Matthew 5:14
Encyclopedia
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
.
In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:
The World English Bible
translates the passage as:
For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 5:14
This verse has a fairly sudden shift of metaphor from "salt of the earth" to "city on a hill." It may be related to the expression "salt and light" which was then used to describe the Law. This verse is unparalleled elsewhere in the New Testament, but a version of it is found in the apocrypha
l Gospel of Thomas
. In Thomas the focus of the verse is on the city's security and impregnability rather than its symbolism. Gundry notes that at this time cities would frequently have been located on hills for defensive reasons. Schweizer notes that this might be a reference to Mount Zion
at the start of Isaiah 2. Scholars are divided on whether this is a specific reference to the idea of a New Jerusalem
. Albright and Mann note that Cicero
described Rome
as light to the world, but that it is unlikely that this verse borrows from him. See also Isaiah
42:6, 49:6, 60:3.
This verse is most famous for forming the basis of John Winthrop
's City upon a Hill
sermon outlining his vision of the new American colonies as a beacon to the rest of the world. This phrase has been used in the same sense by both Presidents John F. Kennedy
and more famously by Ronald Reagan
.
Along with Matthew 5:13
, 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...
, and is one 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....
.
In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:
- Ye are the light of the world. A city
- that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
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 light of the world. A city
- located on a hill can't be hidden.
For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 5:14
This verse has a fairly sudden shift of metaphor from "salt of the earth" to "city on a hill." It may be related to the expression "salt and light" which was then used to describe the Law. This verse is unparalleled elsewhere in the New Testament, but a version of it is found in the apocrypha
Apocrypha
The term apocrypha is used with various meanings, including "hidden", "esoteric", "spurious", "of questionable authenticity", ancient Chinese "revealed texts and objects" and "Christian texts that are not canonical"....
l Gospel of Thomas
Gospel of Thomas
The Gospel According to Thomas, commonly shortened to the Gospel of Thomas, is a well preserved early Christian, non-canonical sayings-gospel discovered near Nag Hammadi, Egypt, in December 1945, in one of a group of books known as the Nag Hammadi library...
. In Thomas the focus of the verse is on the city's security and impregnability rather than its symbolism. Gundry notes that at this time cities would frequently have been located on hills for defensive reasons. Schweizer notes that this might be a reference to Mount Zion
Mount Zion
Mount Zion is a place name for a site in Jerusalem, the location of which has shifted several times in history. According to the Hebrew Bible's Book of Samuel, it was the site of the Jebusite fortress called the "stronghold of Zion" that was conquered by King David, becoming his palace in the City...
at the start of Isaiah 2. Scholars are divided on whether this is a specific reference to the idea of a New Jerusalem
New Jerusalem
In the book of Ezekiel, the Prophecy of New Jerusalem is Ezekiel's prophetic vision of a city to be established to the south of the Temple Mount that will be inhabited by the twelve tribes of Israel in the...
. Albright and Mann note that Cicero
Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero , was a Roman philosopher, statesman, lawyer, political theorist, and Roman constitutionalist. He came from a wealthy municipal family of the equestrian order, and is widely considered one of Rome's greatest orators and prose stylists.He introduced the Romans to the chief...
described Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
as light to the world, but that it is unlikely that this verse borrows from him. See also Isaiah
Isaiah
Isaiah ; Greek: ', Ēsaïās ; "Yahu is salvation") was a prophet in the 8th-century BC Kingdom of Judah.Jews and Christians consider the Book of Isaiah a part of their Biblical canon; he is the first listed of the neviim akharonim, the later prophets. Many of the New Testament teachings of Jesus...
42:6, 49:6, 60:3.
This verse is most famous for forming the basis of John Winthrop
John Winthrop
John Winthrop was a wealthy English Puritan lawyer, and one of the leading figures in the founding of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the first major settlement in New England after Plymouth Colony. Winthrop led the first large wave of migrants from England in 1630, and served as governor for 12 of...
's City upon a Hill
City upon a Hill
A City Upon A Hill is a phrase from the parable of Salt and Light in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 5:14, he tells his listeners, "You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden."-American usage:...
sermon outlining his vision of the new American colonies as a beacon to the rest of the world. This phrase has been used in the same sense by both Presidents John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
and more famously by Ronald Reagan
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan was the 40th President of the United States , the 33rd Governor of California and, prior to that, a radio, film and television actor....
.
Along with Matthew 5:13
Matthew 5:13
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:...
, 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".