New Testament · Gospel

Matthew 5:13

The Sermon on the Mount

You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its savor, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. Matthew 5:13 · Berean Standard Bible

What It Means

Matthew 5:13, in plain English

You are the salt of the earth, Jesus says. Salt preserves and adds flavor. But if it loses what makes it salty, it's worthless. Your faith should make a difference in the world around you.

Why it's here

Jesus isn't asking you to become something you're not. He's telling you what you already are. The question is whether you'll live it out.

Who's speaking

Jesus tells His followers who they are.

Where it sits in the story

Jesus gives His followers an identity and a mission: you are meant to influence the world around you for good.

A Closer Look

The scholarly reading

Salt (halas) in the ancient world served as a preservative and flavor enhancer. 'Losing its savor' (moranthe, also 'to become foolish') may refer to salt contaminated with impurities until the sodium chloride dissolved, leaving useless residue.

Language and setting

Salt from the Dead Sea region contained mineral impurities. When the actual salt leached out, the remaining minerals looked like salt but had no preservative or flavoring properties.

Voice

Jesus, teaching His disciples about their role in the world.

Significance

Jesus defines His followers' essential function: they are agents of preservation and flavor in a world that would otherwise decay.

In context

Matthew 5:11–15

11Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.

12Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you.

13You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its savor, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.

14You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.

15Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a basket. Instead, they set it on a stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.

Read all of Matthew 5 — Jesus turns the world's values upside down. The blessed aren't the powerful — they're the poor in spirit, the grieving, the meek.

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