But if anyone walks at night, he will stumble, because he has no light.”
Parallel translations
- WEB But if a man walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light isn’t in him.”
- KJV But if a man walk in the night, he stumbleth, because there is no light in him.
- NKJV But if one walks in the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”
- NASB But if anyone walks during the night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”
- NLT But at night there is danger of stumbling because they have no light.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
But one who walks at night stumbles because the light is not in him. Walking apart from God's will and light leads to ruin.
Overview
The contrast of night to day pictures the danger of acting outside God's purpose and apart from His light. To lack the inner light is to lack Christ and to stumble in darkness. The verse reinforces that safety lies in walking in God's will and in fellowship with the true Light.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Prov 4:18–19The path of the righteous is like the first gleam of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday.
- 1 Jn 2:10–11Whoever loves his brother remains in the light, and there is no cause of stumbling in him.
- Jer 13:16Give glory to the LORD your God before He brings darkness, before your feet stumble on the dusky mountains. You wait for light, but He turns it into deep gloom and thick darkness.
- Jer 20:11But the LORD is with me like a fearsome warrior. Therefore, my persecutors will stumble and will not prevail. Since they have not succeeded, they will be utterly put to shame, with an everlasting disgrace that will never be forgotten.
- Eccl 2:14The wise man has eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. Yet I also came to realize that one fate overcomes them both.
- Ps 27:2When the wicked came upon me to devour my flesh, my enemies and foes stumbled and fell.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.
How John 11:10 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.