You are the salt of the earth.In the ancient world, salt was a valuable commodity, used for preserving food, enhancing flavor, and even as a form of currency. By calling His followers "the salt of the earth," Jesus emphasizes their role in preserving the moral and spiritual fabric of society. Salt's preservative qualities symbolize the influence Christians are to have in preventing moral decay. This metaphor also suggests purity, as salt was used in sacrifices (
Leviticus 2:13), indicating the call for believers to live holy lives. The phrase implies a global mission, as "the earth" suggests a universal scope for Christian influence.
But if the salt loses its savor,
Salt losing its savor refers to the loss of effectiveness or purpose. In the context of the first century, salt could become contaminated with impurities, rendering it useless. This serves as a warning to believers about the dangers of compromise and losing their distinctiveness. Theologically, it underscores the importance of maintaining one's faith and witness. The idea of losing savor can be connected to spiritual lukewarmness, as warned against inRevelation 3:16, where the church in Laodicea is criticized for being neither hot nor cold.
how can it be made salty again?
This rhetorical question highlights the irreversible nature of losing one's spiritual effectiveness. In the natural world, once salt becomes impure, it cannot be restored to its original state. Spiritually, this suggests the difficulty of regaining one's witness once it has been compromised. It serves as a call to vigilance and perseverance in faith. The impossibility of restoring lost saltiness parallels the warning inHebrews 6:4-6 about the challenges of renewing repentance after falling away.
It is no longer good for anything,
This phrase underscores the seriousness of losing one's spiritual influence. Just as unsavory salt is useless, a believer who fails to live out their faith loses their purpose. This reflects the biblical principle that faith without works is dead (James 2:26). The statement serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of spiritual complacency and the importance of living a life that reflects Christ's teachings.
except to be thrown out and trampled by men.
In ancient times, unsavory salt was discarded and used to cover pathways, where it would be trampled underfoot. This imagery conveys the idea of judgment and rejection. Spiritually, it warns of the consequences of failing to fulfill one's calling as a disciple of Christ. The notion of being "trampled by men" can be seen as a metaphor for losing respect and influence in the world. This aligns with the broader biblical theme of judgment for unfaithfulness, as seen in parables like the unfruitful fig tree (Luke 13:6-9).
Persons / Places / Events
1.
Jesus ChristThe speaker of this verse, delivering the Sermon on the Mount, a foundational teaching moment in His ministry.
2.
DisciplesThe immediate audience of Jesus' teaching, representing all believers who are called to live out His teachings.
3.
The EarthSymbolic of the world and society in which believers live and are called to influence.
4.
SaltA metaphor for the influence and preservation that believers are to have in the world.
5.
MenRepresents society at large, which interacts with and observes the lives of believers.
Teaching Points
Preservation and InfluenceBelievers are called to preserve the moral and spiritual fabric of society, much like salt preserves food.
DistinctivenessJust as salt is distinct in flavor, Christians are to maintain their distinctiveness in values and conduct.
Warning Against ComplacencyLosing one's "savor" implies a warning against becoming ineffective or indistinguishable from the world.
Call to ActionThis verse is a call to actively engage with the world, bringing the flavor of Christ's teachings into every aspect of life.
AccountabilityThe imagery of being "trampled by men" serves as a reminder of the consequences of failing to live out one's faith authentically.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of Matthew 5:13?
2.How can we be "the salt of the earth" in daily life?
3.What does losing saltiness symbolize in Matthew 5:13?
4.How does Matthew 5:13 connect with Colossians 4:6 about speech?
5.In what ways can Christians maintain their "saltiness" in a secular world?
6.Why is it important to preserve our distinctiveness as believers, according to Matthew 5:13?
7.What does "salt of the earth" mean in Matthew 5:13?
8.How can Christians lose their "saltiness" according to Matthew 5:13?
9.Why is salt used as a metaphor in Matthew 5:13?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from Matthew 5?
11.How do biblical idioms shape modern Christian language?
12.Should Christians impose their values on others?
13.What happens when salt loses its saltiness?
14.What makes someone the salt of the earth?What Does Matthew 5:13 Mean
You are the salt of the earthJesus declares, “You are the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13).
• Salt in Scripture stands for preservation and flavor. InLeviticus 2:13 every grain offering was seasoned with salt, symbolizing covenant loyalty.
• As salt keeps food from decay, believers are called to hinder moral and spiritual corruption in the world (Genesis 18:23-32;Philippians 2:15).
• Salt also adds taste. Our lives and speech should make God’s truth attractive, “seasoned with salt” (Colossians 4:6), so others “taste and see that the LORD is good” (Psalm 34:8).
