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Matthew 5:14Sermon on the Mount
You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill can't be hidden. 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. Even so, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
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Interpretation

Jesus teaches a light world that is worked out in relationships and commitments in Matthew 5:14—notice "light" and "who". Align light world in how we make amends—let wisdom become a road.

Context

John’s “light of the world” echoes here by contrast: Matthew places the lamp on a stand (Matthew 5:14). The setting is everyday space—household elevation for neighborly good.

Authorship & Historical Background

Early sources associate Matthew with the apostle Matthew (ex‑tax collector). Academic consensus for Matthew tends toward: Anonymous in early witnesses; later ascribed to Matthew; engages Mark alongside a sayings tradition.. Scholars commonly date Matthew AD 80–90. Matthew seems aimed at Jewish‑Christian community.. Genre and setting: gospel narrative, in the Sermon on the Mount. Readers often compare Matthew’s arrangement and sources with Mark and Q.

More details
Traditional:Matthew the tax collector
Modern scholarship:Anonymous; attributed to Matthew; uses Mark + Q source.
Date:AD 80–90
Audience:Jewish‑Christian community.
Manuscripts & Textual Witnesses
The Greek text is preserved in thousands of manuscripts. Early papyri (P46, P66, P75) from the 2nd-3rd centuries, along with major uncials like Sinaiticus and Vaticanus (4th century), provide strong textual witness. Minor variants exist but do not alter the main meaning.
Sources & witness notes
SinaiticusVaticanusP46