Matthew 5:13
Encyclopedia
Matthew 5:13 is the thirteenth verse of the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew
in the New Testament
. It is part of the Sermon on the Mount
, the first of a series of metaphors often seen as adding to the Beatitudes
.
The original Greek text is:
The translation of the King James Bible reads:
The World English Bible
translates the passage as:
For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 5:13
The verse is paralleled in Mark 9:50 and Luke 14:34-35 also has a version of this similar to the one in Mark. There are a wide number of references to salt in the Old Testament. Leviticus 2:13, Numbers 18:19, and 2 Chronicles 13:5 all present salt as a sign of God's covenant. Exodus 30:35, Ezekiel 16:4, Ezekiel 43:24, and 2 Kings 2:21 all present salt as a purifying agent.
The exact meaning of the expression is disputed, in part because salt
had a wide number of uses in the ancient world. Salt was extremely important in the period, sometimes even used as currency, from which the word salary
originates. Schweizer notes that a common Jewish expression at the time was to call the Laws the "salt and the light" of the world, which may mean this section is an introduction to the discussion of Mosaic law that will soon commence. In the Rabbinic literature of the period salt was a metaphor for wisdom
. salt was important as a preservative
, and the most common interpretation of this verse is to see the duty of the disciples as preserving the purity of the world. Gundry notes that salt was a minor but essential ingredient in fertilizer
, and he feels that "earth" should be translated as soil
, and the disciples are thus to help the world grow and prosper. Most scholars disagree with Gundry's translation of earth as soil, most see it as referring to the world and in Schweizer's words "the totality of mankind." Salt also played role in ritual purity and all sacrifices had to contain salt. Nolland argues that the many different uses of salt show its importance in the life of the period, and it is this improtance of the disciples that is being referenced.
The issue of salt losing its flavour is somewhat problematic. Salt itself, sodium chloride
, is extremely stable and cannot lose its flavour. The most common explanation for this is that what would have been called salt in that era was quite impure, containing a wide array of other compounds. Of the substances in this mix the NaCl was the most soluble in water and if exposed to moisture the NaCl would disappear leaving a white powder looking just like salt, but not having its flavour or its preservative abilities. The salt used in the area mostly came from mines around the Dead Sea
and material extracted from that area demonstrates these same properties today. Gundry notes that some other explanations have been advanced. Salt was extremely valuable and unscrupulous merchants may have replaced the salt with other substances. For some purposes gypsum
was added to salt, but this would erase its flavour and make in unfit for consumption. Schweizer notes that some early versions have this verse read "earth lose its salt" rather than "salt lose its flavour" and is thus an illustration of how important the disciples are to the world. Hill notes that there is an entirely different understanding, which is that Jesus was well aware that salt cannot lose its flavour and the message is thus that if the disciples remain true to their Christianity they will never lose their influence and importance. France notes that Jesus was giving a lesson in moral philosophy and "not teaching chemistry," to him whether or not the proverbial image is factually accurate is of little relevance to the actual message of this verse. Nolland considers the impossibility of what is described as deliberate, it is counter to nature that salt lose its flavour, just as it is counter to God's will that the disciples lose faith.
The literal translation of the Greek "lost its savour" is "became foolish". In Aramaic the same term is used for losing savour and becoming foolish. Some have speculated that "became foolish" is thus a mistranslation by someone who did not realize the dual meaning of the Aramaic. Gundry feels that the idea of foolish salt is such "utter nonsense" that no translator would ever make such a mistake, he feels it is more likely that the Semitic expression had been assimilated into Greek and that became foolish was an expression for losing savour. English language translators universally accept that the verse is talking about flavour rather than intelligence. Some scholars do feel that this may be wordplay related to the Rabbinic use of salt as a metaphor for intelligence.
Gundry notes that at the time garbage would have been disposed of by throwing it out into the street. This explains why once the salt is cast out it will be trodden under foot of men.
This is a very famous verse, and "salt of the earth" has become a common English expression. Clarke notes that that phrase first appeared in the Tyndale New Testament of 1525. The modern usage of the phrase is somewhat separate from its scriptural origins. Today it refers to someone who is humble and lacking pretension. Due to its fame it has occurred a number of times in art and popular culture, but as Siebald notes usually these are based on the secular understanding of the term. It has been the title of an important 1954 film
, a John Godber
play, a song on The Rolling Stones
' Beggars Banquet
, and a non-fiction work by Uys Krige
. Both Algernon Swinburne and D.H. Lawrence wrote poems by this name. In Middle English
literature the expression had a different meaning somewhat closer to the scripture, mostly being used to refer to the clergy
. This usage is found both in Chaucer's "The Summoner's Tale" and Piers Plowman
.
