Ephesians 5:13 - Children of Light (2024)

Verse (Click for Chapter)

New International Version
But everything exposed by the light becomes visible—and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.New Living Translation
But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them,English Standard Version
But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible,Berean Standard Bible
But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that is illuminated becomes a light itself.Berean Literal Bible
But everything being exposed by the light is made visible, for everything becoming visible is light.King James Bible
But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.New King James Version
But all things that are exposed are made manifest by the light, for whatever makes manifest is light.New American Standard Bible
But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.NASB 1995
But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.NASB 1977
But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.Legacy Standard Bible
But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light, for everything that becomes visible is light.Amplified Bible
But all things become visible when they are exposed by the light [of God’s precepts], for it is light that makes everything visible.Christian Standard Bible
Everything exposed by the light is made visible,Holman Christian Standard Bible
Everything exposed by the light is made clear,American Standard Version
But all things when they are reproved are made manifest by the light: for everything that is made manifest is light.Aramaic Bible in Plain English
For all things are corrected by The Light and they are revealed, and everything that reveals is light.Contemporary English Version
But the light will show what these things are really like. Douay-Rheims Bible
But all things that are reproved, are made manifest by the light; for all that is made manifest is light. English Revised Version
But all things when they are reproved are made manifest by the light: for everything that is made manifest is light.GOD'S WORD® Translation
Light exposes the true character of everythingGood News Translation
And when all things are brought out to the light, then their true nature is clearly revealed; International Standard Version
But everything that is exposed to the light becomes visible, Literal Standard Version
and all the things reproved by the light are revealed, for everything that is revealed is light;Majority Standard Bible
But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for everything that is illuminated becomes a light itself.New American Bible
but everything exposed by the light becomes visible,NET Bible
But all things being exposed by the light are made evident.New Revised Standard Version
but everything exposed by the light becomes visible,New Heart English Bible
But all things, when they are reproved, are revealed by the light, for everything that reveals is light.Webster's Bible Translation
But all things that are reproved, are made manifest by the light: for whatever doth make manifest is light.Weymouth New Testament
But everything can be tested by the light and thus be shown in its true colors; for whatever shines of itself is light.World English Bible
But all things, when they are reproved, are revealed by the light, for everything that reveals is light. Young's Literal Translation
and all the things reproved by the light are manifested, for everything that is manifested is light;Additional Translations ...

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(13) But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light.--This should properly be rendered, But all things, when reproved, are illuminated by the light. The translation "are made manifest" is indeed fully in accordance with the common usage of the word. But the whole context shows that St. Paul is here using it in what is indeed its more proper etymological sense, for "are illumined." For the mere "being made manifest" is implied in the "being reproved;" whereas he is certainly passing on here to a fresh idea, and, moreover, to one which will bear the inference of the last clause of the verse. To "reprove" after the Christian manner is to bring into the full light of Christ's truth; and the effect of this is not merely to reprove, but to illumine by the inherent power of the light. Exactly with the same distinction of sense St. John uses both words (John 3:20-21).

For whatsoever doth make manifest is light.--That this translation (suggested, perhaps, by the difficulty of the passage when rightly rendered) is nevertheless certainly wrong, is shown both by the usage of the original word and by the genius of the whole context. It should be, for everything which is illuminated is light. St. Paul here explains still more clearly what he means by illumination. It implies the catching the light and reflecting it, so as to become a new source of light. It must be noted that the subject of the sentence is not "the works of darkness," but "all things" in general. Hence the whole process is described, with almost scientific accuracy, as three-fold. First, the things, or persons, are dragged out of darkness into light; then they are illuminated; lastly, they become light in themselves and to others. There are, no doubt, exceptions to this, the right and normal process, in the case of the utterly reprobate, who have lost all power of reflecting light, and are therefore dark still in the blaze of noon; but the next verse shows that St. Paul is not contemplating these; and even these may be beacons of warning to others. The whole metaphor is more and more striking to us as modern science enlarges our knowledge of the manifold effects of light, not only to illuminate, but to change and to vivify.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 13. - But all things when they are reproved are made manifest by the light. As, for instance, when our Lord reproved the hypocrisy of the Pharisees - their practices had not seemed to the disciples very evil before, but when Christ threw on them the pure light of truth, they were made manifest in their true character - they appeared and they still appear, odious. A just reproof places evil in a light that shows its true character. For everything which is made manifest is light. Literally, this is a truism; anything shone on is no longer dark, but light. The nearest approach to this, morally, is that light has a transforming power; when the light of the gospel shines on anything dark or evil, it transforms it into what is light or good. This is not uniformly true; all the light of heaven turned on hell would not make it morally light; but it is the general property and tendency of moral light to transform. The exhortation would thus mean - Use your light to reprove what is evil or dark, for not only will the true character of the evil thereby be made apparent, but your light will have a transforming power. But if this were the meaning, we should expect in the end of the verse, not φῶς ἐστι, but φῶς γινεταί, to denote this transformation. The rendering of A.V., giving to φανερούμενον an active meaning ("whatsoever doth make manifest is light"), is rejected by most grammarians, as not being consistent with the usage of the word. The meaning which that rendering gives is this: "Light is the element which makes all clear." We should thus have in the latter clause a proposition, affirming as universal what in the former clause is affirmed of one particular case; "things reproved are made manifest by the light, for it is only light that makes things clear." The exhortation to reprove would thus be confirmed by the consideration that the only way of making immoral things appear in their proper character is to let in on them the light of the gospel. The great practical point is that Christians ought to let in and diffuse the light. Parallel Commentaries ...

Greek

Ephesians 5:13 - Children of Light (2024)

References