Matthew 5:13 (DBY)

Passage

*Ye* are the salt of the earth; but if the salt have become insipid, wherewith shall it be salted? It is no longer fit for anything but to be cast out and to be trodden under foot by men.

Nearby Context

Matthew 5:11 Blessed are ye when they may reproach and persecute you, and say every wicked thing against you, lying, for my sake.

Matthew 5:12 Rejoice and exult, for your reward is great in the heavens; for thus have they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

Matthew 5:13 *Ye* are the salt of the earth; but if the salt have become insipid, wherewith shall it be salted? It is no longer fit for anything but to be cast out and to be trodden under foot by men.

Matthew 5:14 *Ye* are the light of the world: a city situated on the top of a mountain cannot be hid.

Matthew 5:15 Nor do [men] light a lamp and put it under the bushel, but upon the lamp-stand, and it shines for all who are in the house.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "salt", "earth", "become", "insipid", "wherewith", "shall", and "salted". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "salt" and "earth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 12's "Rejoice and exult for your reward is..." into verse 14's "Ye are the light of the world...", so "salt" and "earth" 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 "salt" and "earth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.