Luke 2:32

2:32 a light, ¹ 

for revelation to the Gentiles,

and for glory ²  to your people Israel.”

Isaiah 9:2

9:2 (9:1) The people walking in darkness

see a bright light; ³ 

light shines

on those who live in a land of deep darkness. ⁴ 

Isaiah 42:7

42:7 to open blind eyes, ⁵ 

to release prisoners ⁶  from dungeons,

those who live in darkness from prisons.

Isaiah 42:16

42:16 I will lead the blind along an unfamiliar way; ⁷ 

I will guide them down paths they have never traveled. ⁸ 

I will turn the darkness in front of them into light,

and level out the rough ground. ⁹ 

This is what I will do for them.

I will not abandon them.

Isaiah 49:6

49:6 he says, “Is it too insignificant a task for you to be my servant,

to reestablish the tribes of Jacob,

and restore the remnant ¹⁰  of Israel? ¹¹ 

I will make you a light to the nations, ¹² 

so you can bring ¹³  my deliverance to the remote regions of the earth.”

Isaiah 49:9

49:9 You will say ¹⁴  to the prisoners, ‘Come out,’

and to those who are in dark dungeons, ¹⁵  ‘Emerge.’ ¹⁶ 

They will graze beside the roads;

on all the slopes they will find pasture.

Isaiah 60:1-3

Zion’s Future Splendor

60:1 “Arise! Shine! For your light arrives!

The splendor ¹⁷  of the Lord shines on you!

60:2 For, look, darkness covers the earth

and deep darkness covers ¹⁸  the nations,

but the Lord shines on you;

his splendor ¹⁹  appears over you.

60:3 Nations come to your light,

kings to your bright light.

Matthew 4:16

4:16 the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light,

and on those who sit in the region and shadow of death a light has dawned.” ²⁰ 

John 1:9

1:9 The true light, who gives light to everyone, ²¹  was coming into the world. ²² 

John 8:12

Jesus as the Light of the World

8:12 Then Jesus spoke out again, ²³  “I am the light of the world. ²⁴  The one who follows me will never ²⁵  walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

John 9:5

9:5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.” ²⁶ 

John 12:46

12:46 I have come as a light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in darkness.

Acts 26:18

26:18 to open their eyes so that they turn ²⁷  from darkness to light and from the power ²⁸  of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a share ²⁹  among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

Ephesians 5:8

5:8 for you were at one time darkness, but now you are ³⁰  light in the Lord. Walk as children of the light –

Ephesians 5:1

Live in Love

5:1 Therefore, be ³¹  imitators of God as dearly loved children

Ephesians 5:4-5

5:4 Neither should there be vulgar speech, foolish talk, or coarse jesting – all of which are out of character – but rather thanksgiving. 5:5 For you can be confident of this one thing: ³²  that no person who is immoral, impure, or greedy (such a person is an idolater) has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Ephesians 5:1

Live in Love

5:1 Therefore, be ³³  imitators of God as dearly loved children

Ephesians 1:5-7

1:5 He did this by predestining ³⁴  us to adoption as his ³⁵  sons ³⁶  through Jesus Christ, according to the pleasure ³⁷  of his will – 1:6 to the praise of the glory of his grace ³⁸  that he has freely bestowed on us in his dearly loved Son. ³⁹  1:7 In him ⁴⁰  we have redemption through his blood, ⁴¹  the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace

[2:32]  ¹ tn The syntax of this verse is disputed. Most read “light” and “glory” in parallelism, so Jesus is a light for revelation to the Gentiles and is glory to the people for Israel. Others see “light” (1:78-79) as a summary, while “revelation” and “glory” are parallel, so Jesus is light for all, but is revelation for the Gentiles and glory for Israel. Both readings make good sense and either could be correct, but Luke 1:78-79 and Acts 26:22-23 slightly favor this second option.

[2:32]  ² sn In other words, Jesus is a special cause for praise and honor (“glory”) for the nation.

[9:2]  ³ sn The darkness symbolizes judgment and its effects (see 8:22); the light represents deliverance and its effects, brought about by the emergence of a conquering Davidic king (see vv. 3-6).

