Matthew 5:16 (DBY)

Passage

Let your light thus shine before men, so that they may see your upright works, and glorify your Father who is in the heavens.

Nearby Context

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.

Matthew 5:16 Let your light thus shine before men, so that they may see your upright works, and glorify your Father who is in the heavens.

Matthew 5:17 Think not that I am come to make void the law or the prophets; I am not come to make void, but to fulfil.

Matthew 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Until the heaven and the earth pass away, one iota or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all come to pass.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "light", "thus", "shine", "before", "upright", "works", "glorify", and "father". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "light" and "thus", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "Nor do men light a lamp and..." into verse 17's "Think not that I am come to...", so "light" and "thus" 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 "light" and "thus" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.