• Christ speaks to His disciples collectively—“you” is plural—reminding the church of its united, public witness (1 Peter 2:9).
But if the salt loses its savor• True salt is distinct. When that distinctiveness fades, its impact disappears.
• Israel faced similar warning: supposed nearness to God while living like the nations led to exile (2 Kings 17:15).
• For believers, compromise—worldliness, hidden sin, silence about the gospel—blunts the sharp edge of testimony (James 4:4;Revelation 3:15-16).
• Jesus acknowledges the possibility of uselessness, not loss of salvation but loss of influence and reward (1 Corinthians 3:13-15).
How can it be made salty again?• Humanly speaking, flavorless salt cannot be restored. The rhetorical question jolts the listener.
• The only solution is repentance and renewed dependence on Christ, the source of our distinctiveness (John 15:5;1 John 1:9).
• The question urges self-examination: continual abiding keeps the church effective (2 Corinthians 13:5).
It is no longer good for anything• When salt is contaminated, it cannot serve its purpose.
• Believers who blend into the culture cease to restrain decay or display Christ’s beauty (Romans 12:2).
• The picture warns against settling for mere religious identity without vibrant discipleship (Luke 6:46).
Except to be thrown out and trampled by men• In ancient times, useless salt was scattered on paths to harden the surface; feet then trampled it.
• Loss of spiritual potency invites scorn rather than respect (Ezekiel 36:20-23).
• Jesus later tells Laodicea He will “spit you out” if lukewarm (Revelation 3:16); both images stress consequence, not cruelty.
• The world evaluates faith by observing believers; when witness collapses, society disregards the message (1 Timothy 3:7).
summaryJesus’ statement inMatthew 5:13 affirms believers as God’s preserving and flavor-bringing presence in a decaying world. By living holy, grace-filled lives, we slow corruption and make Christ known. Yet if we lose our distinctiveness through compromise, our testimony becomes worthless, inviting rejection and ridicule. Continuous dependence on Christ and obedience to His Word keep us salty, useful, and honoring to the Lord who called us.
(13)
Ye are the salt of the earth.--The words are spoken to the disciples in their ideal character, as the germ of a new Israel, called to a prophetic work, preserving the earth from moral putrescence and decay. The general reference to this antiseptic action of salt is (as in
Colossians 4:6, and possibly in the symbolic act of Elisha,
2Kings 2:21) enough to give an adequate meaning to the words, but the special reference to the sacrificial use of salt in
Mark 9:49 (see Note there) makes it probable enough that there was some allusion to that thought also here.
If the salt have lost his savour.--The salt commonly used by the Jews of old, as now, came fromJebel-Usdum, on the shores of the Dead Sea, and was known as the Salt of Sodom. Maundrell, the Eastern traveller (circ. A.D. 1690), reports that he found lumps of rock-salt there which had become partially flavourless, but I am not aware that this has been confirmed by recent travellers. Common salt, as is well known, will melt if exposed to moisture, but does not lose its saltness. The question is more curious than important, and does not affect the ideal case represented in our Lord's words.
Wherewith shall it be salted?--The words imply a relative if not an absolute impossibility. If gifts, graces, blessings, a high calling, and a high work fail, what remains? The parable finds its interpretation inHebrews 6:1-6.
To be trodden under foot of men.--The Talmud shows (Schottgenin loc.) that the salt which had become unfit for sacrificial use in the store-house was sprinkled in wet weather upon the slopes and steps of the temple to prevent the feet of the priests from slipping, and we may accordingly see in our Lord's words a possible reference to this practice. . . .
Verse 13. -
Ye are the salt, etc. (cf. a similar saying in
Mark 9:50;
Luke 14:34, 35). Weiss thinks that St. Luke gives it in its original context; that St. Matthew is right in interpreting it as of special reference to the disciples; and that St. Mark applies it the most freely. It may, indeed, be that its position here is only the result of the inspired guidance of the evangelist; but, on the whole, it seems more probable that so natural a figure was used more than once by our Lord, and that he really spoke these words in his sermon on the mount, as well as on the later occasion indicated by St. Luke.
Ye;
i.e. the
μαθηταί of ver. 1.
Are, in fact (
ἐστέ); therefore recognize the responsibility.
The salt of the earth. It has been disputed whether allusion is here made to the preservative properties of salt or to the flavour it imparts;
i.e. whether Christ is thinking of his disciples as preserving the world from decay, or as giving it a good flavour to the Divine taste. Surely a useless question; forgetful of the fact that spiritual realities are being dealt with, and that it is therefore impossible for the one effect to be really separated from the other. Our Lord is thinking of the moral tone which his disciples are to give to humanity. The connexion with vers. 11, 12 is - Persecution must be borne unless you are to lose your moral tone, which is to be to the earth what salt is to its surroundings, preserving from corruption and fitting for (in your case Divine) appreciation. What
χάρις is to be to the Christian
λόγος (
Colossians 4:6), that the Christian himself is to be to the world.
