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

LUKE 14:34KJV
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Luke 14:34 (KJV)

What does Luke 14:34 mean?

Luke 14:34 says that salt is valuable and useful, but if it loses its flavor, it cannot be made salty again or serve its purpose. Jesus is warning that something meant to be good and useful becomes worthless if it loses what makes it special.

Jesus is speaking to a crowd, including his disciples, after teaching about the cost of following him. The image of salt would have been familiar—salt was important for flavor and preservation. By saying salt can lose its "savour," Jesus is making a point about people losing their distinctiveness or purpose, especially in the context of discipleship.

The Greek behind Luke 14:34

  • "Salt" (ἅλας, halas): This word refers to ordinary salt, known for its preserving and flavoring qualities. The everyday use helps listeners grasp the point.
  • "Good" (καλόν, kalon): This word means something useful, beneficial, or valuable. Jesus is affirming that salt, by its nature, has a real purpose.
  • "Savour" (μωρανθῇ, mōranthē): This word is often understood as "become tasteless" or "become foolish." In Greek, it carries the sense of losing effectiveness or becoming dull, not just bland in taste but also useless.
  • "Seasoned" (ἁλισθήσεται, halisthēsetai): This word means "to be made salty" or "to be seasoned." The question is rhetorical—once salt loses its saltiness, nothing can restore it.

Why Luke 14:34 matters

  • Luke 14:34 clears up that Jesus is not just talking about literal salt, but using it as a picture for people, especially his followers, who are meant to have a distinct and lasting impact.
  • The verse highlights the seriousness of losing one's purpose or distinctiveness, especially after Jesus has just spoken about the cost and commitment of discipleship.
  • This saying connects to the wider passage by showing that following Jesus is not just about starting well, but about continuing to live out what makes a disciple truly different and valuable.

Where else these words appear

“seasoned” Greek G741 · used in 3 verses

  • 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.
  • Colossians 4:6 Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

“Salt” Greek G217 · used in 4 verses

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Colossians 4:6 Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer every man.

“savour” Greek G3471 · used in 4 verses

  • 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.
  • Romans 1:22 Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
  • 1 Corinthians 1:20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?

“good” Greek G2570 · used in 91 verses

  • Matthew 3:10 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
  • Mark 14:21 The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born.
  • 1 Timothy 2:3 For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;