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. --  - "Lightening" is "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.)