Matthew 5:15 (DRB)

Passage

Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but upon a candlestick, that it may shine to all that are in the house.

Nearby Context

Matthew 5:13 You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt lose its savour, wherewith shall it be salted? It is good for nothing anymore but to be cast out, and to be trodden on by men.

Matthew 5:14 You are the light of the world. A city seated on a mountain cannot be hid.

Matthew 5:15 Neither do men light a candle and put it under a bushel, but upon a candlestick, that it may shine to all that are in the house.

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

Matthew 5:17 Do not think that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "light", "neither", "candle", "under", "bushel", "upon", "candlestick", and "shine". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "light" and "neither", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "You are the light of the world..." into verse 16's "So let your light shine before men...", so "light" and "neither" 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 "neither" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.