The eye is the lamp of the body.In biblical times, lamps were essential for providing light in dark places, symbolizing guidance and clarity. The eye, as the lamp, suggests that it is the means by which we perceive and understand the world around us. In a spiritual sense, the eye represents our focus and perspective. Just as a lamp illuminates a room, a healthy spiritual perspective illuminates our lives. This metaphor aligns with the Jewish understanding of the heart and mind as the center of moral and spiritual insight. The eye's function as a lamp is also reminiscent of
Psalm 119:105, where God's word is described as a lamp to the feet, guiding the believer's path.
If your eyes are good,
The term "good" here can be understood as "healthy" or "clear." In the cultural context, a "good eye" was often associated with generosity and a positive outlook, while a "bad eye" was linked to greed and selfishness. This reflects the broader biblical theme of the heart's condition affecting one's actions and perceptions.Proverbs 22:9 speaks of a "bountiful eye" that blesses others, indicating that a good eye is one that sees with compassion and kindness. The health of one's spiritual vision is crucial for discerning truth and living righteously.
your whole body will be full of light.
When the eye is healthy, it allows light to fill the body, symbolizing a life filled with understanding, wisdom, and righteousness. This phrase suggests that spiritual clarity and purity lead to a life illuminated by God's truth. The imagery of light is prevalent throughout Scripture, often representing God's presence and holiness, as seen inJohn 8:12, where Jesus declares Himself the light of the world. A life full of light reflects the transformative power of living in alignment with God's will, resulting in moral integrity and spiritual vitality.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
Jesus ChristThe speaker of this verse, delivering the Sermon on the Mount, a foundational teaching moment in His ministry.
2.
The Disciples and the CrowdThe immediate audience of Jesus' teaching, representing both His followers and the broader public.
3.
The Sermon on the MountThe context in which this teaching is given, covering Matthew chapters 5-7, where Jesus outlines the principles of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Teaching Points
The Eye as a Spiritual GatewayThe "eye" symbolizes our perception and focus. Just as a lamp illuminates a room, our spiritual vision illuminates our lives.
The Importance of Spiritual Clarity"Good" eyes, translated from the Greek word "haplous," can mean healthy, single, or clear. This suggests a focus on purity and undivided devotion to God.
Guarding Our Spiritual VisionJust as physical eyes can be affected by what they see, our spiritual eyes can be influenced by what we focus on. We must guard against distractions and temptations that lead us away from God's light.
Living in the LightWhen our spiritual vision is clear, our entire being is filled with God's light, leading to righteous living and discernment.
The Consequences of Spiritual BlindnessConversely, if our eyes are bad, our whole body is full of darkness. This highlights the danger of spiritual blindness and the need for repentance and realignment with God's truth.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of Matthew 6:22?
2.How does Matthew 6:22 define the "eye" as the "lamp of the body"?
3.What practical steps ensure our "eye" remains "healthy" according to Matthew 6:22?
4.How does Matthew 6:22 connect with Proverbs 4:25 about focus and vision?
5.In what ways can a "healthy" eye influence our spiritual walk with Christ?
6.How can we guard our eyes from darkness in today's media-driven culture?
7.What does "The eye is the lamp of the body" mean in Matthew 6:22?
8.How does Matthew 6:22 relate to spiritual perception and discernment?
9.Why is the eye compared to a lamp in Matthew 6:22?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Matthew 6?
11.What does "The eye is the lamp" mean?
12.What does the evil eye mean?
13.If Christianity brings joy and peace, why do some believers struggle with depression and anxiety?
14.What are the Bible's teachings on sexual dreams?What Does Matthew 6:22 Mean
The eye is the lamp of the bodyJesus begins with a picture everyone understands: a lamp bringing light into a dark room. In the same way, the eye lets light flow into the whole person.
• A lamp’s only job is to shine; a covered lamp helps no one (Matthew 5:15–16).
• Luke records the same illustration—“Your eye is the lamp of your body” (Luke 11:34)—underscoring its importance.
• God designed us to live by His light: “For God, who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ has shone in our hearts” (2 Corinthians 4:6).
•Psalm 119:105 reminds us, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path”. Eyes that take in God’s Word become channels of light to the rest of life.
Because Scripture is accurate and literal, the statement is not poetic exaggeration; it is a spiritual fact. What we allow through our eyes shapes every other part of us.
