Luke 8:16

Showing the Light

8:16 “No one lights ¹  a lamp ²  and then covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a lampstand so that those who come in can see the light. ³ 

Luke 17:31

17:31 On that day, anyone who is on the roof, ⁴  with his goods in the house, must not come down ⁵  to take them away, and likewise the person in the field must not turn back.

[8:16]  ¹ tn The participle ἅψας ({aya") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[8:16]  ² sn This is probably an ancient oil burning lamp or perhaps a candlestick. Jesus is comparing revelation to light, particularly the revelation of his ministry; see 1:78-79.

[8:16]  ³ tn Or “its light,” if the Greek article is translated as a possessive pronoun (for such usage, cf. ExSyn 215).

[17:31]  ⁴ sn Most of the roofs in the NT were flat roofs made of pounded dirt, sometimes mixed with lime or stones, supported by heavy wooden beams. They generally had an easy means of access, either a sturdy wooden ladder or stone stairway, sometimes on the outside of the house.

[17:31]  ⁵ sn The swiftness and devastation of the judgment will require a swift escape. There is no time to come down from one’s roof and pick up anything from inside one’s home.