11:9–10

These verses first explain why Jesus needed to go to Judea even though there was danger there. Jesus asked, “Are there not twelve hours of daylight?” Daylight refers to the time that he had to do God’s will (see 9:4). It was still light, and Jesus still had work to do before he died.

However, these verses also talk about his twelve (12) disciples and all who follow him. Because Jesus is the light of the world (see 9:5), we must stay close to him. That way we can avoid unnecessary problems in our lives. Without Jesus’ light we easily trip over things in the dark.

11:9a

Are there not twelve hours of daylight?: This is a rhetorical question. Jesus used it as a way to emphasize that there are twelve (12) hours of daylight. There are two ways to translate this emphasis:

• Use a rhetorical question. For example:

A day has twelve hours, doesn’t it? (Good News Translation)

• Use a statement. For example:

There are twelve hours of daylight every day. (New Living Translation (2004))

Use whichever form is most natural in your language to express positive emphasis.

This rhetorical question is also a metaphor. Jesus was not telling his disciples that there are twelve (12) hours in a day. He meant that it was all right to go to Judea because he did not have to die yet. The word daylight represented his life on earth, the time before his death on a cross. His question implies that there was still time before he had to die. If the meaning of this metaphor is not clear in your language, you may want to make it clearer. For example:

It’s all right, nothing will happen to us yet because daylight lasts for twelve hours, does it not?

twelve hours of daylight: The Jews and the Romans divided the daylight (hours of light in a day) into twelve (12) parts. These twelve parts varied in length at different times of year but were about an hour long. You may want to explain this in a footnote. These daylight hours were the time in which people could work and travel safely.

11:9b

If anyone walks in the daytime, he will not stumble: The phrase anyone walks in the daytime refers to any and every person who walks in the daylight. In some languages it may be natural to follow the Greek and use a singular subject. For example:

Anyone can walk in the daytime without stumbling (Revised English Bible)
-or-
No one who walks in the daytime stumbles (New Jerusalem Bible)

See also the General Comment on 11:9–10.

This clause continues the metaphor. Jesus was not telling his disciples that it is safer to walk during the day than at night. Rather he was telling them that those who walk with him, the light of the world, will not stumble. The word stumble usually means “to trip over something,” but here in the metaphor it means either “to sin” or “to face unnecessary danger.” In some languages, you may want to make the meaning of the metaphor clearer. For example:

People will not stumble ⌊into difficulty/danger⌋ when they walk during the day.

walks in the daytime: This phrase refers to walking during the hours of daylight. Use the expression that is natural in your language. For example:

walks in broad daylight (Good News Translation)

he will not stumble: The verb stumble means to trip over something. A person walking in the daylight will not trip over things because he can see better. In some languages it may be natural to say this in a positive way. For example:

people can walk safely (New Living Translation (2004))

11:9c

because he sees by the light of this world: The word because introduces the reason why people who walk during the day do not stumble. They have light from the sun. This light enables them to see everything else. For example:

because he has this world’s light to see by (Revised English Bible)
-or-
because he can see by this world’s light (New Century Version)

the light of this world: This phrase refers more literally to the sun. If your readers will not understand this, it may be necessary to make it explicit. For example:

they see by the light ⌊of the sun⌋ , the light of this world

Jesus also spoke in a figurative way, referring to himself as the light of this world. Refer to the notes on 8:12b and 9:5b. You may want to write a footnote that explains this figurative meaning. You may refer your readers to 8:12b and 9:5b, where Jesus called himself “the light of the world.” Or you may be able to suggest in the text that Jesus is using a metaphor. For example:

the one who gives light to the world
-or-
the source of ⌊true⌋ light for the world
-or-
The ⌊one who is⌋ the light of this world makes them able to see clearly.

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