Mark makes the lamp the subject of the sentence, however, doubtlessly for theological reasons: “‘Does the lamp come in order that it might be placed under the bowl or under the bed?’” In the OT, a lamp is not infrequently a metaphor for God (2 Sam 22:29) or the Davidic Messiah (2 Kgs 8:19; Ps 132:17) or the Torah (Ps 119:105).
