The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light.
Parallel translations
- WEB “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light.
- KJV The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.
- NKJV “The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good, your whole body will be full of light.
- NASB “The eye is the lamp of the body; so then, if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.
- NLT “Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with 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
The eye is like a lamp; a healthy eye fills the whole body with light. A clear, single-minded devotion to God brings spiritual health.
Overview
Using the eye as a metaphor, Jesus teaches that one's inner outlook governs the whole person. A 'sound' eye—singular and generous in its focus on God—floods life with light. In context this continues the theme of treasure and undivided loyalty, contrasting wholehearted devotion to God with a divided or covetous outlook.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Luke 11:34–36Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body also is full of light. But when they are bad, your body is full of darkness.
- 2 Cor 11:3I am afraid, however, that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ.
- Col 3:22Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything, not only to please them while they are watching, but with sincerity of heart and fear of the Lord.
- Eph 6:5Slaves, obey your earthly masters with respect and fear and sincerity of heart, just as you would obey Christ.
- Acts 2:46With one accord they continued to meet daily in the temple courts and to break bread from house to house, sharing their meals with gladness and sincerity of heart,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 6:22 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.