Matthew 5:14 (WEB)

Passage

You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill can’t be hidden.

Nearby Context

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

Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its flavor, with what will it be salted? It is then good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under the feet of men.

Matthew 5:14 You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill can’t be hidden.

Matthew 5:15 Neither do you light a lamp, and put it under a measuring basket, but on a stand; and it shines to all who 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", "located", "hill", and "hidden". 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 "You are the salt of the earth..." into verse 15's "Neither do you 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.