11:36a

So: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as So introduces a conclusion. This is the conclusion that Jesus drew from what he had said in 11:34b (“your whole body also is full of light”). Since it does not directly relate to Jesus’ command in 11:35, several English versions (Contemporary English Version, Good News Translation, New Century Version, New Living Translation (2004)) do not translate this conjunction. Use a natural way to translate a conclusion like this in your language.

if your whole body is full of light: See the note on 11:34c, which is almost identical. In the context of the warning in 11:35, there may be an implication here of truly having light (as opposed to being in darkness). Another way to translate this clause is:

if ⌊God’s⌋ light fills every part of you
-or-
if your entire mind is illuminated

As in 11:34c, some languages may have to translate the direct meaning instead of the figure. See the examples there.

11:36b

with no part of it in darkness: In this context the phrase with no part of it in darkness means “no part of your body is without light.” Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

and no part of it dark (New International Version)
-or-
with no dark corners (New Living Translation (2004))

If you need to translate this meaning more explicitly, you can say:

and there is no error in your understanding

11:36c

you will be radiant: The clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as you will be radiant is literally “the whole will be full of light,” which is almost the same expression as in 11:36a, “if your whole body is full of light.” The Berean Standard Bible varies the language in order to avoid a translation that is merely repeating itself. To do the same in your translation, you may:

• Use different wording (see the meaning lines in the Display of 11:36c).

• Emphasize that the entire person or every part of the person is illuminated.

• Emphasize the comparison between inner, spiritual light in 11:36c and a literal bright lamp in 11:36d. For example:

your whole life will be light as if you were close to a bright lamp
-or-
your mind will truly be bright like a person who is shined on by a strong light

11:36d

as though a lamp were shining on you: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as as though a lamp were shining on you is more literally “as the lamp in its brightness/brilliance shines on you.” This clause compares the inner illumination of God’s truth in a person’s life (11:36a–c) to a bright lamp that shines on a person. Another way to translate this is:

as when a lamp shines on you with its brightness (Good News Translation)

© 2009, 2010, 2013 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.