Articles Comments

Yeshua in Context >> Idioms

DHE Nuggets: Whole Eye vs. Evil Eye

DHE stands for Delitszsch Hebrew English Gospels, which you can see here. The "whole eye vs. evil eye" is a reference to Matthew 6:22-23. Here is how the RSV (Revised Standard Version) translates this saying of Yeshua: The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is not sound, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! For reasons I will argue below, this translation is definitely substandard. ... Read entire article >>

Filed under: Applying the Gospels , DHE (Delitzsch Gospels) , Idioms , Spectacular Commentary , Study Tips , Teaching of Yeshua

The Eye as a Lamp

Matthew 6:22-23 and Luke 11:34-36 are confusing for moderns. We think of the eye as a window, letting in light. But ancients could think of an eye another way, as lights shining the interior light of the body. There are many examples in the Bible and in Greek texts. Psalm 38:11 is one example, "My eyes too have lost their luster" (see also Prov 15:30). This has nothing to do with the scientific or pre-scientific way of looking at vision. It is the observation, which moderns also make, that a person's eyes show their inner character. So what does Yeshua's saying mean and what does it have to do with the evil eye? ... Read entire article >>

Filed under: Idioms , Sermon on the Mount , Teaching of Yeshua