Luke 14:34

KJV

Salt [is] good: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be seasoned?

KJV (with Strong's)

Salt {G217} is good {G2570}: but {G1161} if {G1437} the salt {G217} have lost his savour {G3471}, wherewith {G1722}{G5101} shall it be seasoned {G741}?

Complete Jewish Bible

Salt is excellent. But if even the salt becomes tasteless, what can be used to season it?

Berean Standard Bible

Salt is good, but if the salt loses its savor, with what will it be seasoned?

American Standard Version

Salt therefore is good: but if even the salt have lost its savor, wherewith shall it be seasoned?

Commentary

### SUMMARY
Luke 14:34 concludes Jesus' teaching on the rigorous demands of discipleship, employing the vivid metaphor of salt to underscore the essential quality and preserving influence believers are called to embody. It serves as a stark warning about the spiritual danger and ultimate uselessness of a follower who loses their distinctive Christ-like character and commitment, thereby becoming ineffective in their divine purpose.

### CONTEXT
* **Literary Context:** This verse is the culmination of a significant discourse by Jesus on the cost of discipleship, immediately following two parables: the cost of building a tower and the cost of a king going to war ([Luke 14:28-33](/luke/14-28-33 "Luke 14:28-33 - Counting the Cost")). These parables emphasize the necessity of careful consideration and absolute commitment before embarking on the journey of following Christ. Jesus explicitly states that "whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple" ([Luke 14:33](/luke/14-33 "Luke 14:33 - Forsaking All")). The salt metaphor, therefore, serves as a powerful summary and final warning, illustrating what happens if a disciple fails to maintain the radical distinctiveness and commitment previously outlined. It highlights the consequence of a half-hearted or compromised discipleship.

* **Historical & Cultural Context:** In ancient Near Eastern cultures, salt was an incredibly valuable commodity. It was essential for preserving food (especially meat and fish in a time before refrigeration), for seasoning, and even for medicinal purposes. Roman soldiers were sometimes paid in salt (hence the word "salary"). The salt available in Jesus' time, particularly from areas around the Dead Sea, was often impure, mixed with various minerals like gypsum. If this impure salt was exposed to moisture or leached, the sodium chloride (the actual "saltiness") could dissolve or evaporate, leaving behind a tasteless, white, mineral residue that was useless for its intended purpose. This residue was often discarded on pathways, where it would be trampled underfoot, hence the implication of being "good for nothing."

* **Key Themes:** This verse powerfully contributes to several overarching themes in Luke's Gospel and Jesus' teaching. Firstly, it reinforces the theme of **Radical Discipleship**, emphasizing that following Jesus requires an all-encompassing, uncompromising commitment, as seen in the preceding verses on counting the cost and forsaking all ([Luke 14:26:33](/luke/14-26-33 "Luke 14:26:33 - The Cost of Discipleship")). Secondly, it speaks to the **Distinctiveness of the Believer**, highlighting that disciples are meant to be qualitatively different from the world around them, acting as a preserving and flavoring agent. This echoes Jesus' teaching in the Sermon on the Mount where disciples are called the "salt of the earth" and the "light of the world" ([Matthew 5:13-14](/matthew/5-13-14 "Matthew 5:13-14 - Salt and Light")). Finally, it addresses the theme of **Spiritual Effectiveness and Warning**, underscoring the severe consequences of spiritual apathy, compromise, or a loss of zeal, which renders a disciple ineffective for the Kingdom of God and ultimately worthless in their intended purpose.

### EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
#### Key Word Analysis
* **Salt (Greek, _hálas'_):** This word refers to the common seasoning and preservative. Figuratively, as used here and elsewhere by Jesus, it denotes prudence, wisdom, and the distinctive, preserving, and flavoring influence that believers are meant to have in the world. It represents the essential quality of a true disciple.
* **Good (Greek, _kalós'_):** This term signifies something that is inherently beautiful, valuable, or virtuous, not just intrinsically good (like _agathos_). When applied to salt, it means fit for its purpose, effective, and beneficial. When applied to a disciple, it means living a life that is pleasing to God and impactful for His Kingdom.
* **Lost his savour (Greek, _mōraínō'_):** This verb literally means "to become foolish" or "to become insipid." In the context of salt, it refers to losing its essential taste or effectiveness. Figuratively, for a disciple, it means losing their spiritual vitality, moral distinctiveness, or the wisdom and prudence that characterize a follower of Christ, thereby becoming useless or spiritually foolish.

#### Verse Breakdown
* **"Salt is good:"** This opening clause establishes the inherent value and purpose of salt. It is beneficial and essential when it retains its properties. Spiritually, it affirms that a disciple, when living out their calling with distinctiveness and commitment, is inherently valuable and good in God's eyes and for His purposes in the world.
* **"but if the salt have lost his savour,"** This introduces the critical condition and warning. If salt, which is inherently good, loses its essential quality (its saltiness or flavor), it becomes useless. For the disciple, this signifies a loss of spiritual vitality, moral distinctiveness, or commitment to Christ. It points to a state where the believer no longer exerts a preserving or flavoring influence, becoming indistinguishable from the world.
* **"wherewith shall it be seasoned?"** This is a rhetorical question, implying that once salt loses its savor, there is no external means to restore its essential quality. It cannot be "re-salted." For the disciple, this emphasizes the irreversible nature of profound spiritual decay or compromise. If a believer loses their core identity and effectiveness, they become useless for God's Kingdom, unable to fulfill their unique purpose.