[9:2]  ⁴ tn Traditionally צַלְמָוֶת (tsalmavet) has been interpreted as a compound noun, meaning “shadow of death” (so KJV, ASV, NIV), but usage indicates that the word, though it sometimes refers to death, means “darkness.” The term should probably be repointed as an abstract noun צַלְמוּת (tsalmut). See the note at Ps 23:4.

[42:7]  ⁵ sn This does not refer to literal physical healing of the blind. As the next two lines suggest, this refers metonymically to freeing captives from their dark prisons where their eyes have grown unaccustomed to light.

[42:7]  ⁶ sn This does not refer to hardened, dangerous criminals, who would have been executed for their crimes in ancient Near Eastern society. This verse refers to political prisoners or victims of social injustice.

[42:16]  ⁷ tn Heb “a way they do not know” (so NASB); NRSV “a road they do not know.”

[42:16]  ⁸ tn Heb “in paths they do not know I will make them walk.”

[42:16]  ⁹ tn Heb “and the rough ground into a level place.”

[49:6]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “the protected [or “preserved”] ones.”

[49:6]  ¹¹ sn The question is purely rhetorical; it does not imply that the servant was dissatisfied with his commission or that he minimized the restoration of Israel.

[49:6]  ¹² tn See the note at 42:6.

[49:6]  ¹³ tn Heb “be” (so KJV, ASV); CEV “you must take.”

[49:9]  ¹⁴ tn Heb “to say.” In the Hebrew text the infinitive construct is subordinated to what precedes.

[49:9]  ¹⁵ tn Heb “in darkness” (so KJV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV); NLT “the prisoners of darkness.”

[49:9]  ¹⁶ tn Heb “show yourselves” (so ASV, NAB, NASB).

[60:1]  ¹⁷ tn Or “glory” (so most English versions).

[60:2]  ¹⁸ tn The verb “covers” is understood by ellipsis (note the preceding line).

[60:2]  ¹⁹ tn Or “glory” (so most English versions); TEV “the brightness of his presence.”

[4:16]  ²⁰ sn A quotation from Isa 9:1.

[1:9]  ²¹ tn Grk “every man” (but in a generic sense, “every person,” or “every human being”).

[1:9]  ²² tn Or “He was the true light, who gives light to everyone who comes into the world.” The participle ἐρχόμενον (ercomenon) may be either (1) neuter nominative, agreeing with τὸ φῶς (to fw"), or (2) masculine accusative, agreeing with ἄνθρωπον (anqrwpon). Option (1) results in a periphrastic imperfect with ἦν (hn), ἦν τὸ φῶς… ἐρχόμενον, referring to the incarnation. Option (2) would have the participle modifying ἄνθρωπον and referring to the true light as enlightening “every man who comes into the world.” Option (2) has some rabbinic parallels: The phrase “all who come into the world” is a fairly common expression for “every man” (cf. Leviticus Rabbah 31.6). But (1) must be preferred here, because: (a) In the next verse the light is in the world; it is logical for v. 9 to speak of its entering the world; (b) in other passages Jesus is described as “coming into the world” (6:14, 9:39, 11:27, 16:28) and in 12:46 Jesus says: ἐγὼ φῶς εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἐλήλυθα (egw fw" ei" ton kosmon elhluqa); (c) use of a periphrastic participle with the imperfect tense is typical Johannine style: 1:28, 2:6, 3:23, 10:40, 11:1, 13:23, 18:18 and 25. In every one of these except 13:23 the finite verb is first and separated by one or more intervening words from the participle.

[8:12]  ²³ tn Grk “Then again Jesus spoke to them saying.”

