MAT 6:23 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=minor/spelling Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, pink:genitive/possessor, cyan:dative/indirect object.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be dark. Therefore, if the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

UST However, if your eyes are not working properly, then your whole body does not benefit at all. So consider how bad it is when what you see as bright light is actually very dark!

BSB But if your eyes are bad,[fn] your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great [is] that darkness!

6:23 Literally if your eye is evil; see Proverbs 23:6 and Proverbs 28:22

MSB But if your eyes are bad,[fn] your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great [is] that darkness!

6:23 Literally if your eye is evil; see Proverbs 23:6 and Proverbs 28:22.

BLB But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

AICNT but if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

OEB but, if your eye is diseased, your whole body will be darkened. And, if the inner light is darkness, how intense must that darkness be!

WEBBE But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

WMBB (Same as above)

NET But if your eye is diseased, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

LSV but if your eye may be evil, all your body will be dark; if, therefore, the light that [is] in you is darkness—the darkness, how great!

FBV But if your eye is evil, then your whole body will be in the dark. If the light in you is darkness, how dark is that!

TCNT But if yoʋr eye is bad, yoʋr whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within yoʋ is darkness, how great is the darkness!

T4T But if your eyes are bad, you are not able to see things well. And if that continues, the time will come when you will not be able to see at all. You will be in complete darkness [MET]. Similarly, if you continue to be greedy, you will be in spiritual darkness. If all that your eyes can see and your mind can think about involves your greedily desiring material possessions, all that you do will be evil [MET].”

LEB But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be dark. Therefore if the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

BBE But if your eye is evil, all your body will be dark. If then the light which is in you is dark, how dark it will be!

Moff but if your Eye is selfish,
⇔ the whole of your body will be darkened.
⇔ And if your very light turns dark,
⇔ then--what a darkness it is!

Wymth but if your eyesight is bad, your whole body will be dark. If however the very light within you is darkness, how dense must the darkness be!

ASV But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is the darkness!

DRA But if thy eye be evil thy whole body shall be darksome. If then the light that is in thee, be darkness: the darkness itself how great shall it be!

YLT but if thine eye may be evil, all thy body shall be dark; if, therefore, the light that [is] in thee is darkness — the darkness, how great!

Drby but if thine eye be wicked, thy whole body will be dark. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great the darkness!

RV But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is the darkness!
(But if thine/your eye be evil, thy/your whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee/you be darkness, how great is the darkness! )

SLT But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be dark. If therefore the light which in thee is darkness, how much the darkness.

Wbstr But if thy eye be evil, thy whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee is darkness, how great is that darkness!

KJB-1769 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!
( But if thine/your eye be evil, thy/your whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee/you be darkness, how great is that darkness! )

KJB-1611 But if thine eye be euill, thy whole body shall be full of darknesse. If therfore the light that is in thee be darkenesse, how great is that darkenesse?
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps But and yf thyne eye be wicked, all thy body shalbe ful of darknesse. Wherfore, yf the lyght that is in thee, be darknesse, howe great is that darknesse?
(But and if thine/your eye be wicked, all thy/your body shall be full of darkness. Wherefore, if the light that is in thee/you, be darkness, how great is that darkness?)

Gnva But if thine eye be wicked, then all thy body shalbe darke. Wherefore if the light that is in thee, be darkenes, howe great is that darkenesse?
(But if thine/your eye be wicked, then all thy/your body shall be dark. Wherefore if the light that is in thee/you, be darkness, how great is that darkness? )

Cvdl But and yf thyne eye be wycked, all thy body shalbe full of darckenes: Wherfore yf the light that is in the, be darckenes, how greate then shall that darckenes be?
(But and if thine/your eye be wycked, all thy/your body shall be full of darckenes: Wherefore if the light that is in them, be darckenes, how great then shall that darckenes be?)

TNT But and if thyne eye be wycked then all thy body shalbe full of derckenes. Wherfore yf the light that is in the be darckenes: how greate is that darckenes.
(But and if thine/your eye be wycked then all thy/your body shall be full of derckenes. Wherefore if the light that is in the be darckenes: how great is that darckenes. )

Wycl but if thin iye be weiward, al thi bodi shal be derk. If thanne the liyt that is in thee be derknessis, how grete schulen thilk derknessis be?
(but if thin eye be wayward, all thy/your body shall be dark. If then the light that is in thee/you be darkness, how great should thilk darkness be?)

