but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse highlights that "evil" here doesn't just mean morally bad, but rather a faulty or distorted way of seeing, like a diseased eye that can't perceive reality clearly. If the very faculty meant to guide us (our spiritual "eye" or inner discernment) is corrupted, it plunges our entire being into darkness. This isn't just about ignorance, but a profound misalignment where our internal "light" actively leads us astray.
but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus is contrasting two ways of living: one focused on God and the other on material possessions. He's just warned against storing up treasures on earth and stated that you can't serve both God and money. This verse serves as an illustration of how a misguided focus, symbolized by a "bad eye," leads to a completely darkened spiritual life.
Jesus uses a simple, everyday image to explain something profound about our spiritual lives. What does it mean for your 'eye' to be the light of your body?
Jesus compares the eye to the 'light of the body.' Think about it: your eyes guide everything you do. They help you navigate, avoid danger, and appreciate beauty.
Jesus warns about a darkness that comes not from external forces, but from within. What happens when the very thing meant to illuminate becomes the source of gloom?
The verse gets intense when Jesus says, 'If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!' This isn't just about bad choices; it's about a fundamental distortion of your inner guidance system.
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Understand the original words
skotos · Greek Noun
Biblically, this represents the absence of God's presence, sin, error, ignorance, or the state of being separated from the truth.
This passage presents the positive counterpart to Matthew 6:23, emphasizing that a 'whole body full of light' results from a clear inner vision, directly contrasting the darkness that comes from a 'bad eye'.
Proverbs 4:23This verse highlights the importance of guarding one's heart and mind, echoing Matthew 6:23's warning that if the inner 'light' (the heart/mind) is corrupted, the entire 'body' (life) will be filled with darkness.
Romans 1:21-23This passage describes how people, despite knowing God, refused to honor Him, leading their foolish hearts to be darkened, which parallels Matthew 6:23's assertion that a corrupted inner light results in profound darkness.
Ephesians 4:17-18Paul describes the Gentiles as having their understanding darkened and being alienated from the life of God because of their ignorance and hardness of heart, illustrating the consequence of inner darkness described in Matthew 6:23.
vincentMatthew 6:23: "But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!"
In thee - darknessSeneca, in one of his letters, tells of an idiot slave in his house, who had suddenly become blind. "Now, incredible as the story seems, it is really true that she is unconscious of her blindness, and consequently begs her attendant to go elsewhere because the house is dark. But you may be sure that this, at which w…
gillMatthew 6:23: "But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!"
But if thine eye be evil,.... If thou art of a sordid disposition, of an avaricious temper, if the sin of covetousness prevails over thee, thy whole body will be full of darkness: thy judgment will be so influenced by that sordid principle, that thou wilt not be able to discern what is agreeable to the law of God, or human reason; wh…
The verse highlights that "evil" here doesn't just mean morally bad, but rather a faulty or distorted way of seeing, like a diseased eye that can't perceive reality clearly. If the very faculty meant to guide us (our spiritual "eye" or inner discernment) is corrupted, it plunges our entire being into darkness. This isn't just about ignorance, but a profound misalignment where our internal "light" actively leads us astray.
Jesus is contrasting two ways of living: one focused on God and the other on material possessions. He's just warned against storing up treasures on earth and stated that you can't serve both God and money. This verse serves as an illustration of how a misguided focus, symbolized by a "bad eye," leads to a completely darkened spiritual life.
Jesus is contrasting two ways of living: one focused on God and the other on material possessions. He's just warned against storing up treasures on earth and stated that you can't serve both God and money. This verse serves as an illustration of how a misguided focus, symbolized by a "bad eye," leads to a completely darkened spiritual life.
"but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!" — The verse highlights that "evil" here doesn't just mean morally bad, but rather a faulty or distorted way of seeing, like a diseased eye that can't perceive reality clearly. If the very faculty meant…
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Last reviewed October 2026