Matthew 5:14 (YLT)

Passage

`Ye are the light of the world, a city set upon a mount is not able to be hid;

Nearby Context

Matthew 5:12 rejoice ye and be glad, because your reward <FI>is<Fi> great in the heavens, for thus did they persecute the prophets who were before you.

Matthew 5:13 `Ye are the salt of the land, but if the salt may lose savour, in what shall it be salted? for nothing is it good henceforth, except to be cast without, and to be trodden down by men.

Matthew 5:14 `Ye are the light of the world, a city set upon a mount is not able to be hid;

Matthew 5:15 nor do they light a lamp, and put it under the measure, but on the lamp-stand, and it shineth to all those in the house;

Matthew 5:16 so let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and may glorify your Father who <FI>is<Fi> in the heavens.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "world", "light", "city", "upon", "mount", and "able". 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 land..." into verse 15's "nor do they 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.