the host of heaven, you feel driven to worship them and serve them, which the LORD your God has given to all the peoples under the whole heaven as a heritage.
Deuteronomy 17:3 NKJV – 3 “who has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, either the sun or moon or any of the host of heaven, which I have not commanded,
2 Kings 23:4-5 NKJV – 4 And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, the priests of the second order, and the doorkeepers, to bring out of the temple of the LORD all the articles that were made for Baal, for Asherah, and for all the host of heaven; and he burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel. 5 Then he removed the idolatrous priests whom the kings of Judah had ordained to burn incense on the high places in the cities of Judah and in the places all around Jerusalem, and those who burned incense to Baal, to the sun, to the moon, to the constellations, and to all the host of heaven.
Jeremiah 8:2 NKJV – 2 “They shall spread them before the sun and the moon and all the host of heaven, which they have loved and which they have served and after which they have walked, which they have sought and which they have worshiped. They shall not be gathered nor buried; they shall be like refuse on the face of the earth.
Ezekiel 8:15-16 NKJV – 15 Then He said to me, “Have you seen [this], O son of man? Turn again, you will see greater abominations than these.” 16 So He brought me into the inner court of the LORD’s house; and there, at the door of the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, [were] about twenty-five men with their backs toward the temple of the LORD and their faces toward the east, and they were worshiping the sun toward the east.
Psalms About The Sun
Psalm 113:3 NKJV – 3 From the rising of the sun to its going down The LORD’s name [is] to be praised.
Psalm 19:4 NKJV – 4 Their line has gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. In them He has set a tabernacle for the sun,
Psalm 121:6 NKJV – 6 The sun shall not strike you by day, Nor the moon by night.
Psalm 50:1 NKJV – 1 A Psalm of Asaph. The Mighty One, God the LORD, Has spoken and called the earth From the rising of the sun to its going down.
Psalm 136:7-8 NKJV – 7 To Him who made great lights, For His mercy [endures] forever– 8 The sun to rule by day, For His mercy [endures] forever;
Psalm 74:16 NKJV – 16 The day [is] Yours, the night also [is] Yours; You have prepared the light and the sun.
Psalm 148:3-5 NKJV – 3 Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all you stars of light! 4 Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, And you waters above the heavens! 5 Let them praise the name of the LORD, For He commanded and they were created.
Psalm 84:11 NKJV – 11 For the LORD God [is] a sun and shield; The LORD will give grace and glory; No good [thing] will He withhold From those who walk uprightly.
Psalm 104:19 NKJV – 19 He appointed the moon for seasons; The sun knows its going down.
Psalm 72:5-17 NKJV – 5 They shall fear You As long as the sun and moon endure, Throughout all generations. 6 He shall come down like rain upon the grass before mowing, Like showers [that] water the earth. 7 In His days the righteous shall flourish, And abundance of peace, Until the moon is no more. 8 He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth. 9 Those who dwell in the wilderness will bow before Him, And His enemies will lick the dust. 10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles Will bring presents; The kings of Sheba and Seba Will offer gifts. 11 Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him; All nations shall serve Him. 12 For He will deliver the needy when he cries, The poor also, and [him] who has no helper. 13 He will spare the poor and needy, And will save the souls of the needy. 14 He will redeem their life from oppression and violence; And precious shall be their blood in His sight. 15 And He shall live; And the gold of Sheba will be given to Him; Prayer also will be made for Him continually, [And] daily He shall be praised. 16 There will be an abundance of grain in the earth, On the top of the mountains; Its fruit shall wave like Lebanon; And [those] of the city shall flourish like grass of the earth. 17 His name shall endure forever; His name shall continue as long as the sun. And [men] shall be blessed in Him; All nations shall call Him blessed.
More Sun Scriptures
Some of the verses on the sun below deal with end-time prophecy. If you are going to study on these scriptures, then please make sure to read everything in context. Don’t just pick and choose verses. This is a good and healthy rule with any kind of Bible Study. We must read God’s Word in context to truly understand it.
Matthew 13:43 NKJV – 43 “Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
Ecclesiastes 1:9 NKJV – 9 That which has been [is] what will be, That which [is] done is what will be done, And [there is] nothing new under the sun.
Malachi 4:2 NKJV – 2 But to you who fear My name The Sun of Righteousness shall arise With healing in His wings; And you shall go out And grow fat like stall-fed calves.
Joshua 10:12-13 NKJV – 12 Then Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon; And Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.” 13 So the sun stood still, And the moon stopped, Till the people had revenge Upon their enemies. [Is] this not written in the Book of Jasher? So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven, and did not hasten to go [down] for about a whole day.
Song of Songs 6:10 NKJV – 10 Who is she who looks forth as the morning, Fair as the moon, Clear as the sun, Awesome as [an army] with banners?
