φῶς (phos) in Matthew 5:14: Noun Nominative Singular Neuter
φῶς (phos) in Matthew 5:14
Textual Witness
The witness reads φῶς in Matthew 5:14.
How The Form Affects Interpretation
Names the central image of visible witness.
How To Communicate It
Use it to explain the central light image before moving to the city and lamp examples.
What Not To Say
- Grammatical form should serve context, not override it.
- Keep the form tied to Matthew 5:14.
- Do not detach it from the linking verb in Matthew 5:14.
- Do not use morphology alone to build a complete doctrinal claim.
What Does The Label Mean?
Noun: the form names a person, place, thing, or concept in the clause.
Nominative: marks the noun sentence role as the context requires.
Singular: the number should be read from this occurrence, not generalized beyond the clause.
Neuter: grammatical gender marks form agreement and does not by itself make a theological claim.
What The Form Does In This Verse
You are
The linking verb in Matthew 5:14
Names the second image Jesus applies to the addressed disciples.
Do not treat light as a detached symbol apart from the statement and the following good-works purpose.
How Much The Form Matters Here
High: light image
Predicate noun in the light metaphor. names what the addressed disciples are called. Attached to you are. Governed by the linking verb in Matthew 5:14. Read with You are the light of the world.
What second image does Jesus assign to the disciples? He calls them the light of the world.
Direct: The noun directly supports light.
This occurrence must be read within Matthew 5:14, not as a standalone word study.
How The Interpretation Is Derived
The witness reads φῶς in Matthew 5:14.
The lemma names light or a source of light, and here it supplies the metaphorical identity after the linking verb.
The nominative noun parallels the salt saying and stands as the predicate complement.
Jesus says the addressed disciples are the light of the world, preparing the following call for visible good works.
The form fits Matthew 5 by connecting disciple identity to visible witness under Jesus authority.
Use it to explain the central light image before moving to the city and lamp examples.
Do not build a complete theology of light from this noun form alone.