Matthew 5:14 (ASV)

Passage

Ye are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid.

Nearby Context

Matthew 5:12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets that were before you.

Matthew 5:13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under foot of men.

Matthew 5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hid.

Matthew 5:15 Neither do [men] light a lamp, and put it under the bushel, but on the stand; and it shineth unto all that are in the house.

Matthew 5:16 Even so let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "world", "light", "city", and "hill". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "world" and "light", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 13's "Ye are the salt of the earth..." into verse 15's "Neither do men light a lamp and...", so "world" and "light" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "world" and "light" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.