5:13a

But everything exposed by the light becomes visible: This sentence continues to explain the metaphor of light. Paul is also further explaining what he meant by “expose them” in 5:11b.

The meaning of the figure of speech can be explained like this: “When we shine light on something, people can clearly see what it looks like. In the same way, when people do evil deeds in secret and we tell them what God’s Word says, it is as if we are bringing their deeds out into the light. We make them see how evil their deeds are in God’s eyes.”

You should retain this figure of light because Paul used it throughout this section.

everything: The word everything refers to the things done in secret in 5:12.

Here are some other ways to translate 5:13:

And when all things are brought out to the light, then their true nature is clearly revealed (Good News Translation)
-or-
But the light will show what these things are really like (Contemporary English Version)

5:13b

The Berean Standard Bible includes this verse part at the end of verse 13 (see also King James Version, New American Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version). Many other English versions include this verse part at the beginning of verse 14 (see New International Version, Contemporary English Version, English Standard Version, Good News Translation, God’s Word, New American Bible, Revised Edition, NET Bible, New Revised Standard Version). It may be best to follow the numbering system that is used in the major version in your area.

for everything that is illuminated becomes a light itself: Scholars have different views on the meaning of this clause. The meaning depends on whether the Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as illuminated has a passive or active meaning:

(1) The verb has a passive meaning. The clause means that anything that has been revealed (by the light) is light or becomes light. Another way of saying it is: the darkness in things is replaced by the light so the things are transformed into light. The Revised English Bible has perhaps the clearest translation of this interpretation:

whatever is exposed to the light itself becomes light (Revised English Bible)

(Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, New American Standard Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible, New Century Version, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

(2) The verb has an active meaning. The clause means that light reveals/shows what the dark things are really like. This is what light always does. For example:

Light shows up everything (Contemporary English Version)

(New International Version, New Living Translation (2004), NET Bible, God’s Word, Contemporary English Version, English Standard Version, King James Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).

Paul was thinking of the Ephesian Christians who were in darkness, but were now living in God’s light (5:8). When God’s light shines on the hearts of unbelievers, they stop doing their evil deeds. They come to the light and they become “children of light,” too. Here is one way to translate this:

For when the light shines on anything that is dark, that thing ⌊does not stay dark but⌋ becomes light/bright also.

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