Bible Strands
Luke 8:16
No one lights a lamp and covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, he sets it on a stand, so those who enter can see the light.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus speaks this to his disciples and the gathered crowd immediately after explaining the parable of the sower. He delivers the statement while traveling and teaching about how the word of God is received and manifested.
The words — The Greek λύχνον (luchnon) refers to a portable oil lamp, and ἅψας (hapsas) means "having lighted" or "kindled." These terms establish the literal image of a functional light source that is intentionally ignited before it is positioned.
The thread — The same lamp illustration appears in Mark 4:21, Matthew 5:15, and Luke 11:33, each time framing the public visibility of divine revelation. The surrounding context in Luke 8:15 and Luke 8:17 ties the image directly to the good soil that holds the word and the certainty that hidden things will be disclosed.
Why it lands — The text states that a lit lamp is placed on a stand so those who enter can see the light, not covered by a jar or hidden under a bed. It requires the reader to stop concealing what has been received and to position it openly for observation.
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
No man, when he hath lighted a candle, covereth it with a vessel, or putteth it under a bed; but setteth it on a candlestick, that they which enter in may see the light.
Cross-references
- Luke 11:33 No one lights a lamp and puts it in a cellar or under a basket. Instead, he sets it on a stand, so those who enter can see the light.
- Matthew 5:15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they set it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.
- Mark 4:21 Jesus also said to them, “Does anyone bring in a lamp to put it under a basket or under a bed? Doesn’t he set it on a stand?
- Acts 26:18 to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those sanctified by faith in Me.’
- Philippians 2:15 so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine as lights in the world
- Revelation 1:20 This is the mystery of the seven stars you saw in My right hand and of the seven golden lampstands: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
- Revelation 11:4 These witnesses are the two olive trees and the two lampstands that stand before the Lord of the earth.