Matthew 17:2 NKJV – 2 and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.
Jeremiah 31:35 NKJV – 35 Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for a light by day, The ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night, Who disturbs the sea, And its waves roar (The LORD of hosts [is] His name):
Ecclesiastes 11:7 NKJV – 7 Truly the light is sweet, And [it is] pleasant for the eyes to behold the sun;
Revelation 16:8-9 NKJV – 8 Then the fourth angel poured out his bowl on the sun, and power was given to him to scorch men with fire. 9 And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory.
Ephesians 4:26 NKJV – 26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath,
Malachi 1:11 NKJV – 11 For from the rising of the sun, even to its going down, My name [shall be] great among the Gentiles; In every place incense [shall be] offered to My name, And a pure offering; For My name shall be great among the nations,” Says the LORD of hosts.
Ecclesiastes 1:5 NKJV – 5 The sun also rises, and the sun goes down, And hastens to the place where it arose.
Isaiah 13:10 NKJV – 10 For the stars of heaven and their constellations Will not give their light; The sun will be darkened in its going forth, And the moon will not cause its light to shine.
1 Corinthians 15:41 NKJV – 41 [There is] one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for [one] star differs from [another] star in glory.
Isaiah 38:8 NKJV – 8 “Behold, I will bring the shadow on the sundial, which has gone down with the sun on the sundial of Ahaz, ten degrees backward.” So the sun returned ten degrees on the dial by which it had gone down.
Joel 2:31 NKJV – 31 The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.
Job 9:7-10 NKJV – 7 He commands the sun, and it does not rise; He seals off the stars; 8 He alone spreads out the heavens, And treads on the waves of the sea; 9 He made the Bear, Orion, and the Pleiades, And the chambers of the south; 10 He does great things past finding out, Yes, wonders without number.
Matthew 24:29 NKJV – 29 “Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
Amos 5:8 NKJV – 8 He made the Pleiades and Orion; He turns the shadow of death into morning And makes the day dark as night; He calls for the waters of the sea And pours them out on the face of the earth; The LORD [is] His name.
Isaiah 24:23 NKJV – 23 Then the moon will be disgraced And the sun ashamed; For the LORD of hosts will reign On Mount Zion and in Jerusalem And before His elders, gloriously.
Acts 2:20 NKJV – 20 The sun shall be turned into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the coming of the great and awesome day of the LORD.
Ezekiel 32:7 NKJV – 7 When [I] put out your light, I will cover the heavens, and make its stars dark; I will cover the sun with a cloud, And the moon shall not give her light.
Quick Reference List of All 37 Verses on Sun
Like I do with all my topical Bible verses here is a simple reference list of Bible verses about the sun. I hope this makes it easy for you to jot down these verses in your journal or Bible for future use or study.
List of Sun Bible Verses
- Genesis 1:14-16
- Malachi 4:2
- Matthew 13:43
- Joshua 10:12-13
- Song of Solomon 6:10
- Matthew 17:2
- Jeremiah 31:35
- Ecclesiastes 11:7
- Revelation 16:8-9
- Ephesians 4:26
- Malachi 1:11
- Ecclesiastes 1:5
- Isaiah 13:10
- 1 Corinthians 15:41
- Isaiah 38:8
- Joel 2:31
- Job 9:7-10
- Matthew 24:29
- Amos 5:8
- Isaiah 24:23
- Acts 2:20
- Ezekiel 32:7
- Joshua 19:27
- Numbers 34:15
- 2 Samuel 23:3-4
- Habakkuk 3:4
- Deuteronomy 4:19
- Deuteronomy 17:3
- 2 Kings 23:4-5
- Jeremiah 8:2
- Ezekiel 8:15-16
- Psalm 113:3
- Psalm 19:4
- Psalm 121:6
- Psalm 50:1
- Psalm 136:7-8
- Psalm 74:16
- Psalm 148:3-5
- Psalm 84:11
- Psalm 72:5-17
- Psalm 104:19
- Psalm 136:7-8
- Psalm 72:17
I hope these verses on the sun have blessed you and stirred up your hunger to dive deeper into God’s word! If you would like to read more on the topic of celestial elements in the Bible then check out some of these posts!
Feel free to drop me a comment below! I would love what God is doing in your life!
Melissa is a passionate minister, speaker and an ongoing learner of the Bible. She has been involved in church and vocational ministry for over 18 years. And is the founder of Think About Such Things. She has the heart to equip the saints by helping them get into the Word of God and fall more in love with Jesus. She also enjoys family, cooking, and reading.
She has spoken in churches in California, Oregon, Texas, and Mexico and has been featured in Guidepost Magazine and All Recipes Magazine. Read More…