Along with Matthew 5:14
, this verse became the theme of World Youth Day 2002
: "You are the salt of the earth ... you are the light of the world".
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel According to Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels, one of the three synoptic gospels, and the first book of the New Testament. It tells of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth...
in the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
. It is part of the Sermon on the Mount
Sermon on the Mount
The Sermon on the Mount is a collection of sayings and teachings of Jesus, which emphasizes his moral teaching found in the Gospel of Matthew...
, the first of a series of metaphors often seen as adding to the Beatitudes
Beatitudes
In Christianity, the Beatitudes are a set of teachings by Jesus that appear in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke. The term Beatitude comes from the Latin adjective beatus which means happy, fortunate, or blissful....
.
The original Greek text is:
The translation of the King James Bible reads:
- Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his
- savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good
- for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
The World English Bible
World English Bible
The World English Bible is a public domain translation of the Bible that is currently in draft form. Work on the World English Bible began in 1997 and was known as the American Standard Version 1997...
translates the passage as:
- "You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its
- flavor, with what will it be salted? It is then good for nothing,
- but to be cast out and trodden under the feet of men.
For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 5:13
The verse is paralleled in Mark 9:50 and Luke 14:34-35 also has a version of this similar to the one in Mark. There are a wide number of references to salt in the Old Testament. Leviticus 2:13, Numbers 18:19, and 2 Chronicles 13:5 all present salt as a sign of God's covenant. Exodus 30:35, Ezekiel 16:4, Ezekiel 43:24, and 2 Kings 2:21 all present salt as a purifying agent.
The exact meaning of the expression is disputed, in part because salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
had a wide number of uses in the ancient world. Salt was extremely important in the period, sometimes even used as currency, from which the word salary
Salary
A salary is a form of periodic payment from an employer to an employee, which may be specified in an employment contract. It is contrasted with piece wages, where each job, hour or other unit is paid separately, rather than on a periodic basis....
originates. Schweizer notes that a common Jewish expression at the time was to call the Laws the "salt and the light" of the world, which may mean this section is an introduction to the discussion of Mosaic law that will soon commence. In the Rabbinic literature of the period salt was a metaphor for wisdom
Wisdom
Wisdom is a deep understanding and realization of people, things, events or situations, resulting in the ability to apply perceptions, judgements and actions in keeping with this understanding. It often requires control of one's emotional reactions so that universal principles, reason and...
. salt was important as a preservative
Preservative
A preservative is a naturally occurring or synthetically produced substance that is added to products such as foods, pharmaceuticals, paints, biological samples, wood, etc. to prevent decomposition by microbial growth or by undesirable chemical changes....
, and the most common interpretation of this verse is to see the duty of the disciples as preserving the purity of the world. Gundry notes that salt was a minor but essential ingredient in fertilizer
Fertilizer
Fertilizer is any organic or inorganic material of natural or synthetic origin that is added to a soil to supply one or more plant nutrients essential to the growth of plants. A recent assessment found that about 40 to 60% of crop yields are attributable to commercial fertilizer use...
, and he feels that "earth" should be translated as soil
Soil
Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
, and the disciples are thus to help the world grow and prosper. Most scholars disagree with Gundry's translation of earth as soil, most see it as referring to the world and in Schweizer's words "the totality of mankind." Salt also played role in ritual purity and all sacrifices had to contain salt. Nolland argues that the many different uses of salt show its importance in the life of the period, and it is this improtance of the disciples that is being referenced.
The issue of salt losing its flavour is somewhat problematic. Salt itself, sodium chloride
Sodium chloride
Sodium chloride, also known as salt, common salt, table salt or halite, is an inorganic compound with the formula NaCl. Sodium chloride is the salt most responsible for the salinity of the ocean and of the extracellular fluid of many multicellular organisms...
, is extremely stable and cannot lose its flavour. The most common explanation for this is that what would have been called salt in that era was quite impure, containing a wide array of other compounds. Of the substances in this mix the NaCl was the most soluble in water and if exposed to moisture the NaCl would disappear leaving a white powder looking just like salt, but not having its flavour or its preservative abilities. The salt used in the area mostly came from mines around the Dead Sea
Dead Sea
The Dead Sea , also called the Salt Sea, is a salt lake bordering Jordan to the east and Israel and the West Bank to the west. Its surface and shores are below sea level, the lowest elevation on the Earth's surface. The Dead Sea is deep, the deepest hypersaline lake in the world...
and material extracted from that area demonstrates these same properties today. Gundry notes that some other explanations have been advanced. Salt was extremely valuable and unscrupulous merchants may have replaced the salt with other substances. For some purposes gypsum
Gypsum
Gypsum is a very soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula CaSO4·2H2O. It is found in alabaster, a decorative stone used in Ancient Egypt. It is the second softest mineral on the Mohs Hardness Scale...