If your eyes are goodJesus moves from the illustration to the condition. “Good” eyes are clear, healthy, and single-minded—fixed on what pleases the Lord.
• A “good” eye sees God’s priorities.Colossians 3:2 urges, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things”.
• A “good” eye turns away from sin. “Turn my eyes away from worthless things” (Psalm 119:37).
• A “good” eye looks steadily at Jesus. “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus” (Hebrews 12:2).
• A “good” eye overflows in generosity;Proverbs 22:9 says, “A generous man will be blessed, for he shares his bread with the poor.”
When the focus is right, everything else lines up. The Lord never asks for half-hearted vision; He calls for eyes that are undivided and spiritually healthy.
Your whole body will be full of lightClear eyes lead to a life flooded with God’s illumination.
• Light brings purity: “If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship… and the blood of Jesus… cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7).
• Light brings purpose: “You are the light of the world… let your light shine before men” (Matthew 5:14–16).
• Light brings joy: “Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame” (Psalm 34:5).
• Light brings guidance: “The path of the righteous is like the first light of dawn, shining brighter and brighter until midday” (Proverbs 4:18).
A body “full of light” is a life saturated with truth, holiness, and confident witness. The glow is unmistakable to everyone around.
summaryJesus teaches that the eye functions like a lamp: it dictates how much light reaches the rest of us. Keep your gaze healthy—fixed on Him, turned from sin, eager to obey—and His light will flood every corner of your life.
(22)
The light of the body.-Literally,
the lamp of the body. So in
Proverbs 20:27, "The spirit of man is the candle (or 'lamp') of the Lord"--that which, under the name of "conscience," the "moral sense," the "inner man" discerns spiritual realities, distinguishes right from wrong, gives the light by which we see our way. If this is "single," if it discerns clearly, all is well. The "whole body," the life of the man in all its complex variety, will be illumined by that light. The connection with what precedes lies on the surface. Singleness of intention will preserve us from the snare of having a double treasure, and therefore a divided heart.
Verses 22, 23. -
The lightof the body is the eye, etc. Parallel passage:
Luke 11:34-36, where it immediately follows the illustration of putting a lamp under the bushel (
Matthew 5:15). The excessive difficulty of Luke's ver. 36 points to Luke having preserved on the whole the more original form of the saying; but it seems quite impossible to say which is its more original position. It suits the context quite as well in Matthew as in Luke, while the mere verbal similarity of
λύχνος may have caused it to be placed in Luke after his ver. 33 (cf. ver. 24,
infra, note).
The light of the body;
the lamp (Revised Version);
ὁ λύχνος (
Matthew 5:15, note). The thought of the power which treasure has of attracting the heart forms the transition to the need of a pure and steady "eye" heavenwards. The bodily eye is taken as the symbol of the outlooking power of the soul, not the soul - the inner man - itself, but its outlooking power. As the body is illuminated by the eye,
i.e. as by the eye the bodily constitution learns its environment, and naturally, almost automatically, tends to accommodate itself to it, so is it with the gaze of the soul. If this be upon the things of this world, the soul perceives, and tends to accommodate itself to the things of this world; if upon things in heaven, it perceives, and tends to accommodate itself to, the things in heaven. The Authorized Version "light" is, therefore, imperfect, for the gaze of the soul is not "light" (
φῶς), but a "lamp" (
λύχνος). As the bodily eye is not itself light, but only an instrument for receiving and imparting light, so in the mere gaze of the soul there is no inherent light, but it is the means of receiving and imparting light to the soul.
Iftherefore thine eye be single. The word "single" (
ἁπλοῦς) presents some difficulty.
(1) If it meant "undivided," it would doubtless continue the illustration of the lamp, with an undivided as contrasted with a divided wick, but it has no such meaning.
(2) It states the opposite, not to divisions, but to folds (vide Trench, 'Syn.,' § 56.); it is "single" as opposed to "plicate," and therefore can hardly contain any direct reference to the lamp. Its meaning rather appears to be purely metaphorical, and the word seems to be applied 'directly to the functions of the eye in relation to the body. If the eye be "single" and (to use another but related metaphor) straightforward in its working, then the body receives through it the light that it ought to receive. So is it with the gaze of the soul in its effect on the inner man.
