Section 8:16–18
People should listen carefully to Jesus
This section has a similar theme to the parable of 8:4–15. In it Jesus used sayings that were like short proverbs or parables. Both this section and the parable of 8:4–15 teach that the disciples needed to listen carefully to Jesus’ teaching. These sayings also relate to 8:9–10, where Jesus explained that his parables would keep the message “hidden” for some, but his disciples should understand it.
It is good to read this section carefully before you decide on a heading for it. Some other possible headings for this section are:
Parable of the Lamp (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
Showing the Light (NET Bible)
-or-
Jesus’ words are like a lamp
This is a short section, so some translators may choose to make these verses part of the preceding section, as the God’s Word does.
Paragraph 8:16–18
8:16
This verse is a proverb or saying that Jesus used to illustrate his teaching. It is recorded in a similar form in 11:33, Mark 4:21, and Matthew 5:15. The light of the lamp probably represents God’s message (word) that Jesus was teaching people.
Express this saying in a natural way. You may be able to use a form that is used for sayings or proverbs in your language.
In some areas people do not commonly use the objects mentioned in this verse such as oil lamps, lampstands, or a bed that is raised off the ground. If this is true in your area, you may be able to substitute similar objects. The meaning should always be that people do not cover up or hide their source of light.
8:16a
No one lights a lamp and covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed: This part of the verse refers to an action that no one would do. People do not light a lamp and put it where its light is hidden, because they want others to see its light. The phrases with a jar and under a bed are examples of how someone could hide a lamp.
In some languages a literal translation of this part of the verse may be complex and confusing. If that is true in your language, you may:
• Use one verb to translate “covers” and “puts…under.” For example:
No one lights a lamp and then hides it under a jar or a bed.
• Use a general statement without specific locations for hiding the lamp. For example:
No one lights a lamp and then covers it with something.
• Use two clauses or sentences for the two locations. For example:
No one would light a lamp and then cover it with a bowl. No one would put it under the bed.
No one lights a lamp: This is a general statement about something that people do not do. People do not light a lamp and then hide it. Languages have different ways to express a general truth like this. Sometimes it may be more natural to use a different subject. For example:
People do not light a lamp…
-or-
You do not light a lamp…
-or-
Only a fool would light a lamp…
lamp: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as lamp here probably refers to a small clay lamp that burned olive oil. Every home in Jesus’ time had at least one lamp of this kind.
The meaning of the lamp in this saying is more important than the type of lamp. If you do not use lamps of this kind in your area, here are some ways to translate it:
• Use a general word for a lamp or light.
• Use the name for a similar object that is used to give light in your culture, such as another kind of lamp, a candle, a lantern, or a flaming torch.
covers it with a jar: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as jar refers to any kind of pot, bowl, or container that could hide a light. It does not refer to a clear glass jar. The form that the Berean Standard Bible translates as with a jar implies here that the container covers the lamp and hides its light. Be sure that this meaning is clear in your language. Some ways to translate it are:
covers its light with a basin
-or-
hides it under a bowl (God’s Word)
As with “lamp,” you could use a general word for “container,” or you could use a specific word for a kind of container found in a house in your culture. You could also use a more general expression. For example:
cover it up (New Living Translation (1996))
under a bed: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as bed refers to a piece of furniture on which people lie or recline in order to sleep or eat. Here the context implies that the bed or couch is raised off the floor in some way, so that a lamp could be hidden under it.
In some cultures it is impossible to put something under a bed because the bed is flat on the floor. If this is true in your culture, here are other ways to translate it:
• Use a different object that could hide a small lamp. For example:
put it under a bench/couch
• Use a general expression:
put it under something
• Substitute a similar hiding place in your culture. For example:
put it in a closet
-or-
hide it behind a barrel
8:16b
Instead: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Instead introduces a statement that contrasts with 8:16a. It introduces what someone who lights a lamp normally does with it. Express the contrast in a natural way in your language.
he sets it on a stand: Be sure that this part of the verse fits with 8:16a, where the Berean Standard Bible translated the subject as “No one.” Some other ways to do this in English are:
No one.…Instead, the person (New Century Version)
-or-
Nobody…. You (Revised English Bible)
-or-
People…. They
In some languages it may be natural to use a passive form. For example:
it is put on the lampstand (Good News Translation)
-or-
A lamp is placed on a stand (New Living Translation (2004))
a stand: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as a stand refers to a piece of furniture that is used to lift up and support a lamp. It is often made of metal or wood. If you do not use lampstands in your culture, other ways to translate this are:
• Use a different object that can hold a lamp in a place where people can benefit from its light. For example:
on the table
-or-
on a shelf
• Use a general expression for a place where people will benefit from the light of the lamp. For example:
where it can be well seen
-or-
in the open (New Living Translation (1996))
-or-
up high
so those who enter can see the light: This clause expresses the purpose of putting the lamp on a stand.
those who enter: The phrase those who enter refers to people who enter the place where the lamp is. In some languages it may be necessary to mention a place that people enter. If that is true in your language, you should use a general place. For example:
those who come into ⌊the room⌋
-or-
all who enter the house (New Living Translation (2004))
can see the light: In some languages it may be more natural to say that people can see things in or because of the light rather than to say they see the light. For example:
so that those who enter can see ⌊things in/from⌋ its light
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