#### Literary Devices
Jesus masterfully employs a **Metaphor** in this verse, comparing disciples to salt. This comparison highlights the essential role and distinctive character believers are meant to embody in the world—to preserve, purify, and enhance. The phrase "if the salt have lost his savour" uses **Hyperbole** to emphasize the dire consequences of spiritual compromise or apathy, suggesting an extreme and irreversible loss of effectiveness. The verse concludes with a powerful **Rhetorical Question**, "wherewith shall it be seasoned?" This question is not meant to be answered literally but to underscore the utter uselessness and irredeemability of salt that has lost its essential quality, thereby intensifying the warning to disciples about the consequences of losing their spiritual distinctiveness and commitment.

### THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
Luke 14:34 profoundly connects to the broader biblical understanding of God's people as a distinct, set-apart community called to influence the world for His glory. The metaphor of salt, good only when it retains its savor, underscores the critical importance of spiritual integrity, moral distinctiveness, and unwavering commitment for those who claim to follow Christ. It highlights that the effectiveness of a disciple is directly tied to their faithfulness to Christ's teachings and their willingness to live a life that is truly set apart from worldly values. When this distinctiveness is lost, the disciple ceases to be a preserving or flavoring agent and becomes, in a spiritual sense, useless for God's redemptive purposes.

* [Matthew 5:13](/matthew/5-13 "Matthew 5:13 - You are the Salt of the Earth")
* [Mark 9:50](/mark/9-50 "Mark 9:50 - Have Salt in Yourselves")
* [Colossians 4:6](/colossians/4-6 "Colossians 4:6 - Let Your Speech Be Always with Grace, Seasoned with Salt")

### REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Luke 14:34 serves as a sobering mirror for every believer, prompting deep self-examination regarding the authenticity and impact of our faith. Are we truly living as "salt" in a world desperately needing preservation from decay and enhancement with divine flavor? This means actively resisting conformity to the world's values, maintaining spiritual disciplines, and cultivating a genuine, vibrant relationship with Christ. It challenges us to assess if our lives genuinely reflect the transformative power of the Gospel, or if we have allowed apathy, compromise, or worldly pursuits to dilute our spiritual "savor." The call is to live with intentionality, ensuring that our distinctiveness as Christ's followers remains potent and effective, so that we might truly fulfill our God-given purpose of influencing others for His Kingdom.

#### Questions for Reflection
* **In what areas of my life might I be losing my "savor" or distinctiveness as a follower of Christ?**
* **What practical steps can I take to deepen my commitment and ensure my spiritual vitality remains strong?**
* **How does my life actively preserve against moral decay and add spiritual "flavor" to my family, workplace, and community?**

### FAQ
**Why did ancient salt sometimes lose its savor, and what does this mean spiritually?**

Answer: In ancient times, especially around the Dead Sea, salt was often harvested as a composite mineral, not pure sodium chloride. It was mixed with other minerals like gypsum. When this impure salt was exposed to moisture or left in damp conditions, the actual sodium chloride could leach out or dissolve, leaving behind a tasteless, worthless residue of the other minerals. This residue looked like salt but had no preserving or flavoring properties. Spiritually, this illustrates the danger of a believer retaining the outward appearance of faith (attending church, using Christian language) while losing the inward reality of genuine commitment, spiritual vitality, and moral distinctiveness. When a disciple loses their "savor," they become ineffective in their divine purpose, unable to influence the world for Christ or to live out the radical demands of discipleship that Jesus outlines in [Luke 14](/luke/14 "Luke 14 - The Cost of Discipleship").

### CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
While Luke 14:34 directly addresses the disciple's responsibility, its profound truth finds its ultimate fulfillment and enabling power in Christ. Jesus Himself is the perfectly "salty" one, embodying the full distinctiveness, purity, and preserving power that humanity lost through sin. He is the [Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world](/john/1-29 "John 1:29 - Jesus, the Lamb of God"), the one whose life and sacrifice provide the ultimate preservation from spiritual decay and the true flavor of eternal life. Believers are made "salty" not by their own inherent goodness, but by being united with Christ through faith, receiving His Spirit who indwells and empowers them to live a life of distinctiveness. It is through His atoning work on the cross and His resurrection that we are given the power to be light and salt in the world, reflecting His character and extending His Kingdom. Our ability to retain our "savor" is not a matter of self-effort but a continuous reliance on the grace and transforming power of Christ, who enables us to be truly effective for God's purposes, just as He promised the Holy Spirit would empower His witnesses to the ends of the earth ([Acts 1:8](/acts/1-8 "Acts 1:8 - Power to Witness")).

Note: Commentary is generated by AI with a directive for Biblical fidelity. Always rely on the Holy Spirit for discernment. The Scripture text and cross-references are from verified, non-AI sources.

Cross-References

Matthew 5:13

¶ 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.

Colossians 4:6

Let your speech [be] alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

Mark 9:49

For every one shall be salted with fire, and every sacrifice shall be salted with salt.

Mark 9:50

Salt [is] good: but if the salt have lost his saltness, wherewith will ye season it? Have salt in yourselves, and have peace one with another.

Hebrews 2:4

God also bearing [them] witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?

Hebrews 2:8

Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing [that is] not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him.