[8:12]  ²⁴ sn The theory proposed by F. J. A. Hort (The New Testament in the Original Greek, vol. 2, Introduction; Appendix, 87-88), that the backdrop of 8:12 is the lighting of the candelabra in the court of women, may offer a plausible setting to the proclamation by Jesus that he is the light of the world. The last time that Jesus spoke in the narrative (assuming 7:53-8:11 is not part of the original text, as the textual evidence suggests) is in 7:38, where he was speaking to a crowd of pilgrims in the temple area. This is where he is found in the present verse, and he may be addressing the crowd again. Jesus’ remark has to be seen in view of both the prologue (John 1:4, 5) and the end of the discourse with Nicodemus (John 3:19-21). The coming of Jesus into the world provokes judgment: A choosing up of sides becomes necessary. The one who comes to the light, that is, who follows Jesus, will not walk in the darkness. The one who refuses to come, will walk in the darkness. In this contrast, there are only two alternatives. So it is with a person’s decision about Jesus. Furthermore, this serves as in implicit indictment of Jesus’ opponents, who still walk in the darkness, because they refuse to come to him. This sets up the contrast in chap. 9 between the man born blind, who receives both physical and spiritual sight, and the Pharisees (John 9:13, 15, 16) who have physical sight but remain in spiritual darkness.

[8:12]  ²⁵ tn The double negative οὐ μή (ou mh) is emphatic in 1st century Hellenistic Greek.

[9:5]  ²⁶ sn Jesus’ statement I am the light of the world connects the present account with 8:12. Here (seen more clearly than at 8:12) it is obvious what the author sees as the significance of Jesus’ statement. “Light” is not a metaphysical definition of the person of Jesus but a description of his effect on the world, forcing everyone in the world to ‘choose up sides’ for or against him (cf. 3:19-21).

[26:18]  ²⁷ sn To open their eyes so that they turn… Here is Luke’s most comprehensive report of Paul’s divine calling. His role was to call humanity to change their position before God and experience God’s forgiveness as a part of God’s family. The image of turning is a key one in the NT: Luke 1:79; Rom 2:19; 13:12; 2 Cor 4:6; 6:14; Eph 5:8; Col 1:12; 1 Thess 5:5. See also Luke 1:77-79; 3:3; 24:47.

[26:18]  ²⁸ tn BDAG 352-53 s.v. ἐξουσία 2 states, “Also of Satan’s power Ac 26:18.” It is also possible to translate this “the domain of Satan” (cf. BDAG 353 s.v. 6)

[26:18]  ²⁹ tn Or “and an inheritance.”

[5:8]  ³⁰ tn The verb “you are” is implied in the Greek text, but is supplied in the English translation to make it clear.

[5:1]  ³¹ tn Or “become.”

[5:5]  ³² tn Grk “be knowing this.” See also 2 Pet 1:20 for a similar phrase: τοῦτο πρῶτον γινώσκοντες (touto prwton ginwskonte").

[5:1]  ³³ tn Or “become.”

[1:5]  ³⁴ tn Grk “by predestining.” Verse 5 begins with an aorist participle dependent on the main verb in v. 4 (“chose”).

[1:5]  ³⁵ tn Grk “to himself” after “through Jesus Christ.”

[1:5]  ³⁶ tn The Greek term υἱοθεσία (Juioqesia) was originally a legal technical term for adoption as a son with full rights of inheritance. BDAG 1024 s.v. notes, “a legal t.t. of ‘adoption’ of children, in our lit., i.e. in Paul, only in a transferred sense of a transcendent filial relationship between God and humans (with the legal aspect, not gender specificity, as major semantic component).” Although some modern translations remove the filial sense completely and render the term merely “adoption” (cf. NAB, ESV), the retention of this component of meaning was accomplished in the present translation by the phrase “as…sons.”

[1:5]  ³⁷ tn Or “good pleasure.”

[1:6]  ³⁸ tn Or “to the praise of his glorious grace.” Many translations translate δόξης τῆς χάριτος αὐτοῦ (doxh" th" carito" autou, literally “of the glory of his grace”) with τῆς χάριτος as an attributed genitive (cf., e.g., NIV, NRSV, ESV). The translation above has retained a literal rendering in order to make clear the relationship of this phrase to the other two similar phrases in v. 12 and 14, which affect the way one divides the material in the passage.

[1:6]  ³⁹ tn Grk “the beloved.” The term ἠγαπημένῳ (hgaphmenw) means “beloved,” but often bears connotations of “only beloved” in an exclusive sense. “His dearly loved Son” picks up this connotation.

[1:7]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “in whom” (the relative clause of v. 7 is subordinate to v. 6). The “him” refers to Christ.

[1:7]  ⁴¹ sn In this context his blood, the blood of Jesus Christ, refers to the price paid for believers’ redemption, which is the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross.