lamp

The Greek that is translated as “lamp” in English is translated in Noongar as karla-maat or “firestick” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang).

complete verse (Luke 11:34)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 11:34:

  • Noongar: “Your eyes are like light for the body. If your eyes are good, light will fill all your body; but if your eyes are bad, all your body will be in the dark.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “Our eyes can be compared to torches. If our eyes are good, our seeing/sight is clear. But if our eyes are cloudy, our seeing/sight is dark.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Ones eyes are figuratively the lamp for ones body. If one sees clearly, that means ones doings are straight, it is as if ones whole body is light, but if ones vision is clouded/blurred that means ones doings are bad, it is as if ones whole body is dark.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “The eye of a person is like a lamp in his body, for if his seeing is bright, which is to say, if his custom is righteous, it’s as if all of is body is illuminated. But if he is blind, which is to say, he is evil, it’s as if his whole body is darkened.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “The eye also, it is like a person’s light. So if your (sing.) seeing is good, it’s as if your (sing.) mind is totally lighted-up, but if your (sing.) seeing is bad, it’s as if your (sing.) mind is exceedingly dark.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Think about this, that your (sing.) eye is like the lamp of the body. If there’s nothing faulty with your eye, of course your whole vision is clear. But if there’s something wrong with your eye, of course your vision will be very dark.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Amele: “The light (fulacdoc ‘light’) of your body is your eye. If your eye lies good then all your body lies with light. But if your eye is blind your body is dark.” (Source: John Roberts in this article )

Translation commentary on Luke 11:34

Exegesis:

ho luchnos tou sōmatos estin ho ophthalmos sou ‘the lamp of the body is your eye,’ ho ophthalmos is predicate. The discourse shifts from the ordinary lamp, which gives light from the outside, to a figurative extension of the word ‘lamp,’ here called ‘the lamp of the body,’ which gives light from within.

hotan ho ophthalmos sou haplous ē ‘when your eye is sound.’

haplous lit. ‘single,’ ‘simple,’ hence ‘sincere,’ ‘sound.’ Its opposite is ponēros ‘evil,’ here ‘unsound.’ Probably both ideas (sincerity and soundness) are present here.

kai holon to sōma sou phōteinon estin ‘your whole body too is full of light.’ phōteinos also v. 36.

kai to sōma sou skoteinon ‘your body too is dark.’

Translation:

Your eye is the lamp of your body, though worded as if addressed to Jesus’ interlocutors, holds true of men in general. Accordingly the two possessive pronouns have a generic function, which may have to be expressed otherwise, e.g. by using pronouns of the first person plural inclusive (Huixtec in Mt. 6.22), or by substituting an article or equivalent form at one occurrence (e.g. “your eyes are like a lamp for the body”, Good News Translation), or at both (as in Javanese, Sundanese, Sranan Tongo). The preposition of may have to be rendered by a verb, e.g. ‘the lamp that lights your/the body.’ For body it may be necessary to shift to a term for ‘inner being.’

Sound and unsound or, “sound” and “bad” (New English Bible), ‘healthy’ and ‘not healthy,’ ‘clear’ and ‘turbid/dim’ (Willibrord, Balinese, Sundanese).

Your whole body is full of light, or, changing the syntactic structure, ‘your whole body has light, or, is bright,’ ‘there is light in your whole body.’ Parallel changes will then be necessary in your body is full of darkness.

Quoted with permission from Reiling, J. and Swellengrebel, J.L. A Handbook on the Gospel of Luke. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1971. For this and other handbooks for translators see here . Make sure to also consult the Handbook on the Gospel of Mark for parallel or similar verses.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 11:34

11:34–36

In 11:34–36, Jesus used the word “body” to refer to the person himself. Consider if it would be better to make this explicit. One way to do this in English is to use “you” throughout this passage. For example:

34Your eye is your lamp. When your eyes are good, you also are full of light. But when they are bad, you also are full of darkness. 35See to it, then, that the light within you is not darkness. 36Therefore, if you are full of light, and no part is dark, you will be completely lighted, as when the light of a lamp shines on you.

In some languages, it may be more natural to use terms such as “a person” and “his” in parts of 11:34–36. For example:

34aThe eye is the lamp of a person’s body. 34bWhen a person’s eyes are good, his whole body also is full of light. 34cBut when they are bad, his body also is full of darkness. 35He must see to it, then, that the light within him is not darkness. 36aTherefore, if a person’s whole body is full of light, 36band no part of it dark, 36cit will be completely lighted, 36das when the light of a lamp shines on him.