was added to salt, but this would erase its flavour and make in unfit for consumption. Schweizer notes that some early versions have this verse read "earth lose its salt" rather than "salt lose its flavour" and is thus an illustration of how important the disciples are to the world. Hill notes that there is an entirely different understanding, which is that Jesus was well aware that salt cannot lose its flavour and the message is thus that if the disciples remain true to their Christianity they will never lose their influence and importance. France notes that Jesus was giving a lesson in moral philosophy and "not teaching chemistry," to him whether or not the proverbial image is factually accurate is of little relevance to the actual message of this verse. Nolland considers the impossibility of what is described as deliberate, it is counter to nature that salt lose its flavour, just as it is counter to God's will that the disciples lose faith.
The literal translation of the Greek "lost its savour" is "became foolish". In Aramaic the same term is used for losing savour and becoming foolish. Some have speculated that "became foolish" is thus a mistranslation by someone who did not realize the dual meaning of the Aramaic. Gundry feels that the idea of foolish salt is such "utter nonsense" that no translator would ever make such a mistake, he feels it is more likely that the Semitic expression had been assimilated into Greek and that became foolish was an expression for losing savour. English language translators universally accept that the verse is talking about flavour rather than intelligence. Some scholars do feel that this may be wordplay related to the Rabbinic use of salt as a metaphor for intelligence.
Gundry notes that at the time garbage would have been disposed of by throwing it out into the street. This explains why once the salt is cast out it will be trodden under foot of men.
This is a very famous verse, and "salt of the earth" has become a common English expression. Clarke notes that that phrase first appeared in the Tyndale New Testament of 1525. The modern usage of the phrase is somewhat separate from its scriptural origins. Today it refers to someone who is humble and lacking pretension. Due to its fame it has occurred a number of times in art and popular culture, but as Siebald notes usually these are based on the secular understanding of the term. It has been the title of an important 1954 film
Salt of the Earth
Salt of the Earth is an American drama film written by Michael Wilson, directed by Herbert J. Biberman, and produced by Paul Jarrico. All had been blacklisted by the Hollywood establishment due to their alleged involvement in communist politics....
, a John Godber
John Godber
John Harry Godber is an English dramatist, known mainly for his observational comedies. In the 'Plays and Players Yearbook' for 1993 he was calculated as the third most performed playwright in the UK behind William Shakespeare and Alan Ayckbourn. He has a wife and 2 children.-Biography:Godber was...
play, a song on The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones
The Rolling Stones are an English rock band, formed in London in April 1962 by Brian Jones , Ian Stewart , Mick Jagger , and Keith Richards . Bassist Bill Wyman and drummer Charlie Watts completed the early line-up...
' Beggars Banquet
Beggars Banquet
- Personnel :The Rolling Stones* Mick Jagger – lead and backing vocals, harmonica on "Parachute Woman"* Keith Richards – acoustic and electric guitar, bass guitar on "Sympathy for the Devil" and "Street Fighting Man", backing vocals, lead vocals on opening of "Salt of the Earth"* Brian...
, and a non-fiction work by Uys Krige
Uys Krige
Mattheus Uys Krige was a South African writer of novels, short stories, poems and plays in both Afrikaans and English. He was born in Bontebokskloof in the Cape Province and educated at the University of Stellenbosch.From 1931 to 1935 he lived in France and Spain, acquiring fluency in both...
. Both Algernon Swinburne and D.H. Lawrence wrote poems by this name. In Middle English
Middle English
Middle English is the stage in the history of the English language during the High and Late Middle Ages, or roughly during the four centuries between the late 11th and the late 15th century....
literature the expression had a different meaning somewhat closer to the scripture, mostly being used to refer to the clergy
Clergy
Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. A clergyman, churchman or cleric is a member of the clergy, especially one who is a priest, preacher, pastor, or other religious professional....
. This usage is found both in Chaucer's "The Summoner's Tale" and Piers Plowman
Piers Plowman
Piers Plowman or Visio Willelmi de Petro Plowman is the title of a Middle English allegorical narrative poem by William Langland. It is written in unrhymed alliterative verse divided into sections called "passus"...
.
Along with Matthew 5:14
Matthew 5:14
Matthew 5:14 is the fourteenth verse of the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. It is part of the Sermon on the Mount, and is one of a series of metaphors often seen as adding to the Beatitudes....
, this verse became the theme of World Youth Day 2002
World Youth Day 2002
The 17th World Youth Day 2002 was a Catholic youth festival held from July 23 to July 28, 2002 in Toronto, Canada. World Youth Day is a celebration of faith begun by Pope John Paul II held on an international level every two to three years, and WYD2002 was the tenth such event. It was also Pope...
: "You are the salt of the earth ... you are the light of the world".