If... have lost its savour (
μωρανθῇ); so elsewhere in
Luke 14:34 only. Salt that has lost its distinctive qualities is here said to lack its proper mind or sense. Salt without sharpness is like an
ἄνθρωπος ἄλογος; for man is a
ζῶον λογικόν. On the fact of salt losing its virtue, cf. Thomson ('Land and the Book,' p. 382: 1887), "It is a well-known fact that the salt
of this country [
i.e. Palestine] when in contact with the ground, or exposed to rain and sun, does become insipid and useless. From the manner in which it is gathered [
vide infra], much earth and other impurities are necessarily collected with it. Not a little of it is so impure that it cannot be used at all; and such salt soon effloresces and turns to dust - not to fruitful soil, however. It is not only good for nothing itself, but it actually destroys all fertility wherever it is thrown.... No man will allow it to be thrown on to his field, and the only place for it is the street; and there it is cast, to be trodden under foot of men." It should be observed that the salt used in Palestine is not manufactured by boiling clean salt water, nor quarried from mines, but is obtained from marshes along the seashore, as in Cyprus, or from salt lakes in the interior, which dry up in summer, as the one in the desert north of Palmyra, and the great Lake of Jebbul, south-east of Aleppo. Further, rock-salt is found in abundance at the south end of the Dead Sea (cf. Thomson,
loc. cit).
Wherewith shall it be salted?i.e. not if you will not act as salt, wherewith shall the earth be salted? (apparently Luther and Erasmus); but what quality can take the place of moral tone to produce in you the same result? You are as salt. If you lose your distinctive qualities, where, can you find that which answers to them?
It is thenceforth good for nothing. Our Lord here lays stress, not on want of fitness (
εὔθετον, Luke), but on want of inherent power. "It is only useful for that purpose to which one applies what is absolutely useless" (Weiss-Meyer).
Parallel Commentaries ...
Greek
YouὙμεῖς(Hymeis)Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Nominative 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 4771:You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.areἐστε(este)Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 1510:I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.theτὸ(to)Article - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3588:The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.saltἅλας(halas)Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 217:Salt. From hals; salt; figuratively, prudence.of theτῆς(tēs)Article - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588:The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.earth.γῆς(gēs)Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 1093:Contracted from a primary word; soil; by extension a region, or the solid part or the whole of the terrene globe.Butδὲ(de)Conjunction
Strong's 1161:A primary particle; but, and, etc.ifἐὰν(ean)Conjunction
Strong's 1437:If. From ei and an; a conditional particle; in case that, provided, etc.theτὸ(to)Article - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3588:The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.saltἅλας(halas)Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 217:Salt. From hals; salt; figuratively, prudence.loses its savor,μωρανθῇ(mōranthē)Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Passive - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 3471:From moros; to become insipid; figuratively, to make as a simpleton.howἐν(en)Preposition
Strong's 1722:In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.can it be made salty again?ἁλισθήσεται(halisthēsetai)Verb - Future Indicative Passive - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 233:From hals; to salt.It is no longer goodἰσχύει(ischyei)Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2480:To have strength, be strong, be in full health and vigor, be able; meton: I prevail. From ischus; to have force.forεἰς(eis)Preposition
Strong's 1519:A primary preposition; to or into, of place, time, or purpose; also in adverbial phrases.[anything],οὐδὲν(ouden)Adjective - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3762:No one, none, nothing.exceptεἰ(ei)Conjunction
Strong's 1487:If. A primary particle of conditionality; if, whether, that, etc.to be thrownβληθὲν(blēthen)Verb - Aorist Participle Passive - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 906:(a) I cast, throw, rush, (b) often, in the weaker sense: I place, put, drop. A primary verb; to throw.outἔξω(exō)Adverb
Strong's 1854:Without, outside. Adverb from ek; out(-side, of doors), literally or figuratively.[and] trampledκαταπατεῖσθαι(katapateisthai)Verb - Present Infinitive Middle or Passive
Strong's 2662:From kata and pateo; to trample down; figuratively, to reject with disdain.byὑπὸ(hypo)Preposition
Strong's 5259:A primary preposition; under, i.e. of place, or with verbs; of place (underneath) or where (below) or time (when).men.ἀνθρώπων(anthrōpōn)Noun - Genitive Masculine Plural
Strong's 444:A man, one of the human race. From aner and ops; man-faced, i.e. A human being.
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NT Gospels: Matthew 5:13 You are the salt of the earth (Matt. Mat Mt) 