Luth Wenn aber dein Auge ein Schalk ist, so wird dein ganzer Leib finster sein. Wenn aber das Licht, das in dir ist, Finsternis ist, wie groß wird dann die Finsternis selber sein!
(When but your(s) eye a Schalk is, so becomes your(s) whole body dark be. When but the light(n), the in you/to_you(sg) is, darkness is, as/like large becomes then the darkness himself be!)

ClVg Si autem oculus tuus fuerit nequam, totum corpus tuum tenebrosum erit. Si ergo lumen, quod in te est, tenebræ sunt: ipsæ tenebræ quantæ erunt?[fn]
(When/But_if however the_eye your(sg) has_been wicked/worthless, whole body your(sg) tenebrosum will_be. When/But_if therefore the_light, that in/into/on you(sg) it_is, darkness are: herself darkness quantæ they_will_be? )

6.23 Si autem oculus. Si intentio non est ex fide, totus homo interior tenebrosus est. Quia quod non est ex fide, peccatum est. Tenebrosum erit. Quandoquidem intentio sequens opus informat. Ergo si bona quæ agis, quia mala intentione fiunt, tenebræ sunt, quid ea quæ per se mala sunt, et mala intentione fiunt? Si ergo lumen. Intentio qua facimus quodcunque, quæ in nobis est nota, lumen dicitur; exitus vero rei incertus est, ut cum quid alicui do vel ago nescio utrum cedat ei bono an malo: et ideo tenebras vocat. Dicit ergo: Si intentio qua facis (quæ tibi nota est) appetitu temporalium sordidatur: quanto magis ipsum factum cujus dubius est exitus? quia etsi bene cedat alii, quod non bona intentione facis, nihil tibi proderit: quia quomodo feceris tibi imputatur, non quomodo illi evenerit.

6.23 When/But_if however the_eye. When/But_if intention not/no it_is from with_faith, the_whole human interior tenebrosus it_is. Because that not/no it_is from with_faith, sin it_is. Tenebrosum will_be. Quandoquidem intention following work/need informat. Therefore when/but_if good(s) which you_are_doing, because evil intention are_made, darkness are, what them which through himself evil are, and evil intention are_made? When/But_if therefore the_light. Intentio which we_do thatcunque, which in/into/on us it_is note, the_light it_is_said; exits indeed/however of_the_thing incertus it_is, as when/with what alicui do or ago nescio whether cedat to_him good an I_prefer: and therefore/for_that_reason darkness he_calls. Sayit therefore: When/But_if intention which you_do (which to_you note it_is) appetitu temporal dirtytur: how_much more him done whose doubtful/indecisive it_is exits? because even_though well cedat others, that not/no good(s) intention you_do, nothing to_you it_will_help: because how you_did to_you imputatur, not/no how them evenerit.

UGNT ἐὰν δὲ ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου πονηρὸς ᾖ, ὅλον τὸ σῶμά σου σκοτεινὸν ἔσται. εἰ οὖν τὸ φῶς τὸ ἐν σοὶ σκότος, ἐστίν τὸ σκότος πόσον!
(ean de ho ofthalmos sou ponaʸros aʸ, holon to sōma sou skoteinon estai. ei oun to fōs to en soi skotos, estin to skotos poson!)

SBL-GNT ἐὰν δὲ ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου πονηρὸς ᾖ, ὅλον τὸ σῶμά σου σκοτεινὸν ἔσται. εἰ οὖν τὸ φῶς τὸ ἐν σοὶ σκότος ἐστίν, τὸ σκότος πόσον.
(ean de ho ofthalmos sou ponaʸros aʸ, holon to sōma sou skoteinon estai. ei oun to fōs to en soi skotos estin, to skotos poson.)

RP-GNT ἐὰν δὲ ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου πονηρὸς ᾖ, ὅλον τὸ σῶμά σου σκοτεινὸν ἔσται. Εἰ οὖν τὸ φῶς τὸ ἐν σοὶ σκότος ἐστίν, τὸ σκότος πόσον;
(ean de ho ofthalmos sou ponaʸros aʸ, holon to sōma sou skoteinon estai. Ei oun to fōs to en soi skotos estin, to skotos poson;)

TC-GNT ἐὰν δὲ ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου πονηρὸς ᾖ, ὅλον τὸ σῶμά σου [fn]σκοτεινὸν ἔσται. Εἰ οὖν τὸ φῶς τὸ ἐν σοὶ σκότος ἐστί, τὸ σκότος πόσον;
(ean de ho ofthalmos sou ponaʸros aʸ, holon to sōma sou skoteinon estai. Ei oun to fōs to en soi skotos esti, to skotos poson; )

6:23 σκοτεινον ¦ σκοτινον WH

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 5:1–7:29: Jesus preached a sermon on a mountain

For many years, English versions and Christians have commonly referred to Matthew 5–7 as “The Sermon on the Mount.” In some translations, it may be helpful to include a heading for chapters 5–7 that is on a level above the section heading for 5:1–12.

