Ma’owr, “Luminary,” Strong’s H3974

The first occurrence

And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: Gen 1:14

The primitive root

Strong’s H3974 מאור ma’owr, a concrete noun meaning, “luminary;” from Strong’s H215 אור owr, a primitive root meaning, “to be or become light.” The 3-letter root is aleph + vav + resh.

aleph א = the ox head, thus strength, power, leader
vav ו = the tent peg, thus add, secure, hook
resh ר = the head of man, thus head, first, top, beginning, man

The story: The cattle (aleph) secured (vav) by the man (resh), thus the cognate words are (cattle) pen, stall, as the place men secure their cattle, and also box, as a livestock stall was in a box shape. Boxes are used to organize and store things, so that there is order instead of chaos, and when God created light, He brought what was chaotic into order.

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