ἀστραπὴ [4 verses](noun sg fem nom) "Lightning" is from astrapê, which means "a flash of lightning," "lightning," and the "light of a lamp. " It is a metaphor for the "flashing" of the eyes. -- This word is translated in the Bible as lightning three out of four times it appears, but the description of it rising and setting in Matthew 24:27 makes it seem like Jesus uses it to describe the shining of the sun.