Verse
Matthew 5:13 — Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour…
“Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.”
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Read it in context
The verses around Matthew 5:13.
11Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
13Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
14Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
15Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Verse explanation
Salt, at the time, was used both to flavor and to preserve food, so calling someone the “salt of the earth” speaks of a function that makes a real difference around it. The salt used there was often mixed with other minerals and could lose its salty taste over time, leaving only a useless powder — an image used here to describe people who have lost the very quality that made them useful.
From the Matthew 5 study in Bible in Stories.
Matthew 5:13 in other versions
The same verse in the 4 Bible versions we have on the site.
- KJV · King James
Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
Read the chapter in this version → - ARC · Almeida 1911Português
Vós sois o sal da terra; e se o sal fôr insipido, com que se ha de salgar? para nada mais presta senão para se lançar fóra, e ser pisado pelos homens.
Read the chapter in this version → - BLIVRE · Bíblia LivrePortuguês
Vós sois o sal da terra; mas se o sal perder seu sabor, com que se salgará? Para nada mais presta, a não ser para se lançar fora, e ser pisado pelas pessoas.
Read the chapter in this version → - VBL · Versión Biblia LibreEspañol
Ustedes son la sal de la tierra, pero si la sal pierde su sabor, ¿cómo podrán hacer que sea salada nuevamente? No sirve para nada, sino que se bota y es pisoteada.
Read the chapter in this version →
In other languages: Português (Mateus 5:13) · Español (Mateo 5:13)
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