Also note that in the Greek text Jesus used the singular forms for “your” and “you” throughout this passage. However, he was talking about anybody and everybody. Consider if it would be better to use the plural forms for “you” and “your” in this context. The Display will use both forms.

11:34a

Your eye is the lamp of your body: This is a complex metaphor. It compares a person’s eyes (both physical and spiritual) with a lamp. The point of similarity is that both of these help him to see. A person’s physical eyes receive light and enable him to see where he is going and what is happening. A person’s spiritual eyes represent his attitude toward Jesus and his message. This attitude determines whether a person will understand the message.

Some ways to translate this metaphor are:

• Change the metaphor to a simile. For example:

A person’s eye is like his lamp.

• Change the metaphor to a simile and make explicit the point of similarity. For example:

Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. ⌊It helps you to see.⌋

If the figure of the eye is not understood correctly, you may want to add a footnote. For example:

In Jewish thinking, the eye was the part of the body that could receive or see light. Here Jesus used the eye as an illustration of a person’s willingness to receive spiritual light or truth.

Your eye: In some languages, it may be more natural to use the plural “Your eyes” rather than the singular “Your eye.” For example:

Your eyes are the lamp for your body (Contemporary English Version)

your body: The phrase your body is a figure of speech. This phrase represents you as a whole or you as a person. As mentioned above, some other ways to translate your body are:

you
-or-
a person

11:34b–e

In 11:34b–e, Jesus used good eyes and bad eyes as a figure of speech. He contrasted the results of having good eyes and bad eyes. In the example below, the meaning of the figure is put in parentheses.

34bWhen your eyes are good (When you accept my message),

34cyour whole body also is full of light (you will understand the truth about me and it will guide you to do what is right).

34dBut when your eyes are bad (But when you ignore or reject my message),

34eyour body also is full of darkness (you will remain ignorant of the truth about me).

11:34b

When: The word When introduces a condition or circumstance. It is not an expression of time.

your eyes are good: The word good in this context means “healthy.” A person whose eyes are good, healthy, or clear can see well. The meaning of this figure is, “If you accept my message.” Some other ways to translate this clause are:

When/If your sight is good
-or-
If you are able to see clearly/properly
-or-
A person with good eyes

In some languages, it may be necessary to make the meaning explicit. For example:

⌊A person who accepts my message is like⌋ someone who has good eyes. If a person is like that…

11:34c

your whole body also is full of light: The clause your whole body also is full of light pictures light entering the body and lighting up the entire body. In this context, the meaning is that the person’s whole being (body/mind/heart) will be completely lit up. The meaning of this figure is “he will really/properly understand the truth.”

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

there is light in/for the whole body
-or-
you will have plenty of light
-or-

⌊it is as if⌋ your entire mind/being is illuminated

In some languages, it may be necessary to make the meaning more explicit. For example:

⌊he will completely understand the truth. It will be as if⌋ his whole body is illuminated.

11:34d

But when: These words introduce a contrast to the situation described in 11:34b. See the note on when in that verse part.

they are bad: The word they in this clause refers to “your eyes” as in 11:34b. In this context, “bad eyes” refers to eyes that are diseased or that have something wrong with them. The meaning of this figure of speech is “if you reject my message.” Some other ways to translate this clause are:

When your sight is bad/faulty
-or-
If you are not able to see clearly/properly
-or-
A person with bad eyes

In some languages, it may be necessary to make the meaning explicit. For example:

But ⌊a person who rejects my message is like⌋ someone whose eyes are bad. If a person is like that…

11:34e

your body is full of darkness: The clause your body is full of darkness is a figure of speech. It means that light is not able to enter the body, so the inside of the body is dark. In this context the meaning is that the person’s whole being (body/mind/heart) will be completely dark. The meaning of this figure is “he will be completely unable to understand the truth.”

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

there is darkness for the whole body
-or-
you will live in darkness
-or-

⌊it is as if⌋ your entire mind is in the dark

In some languages, it may be necessary to make the meaning more explicit. For example:

⌊he will be completely unable to understand the truth. It will be as if⌋ his body is completely dark inside.

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