The Lamp of the Body(A)

33 “No one lights a lamp and puts it in a place where it will be hidden, or under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, so that those who come in may see the light.(B) 34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are healthy,[a] your whole body also is full of light. But when they are unhealthy,[b] your body also is full of darkness. 35 See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. 36 Therefore, if your whole body is full of light, and no part of it dark, it will be just as full of light as when a lamp shines its light on you.”

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 11:34 The Greek for healthy here implies generous.
  2. Luke 11:34 The Greek for unhealthy here implies stingy.

Internal Light

33 “No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a hidden place[a] or under a basket,[b] but on a lampstand, so that those who come in can see the light. 34 Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy,[c] your whole body is full of light, but when it is diseased,[d] your body is full of darkness. 35 Therefore see to it[e] that the light in you[f] is not darkness. 36 If[g] then[h] your whole body is full of light, with no part in the dark,[i] it will be as full of light as when the light of a lamp shines on you.”[j]

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 11:33 tn Or perhaps “in a cellar” (L&N 28.78). The point is that the light of Jesus’ teaching has been put in public view.
  2. Luke 11:33 tc The phrase “or under a basket” is lacking in some significant and early mss (P45,75 L Γ Ξ 070 ƒ1 700* 1241 2542 sys sa). It is hard to decide in this case, since the inclusion of “or under a basket” is widely attested by some early and decent witnesses, as well as the overwhelming majority of mss (א A B C D W Θ Ψ ƒ13 M latt). The parallel passage in Luke 8:16 does not include “under a basket.” If the phrase “under a basket” were added as a harmonization with Mark 4:21 and Matt 5:15, it is perhaps surprising that scribes did not add the phrase at Luke 8:16 as well. It seems somewhat more likely that a scribe copying Luke would be inclined to harmonize 11:33 with 8:16 by omitting the phrase here. Thus, the words “or under a basket” seem to have the marks of authenticity.tn Or “a bowl”; this refers to any container for dry material of about eight liters (two gallons) capacity. It could be translated “basket, box, bowl” (L&N 6.151).
  3. Luke 11:34 tn Or “sound” (so L&N 23.132 and most scholars). A few scholars take this word to mean something like “generous” here (L&N 57.107), partly due to the immediate context of this saying in Matt 6:22 which concerns money, in which case the “eye” is a metonymy for the entire person (“if you are generous”).
  4. Luke 11:34 tn Or “when it is sick” (L&N 23.149).sn There may be a slight wordplay here, as this term can also mean “evil,” so the figure uses a term that points to the real meaning of being careful as to what one pays attention to or looks at. Ancient understanding of vision involved light coming into the body from outside, and “light” thus easily becomes a metaphor for teaching. As a “diseased” eye would hinder the passage of light, so in the metaphor Jesus’ teaching would be blocked from being internalized in the hearer.
  5. Luke 11:35 tn This is a present imperative, calling for a constant watch (L&N 24.32; ExSyn 721).
  6. Luke 11:35 sn Here you is a singular pronoun, individualizing the application.
  7. Luke 11:36 tn This is a first class condition in the Greek text, so the example ends on a hopeful, positive note.
  8. Luke 11:36 tn Grk “Therefore”; the same conjunction as at the beginning of v. 35, but since it indicates a further inference or conclusion, it has been translated “then” here.
  9. Luke 11:36 tn Grk “not having any part dark.”
  10. Luke 11:36 tn Grk “it will be completely illumined as when a lamp illumines you with its rays.”