(3) Perhaps, however,ἁπλοῦςη is here used in the sense of non-compound (cf. Plato, 'Rep.,' 547. E); in this case free from any foreign substance to bar the light from passing through it (cf.Matthew 7:3, and Basil, 'De Spiritu Sancto,' 9. § 23,sqq.).Thy whole body shall be full of light (φωτινὸν ἔσται). Well-lighted in itself, and bright in appearance to others (cf. s,νεφέλη φωτινή,Matthew 17:5). The word chosen seems to indicate, not merely that the body is, through the eye, lighted, but also that it itself becomes in measure, like the eye, full of light for others. All one's powers become illumined with the Divine light, and the illumination shines through.But if thine eye be evil, etc.Evil (πονηρός); ver. 13, note. Vitiated, worthless. As an eye that does not fulfil its natural function, so is that gaze of the soul which is directed only earthward. To limit tiffs, with Lightfoot ('Hor. Hebr.'), to covetousness (cf. also Hatch, 'Essays,' p. 81), is far too partial an interpretation. Such an earthward and selfish gaze of the soul may often issue in selfishness as regards money (cf.Matthew 20:15), but the full meaning of the phrase includes very much more.Thy whole body shall be full of darkness. What the heart craves to see it sees; but in this case, not light makes its entrance, but darkness, which, as in the case of the light, permeates the frame.If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness; rather,is darkness; the change here to the indicative (εἰ...ἐστίν) indicating that the last preceding clause is assumed as fact.The light that is in thee. Our Lord does not say, "the light that comes through the eye," for he means more than this, viz. that the very information, so to speak, brought first by the outlook of the soul, comes into us and remains in us. He assumes that this, which ought to be light, is darkness.How great is that darkness!i.e. the darkness (Revised Version)just spoken of, which comes through the eye. So, probably,Luke 11:35. If' the gaze which should bring light brings only darkness, how terrible in its nature and effects must that darkness be! It is, however, possible to understand our Lord to refer in this verse to the natural darkness of the soul before it looks out of itself. In this case the thought is - you need a fixed gaze heavenwards; if your gaze is not heavenwards, it brings darkness instead of light; how black, then, must be the natural darkness! (cf. especially Trench, ' Sermon on the Mount'). It will be noticed that in these verses darkness, though scientifically only negative - the absence of light - is here represented as positive, because it is the symbol of sin and evil.
Parallel Commentaries ...
Greek
Theὁ(ho)Article - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588:The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.eyeὀφθαλμός(ophthalmos)Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3788:The eye; fig: the mind's eye. From optanomai; the eye; by implication, vision; figuratively, envy.isἐστιν(estin)Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510:I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.theὉ(Ho)Article - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588:The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.lampλύχνος(lychnos)Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3088:A lamp. From the base of leukos; a portable lamp or other illuminator.of theτοῦ(tou)Article - Genitive Neuter Singular
Strong's 3588:The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.body.σώματός(sōmatos)Noun - Genitive Neuter Singular
Strong's 4983:Body, flesh; the body of the Church. From sozo; the body, used in a very wide application, literally or figuratively.Ifἐὰν(ean)Conjunction
Strong's 1437:If. From ei and an; a conditional particle; in case that, provided, etc.yourσου(sou)Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 4771:You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.visionὀφθαλμός(ophthalmos)Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3788:The eye; fig: the mind's eye. From optanomai; the eye; by implication, vision; figuratively, envy.isᾖ(ē)Verb - Present Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510:I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.clear,ἁπλοῦς(haplous)Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 573:Single, simple, sound, perfect. Probably from a and the base of pleko; properly, folded together, i.e. Single.yourσου(sou)Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 4771:You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.wholeὅλον(holon)Adjective - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3650:All, the whole, entire, complete. A primary word; 'whole' or 'all', i.e. Complete, especially as noun or adverb.bodyσῶμά(sōma)Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 4983:Body, flesh; the body of the Church. From sozo; the body, used in a very wide application, literally or figuratively.will beἔσται(estai)Verb - Future Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510:I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.full of light.φωτεινὸν(phōteinon)Adjective - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 5460:Bright, luminous, full of light. From phos; lustrous, i.e. Transparent or well-illuminated.
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NT Gospels: Matthew 6:22 The lamp of the body (Matt. Mat Mt) 