Here are some other possible headings for this section:

The Sermon on the Mountain

The sermon that Jesus preached on a mountain

Jesus taught people on the side of a mountain/hill

Paragraph 6:22–23

This paragraph is a complex metaphor. It uses the figures of speech of a lamp, light, darkness, the eye, and the body. Jesus used this complex metaphor to teach people that they should focus their attention on what God wanted them to do. If their spiritual eyesight was good, they would understand the danger of being distracted by earthly wealth (6:19). They would clearly see that they needed to serve God with undivided loyalty (6:24).

These verses occur with almost identical wording in Luke 11:34–35, but the context is different. Jesus used the same complex metaphor in different contexts to teach slightly different truths. However, the metaphor itself is the same, so you should translate both passages in a similar way.

Jesus used the singular form for “you” and “your” here, but what he was saying applies to anyone and everyone. In some languages, it may be more natural to use other pronouns here. For example:

^22aThe eye is the lamp of a person’s body. ^22bWhen a person’s eyes are good, ^22chis whole body also is full of light. ^23aBut when his eyes are bad, ^23bhis body also is full of darkness.

^22aThe eyes are the lamp of our^(incl) body. ^22bWhen our eyes are good, ^22cour whole body also is full of light. ^23aBut when our eyes are bad, ^23bour body also is full of darkness.

6:23a

But if your eyes are bad,

But if your eye is diseased/bad,
But if you cannot see well/clearly,
But if your eyes are weak/dim,

But if your eyes are bad: This clause means that the person’s eyes have something wrong with them, so they cannot see well. Figuratively, it means that the person has bad spiritual eyesight. He does not see/understand the truth about God and does not focus his thoughts on the truth. He has a bad attitude toward Jesus and is not willing to receive Jesus’ teaching. In the context of not storing up earthly wealth, it probably also implies that the person is selfish and is not willing to share with others.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

But if your eyes are diseased

but if you cannot see clearly/well

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

but a person who rejects my teaching is like someone with bad eyes. If your thinking is like that,

In some languages, it will be good to explain the figurative meaning of bad eyes in a footnote. A sample footnote is:

A bad eye represents a bad attitude. It represents the thinking of a person who is not willing to receive Jesus’ teaching. When such a person thinks about money, he will be selfish. He will not want to share his money with others.

6:23b

your whole body will be full of darkness.

your entire body will be as if filled with darkness.
there will be darkness in/for your entire body.
your whole body/mind will be completely dark like a room where no lamp is shining/burning.

your whole body will be full of darkness: This clause means that light cannot enter the body from the eye, so the inside of the person is completely dark. Here, the meaning of this figure of speech is that the person will not understand the truth at all. He will be filled with sinfulness and evil.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

the inside of your body will be dark

there will be darkness in the whole body

it is as if your entire mind/being will be dark

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

you will not understand the truth at all. It will be as if your whole body is full of darkness.

6:23c

If then the light within you is darkness,

So, if the light that should be in you is not there,
If that which should illuminate you does not shine,
So, if you think incorrectly that your mind is lighted/illuminated, but it is actually dark,

then: In Greek, this clause begins with a conjunction that the BSB translates as then. This conjunction introduces the results of darkness where there should be light.

Here is another way to translate this conjunction:

So if the light in you is darkness (GNT)

Some English versions do not translate this conjunction.

If…the light within you is darkness: This clause refers to the situation where the eye is supposed to bring light into the body. But if the eye is bad, then the person will be in darkness. So in the place where there should be light, there was instead darkness. This means that a person who thought that he was filled with goodness is actually filled with evil.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

if the only light you have is really darkness (NCV)

And if the light you think you have is actually darkness (NLT)

6:23d

how great is that darkness!

then you are in complete darkness.”
your mind will be very dark.”
then the darkness inside you is extreme/black indeed!”

how great is that darkness!: This clause indicates that the darkness is very great. This means that you completely fail to understand the truth and that there is a lot of sin/evil in you.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

how terribly dark it will be (GNT)

then you have the worst darkness (NCV)

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / youcrowd

σου & σου & σοὶ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἐάν Δέ ὁ ὀφθαλμός σοῦ πονηρός ᾖ ὅλον τό σῶμα σοῦ σκοτεινόν ἔσται εἰ Οὖν τό φῶς τό ἐν σοί σκότος ἐστίν τό σκότος πόσον)

Even though Jesus is speaking to many disciples, he is addressing an individual situation, so you and your are singular throughout this verse. But if the singular form would not be natural in your language for someone who is speaking to a group of people, you could use the plural forms of you and your in your translation.

