Bible Strands
Luke 11:35
Be careful, then, that the light within you is not darkness.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses his listeners in Luke 11, continuing his teaching on spiritual perception immediately after describing the eye as the body’s lamp. He speaks to warn against internal spiritual deception while emphasizing the necessity of clear moral vision.
The words — σκόπει (skopei) = do take heed and φῶς (phōs) = light form the core command, instructing the audience to monitor their inner spiritual state. The conjunction οὖν (oun) = therefore links this warning directly to the preceding teaching on bodily and spiritual illumination.
The thread — The warning against self-deceptive paths runs through Proverbs 16:25 and the call to examine spiritual clarity in 2 Peter 1:9. James 3:13 further grounds this theme by demanding that true wisdom manifest in observable conduct rather than hidden darkness.
Why it lands — The text demands a practical inventory of one’s internal convictions to verify they reflect truth rather than self-deception. It requires immediate correction of any compromised spiritual perception before it obscures moral judgment.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness.
Cross-references
- Proverbs 16:25 There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.
- 2 Peter 1:9 But whoever lacks these traits is nearsighted to the point of blindness, having forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.
- James 3:13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good conduct, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.
- 1 Corinthians 1:19 For it is written: “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”
- Isaiah 5:20 Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who turn darkness to light and light to darkness, who replace bitter with sweet and sweet with bitter.
- Romans 1:22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools,
- 1 Corinthians 3:18 Let no one deceive himself. If any of you thinks he is wise in this age, he should become a fool, so that he may become wise.
- Revelation 3:17 You say, ‘I am rich; I have grown wealthy and need nothing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked.
- Proverbs 26:12 Do you see a man who is wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.
- John 9:39 Then Jesus declared, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind may see and those who see may become blind.”