Matthew 5:15 and Matthew 5:16 are the fifteenth and sixteenth verses of the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. They are part of the Sermon on the Mount, and form one of a series of metaphors often seen as adding to the Beatitudes. Verse 14 compared the disciples to a city upon a hill which cannot be hidden. These verses present a similar analogy.
Content
In the King James Version of the Bible (KJV), the text reads:
:15: Neither 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.
:16: Let your light shine before men, that
:they may see your good works, and
:glorify your Father which is in heaven.
The World English Bible translates the passage as:
: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.
:16: Even so, let your light shine before men;
:that they may see your good works, and
:glorify your Father who is in heaven.
The Novum Testamentum Graece text is:
:15:οὐδὲ καίουσιν λύχνον καὶ τιθέασιν αὐτὸν
:ὑπὸ τὸν μόδιον, ἀλλ’ ἐπὶ τὴν λυχνίαν,
:καὶ λάμπει πᾶσιν τοῖς ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ.
:16:οὕτως λαμψάτω τὸ φῶς ὑμῶν ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων,
:ὅπως ἴδωσιν ὑμῶν τὰ καλὰ ἔργα
:καὶ δοξάσωσιν τὸν πατέρα ὑμῶν τὸν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς.
For a collection of other versions see BibleGateway Matthew 5:15-16.
Analysis
The KJV translation of bushel is more literal. A bushel was a measure of grain equivalent to about nine litres.
Later usage
Howard Clarke notes that these verses, like the previous two verses, have appeared prominently in history and culture. Charlemagne cited it as the reason for building a series of schools and universities across his empire.
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