Note 2 topic: grammar-collectivenouns

ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου & ᾖ

the eye (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἐάν Δέ ὁ ὀφθαλμός σοῦ πονηρός ᾖ ὅλον τό σῶμα σοῦ σκοτεινόν ἔσται εἰ Οὖν τό φῶς τό ἐν σοί σκότος ἐστίν τό σκότος πόσον)

In this verse, the word eye is singular in form, but it refers to both of the person’s eyes as a group. See how you translated the similar phrase in [6:22](../06/22.md). Alternate translation: [your eyes are]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

πονηρὸς

Here, the word evil could mean that the eye is: (1) damaged or functioning improperly. Alternate translation: [unhealthy] or [working poorly] (2) focused on what is evil or selfish. Alternate translation: [wicked] or [attentive only to yourself]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / exmetaphor

ὅλον τὸ σῶμά σου σκοτεινὸν ἔσται

all (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἐάν Δέ ὁ ὀφθαλμός σοῦ πονηρός ᾖ ὅλον τό σῶμα σοῦ σκοτεινόν ἔσται εἰ Οὖν τό φῶς τό ἐν σοί σκότος ἐστίν τό σκότος πόσον)

Here Jesus speaks as if the whole body were dark. Since this statement continues to develop the idea of the lamp, you should preserve the figure of speech or use simile form. The clause could mean: (1) that the whole body is injured when the eye does not work properly. Alternate translation: [your whole body is injured, as if the eye were not shining on the whole body] (2) that an evil eye shows that the whole body is evil. Alternate translation: [that shows that your whole body is evil, as if it were dark]

Note 5 topic: translate-tense

ἔσται

will_be

Here Jesus uses the future tense to indicate that the body being dark is the logical result of the eye being evil. See how you translated the similar form in [6:22](../06/22.md). Alternate translation: [is]

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

σκοτεινὸν ἔσται

Here, the phrase dark could mean that the body: (1) experiences darkness. Alternate translation: [will be darkened] (2) does not shine at all. Alternate translation: [will not shine at all]

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

σκότος, ἐστίν τὸ σκότος πόσον!

darkness is darkness (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἐάν Δέ ὁ ὀφθαλμός σοῦ πονηρός ᾖ ὅλον τό σῶμα σοῦ σκοτεινόν ἔσται εἰ Οὖν τό φῶς τό ἐν σοί σκότος ἐστίν τό σκότος πόσον)

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of darkness, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: [is dark, how very dark it is]

Note 8 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result

οὖν

Here, the word Therefore introduces the conclusion to what Jesus has said about eyes and lamps. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that introduces a conclusion, or you could leave Therefore untranslated. Alternate translation: [In conclusion] or [So then]

Note 9 topic: figures-of-speech / exmetaphor

εἰ & τὸ φῶς τὸ ἐν σοὶ σκότος, ἐστίν τὸ σκότος πόσον

if & (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἐάν Δέ ὁ ὀφθαλμός σοῦ πονηρός ᾖ ὅλον τό σῶμα σοῦ σκοτεινόν ἔσται εἰ Οὖν τό φῶς τό ἐν σοί σκότος ἐστίν τό σκότος πόσον)

Here Jesus concludes the figure of speech that uses lamps and light, so you should preserve the figure of speech or use simile form. The sentence could mean: (1) that when the eye does not work properly, even the most healthy parts of the body are still negatively affected. Alternate translation: [if the parts least affected by unhealthy eyes are injured, how great is the injury] (2) that when the best things about a person (his or her light) are evil (darkness), then the worst things about that person are very evil. Alternate translation: [if what is best about you is evil, as if it were darkness, how evil are the worst things about you]

Note 10 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

τὸ φῶς τὸ ἐν σοὶ σκότος, ἐστίν τὸ σκότος πόσον

Here Jesus means that what some people think of as light is actually darkness. In that case, what these people consider to be darkness is very great darkness. You could include this information if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: [what you consider to be light is actually darkness, how dark is what you consider to be darkness] or [what you call light is darkness, how great the darkness itself]

Note 11 topic: figures-of-speech / exclamations

τὸ σκότος πόσον

This is an exclamation that is emphasizing that the darkness is very great. Use an exclamation that would communicate that meaning in your language. Alternate translation: [the darkness is very great]

Parallel MAT 6:23

Section 5:1–7:29: Jesus preached a sermon on a mountain

Paragraph 6:22–23

6:23a

6:23b

6:23c

6:23d