New International Version This is the first and greatest commandment. New Living Translation This is the first and greatest commandment. English Standard Version This is the great and first commandment. Berean Standard Bible This is the first and greatest commandment. Berean Literal Bible This is the great and first commandment. King James Bible This is the first and great commandment. New King James Version This is the first and great commandment. New American Standard Bible This is the great and foremost commandment. NASB 1995 “This is the great and foremost commandment. NASB 1977 “This is the great and foremost commandment. Legacy Standard Bible This is the great and foremost commandment. Amplified Bible This is the first and greatest commandment. Berean Annotated Bible This is the first and greatest commandment. Christian Standard Bible This is the greatest and most important command. Holman Christian Standard Bible This is the greatest and most important command. American Standard Version This is the great and first commandment. Contemporary English Version This is the first and most important commandment. English Revised Version This is the great and first commandment. GOD'S WORD® Translation This is the greatest and most important commandment. Good News Translation This is the greatest and the most important commandment. International Standard Version This is the greatest and most important commandment. NET Bible This is the first and greatest commandment. New Heart English Bible This is the great and first commandment. Webster's Bible Translation This is the first and great commandment. Weymouth New Testament This is the greatest and foremost Commandment. Majority Text Translations Majority Standard BibleThis is the first and greatest commandment. World English Bible This is the first and great commandment. Literal Translations Literal Standard Versionthis is a first and great command; Berean Literal Bible This is the great and first commandment. Young's Literal Translation this is a first and great command; Smith's Literal Translation This is the first and the great command. Catholic Translations Douay-Rheims BibleThis is the greatest and the first commandment. Catholic Public Domain Version This is the greatest and first commandment. New American Bible This is the greatest and the first commandment. New Revised Standard Version This is the greatest and first commandment. Translations from Aramaic Lamsa BibleThis is the greatest and the first commandment. Aramaic Bible in Plain English “This is the great and the first commandment.” NT Translations Anderson New TestamentThis is the first and great commandment. Godbey New Testament Haweis New Testament This is the first and great commandment. Mace New Testament this is the first and most important precept, Weymouth New Testament This is the greatest and foremost Commandment. Worrell New Testament Worsley New Testament Additional Translations ... Audio Bible (Voice ▾ Musical ▾) Context The Greatest Commandment…37Jesus declared, “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38This is the first and greatest commandment. 39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’… Cross References This is the first Mark 12:29-30 Jesus replied, “This is the most important: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One. / Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ Deuteronomy 6:4-5 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One. / And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Luke 10:27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” and greatest commandment. Romans 13:8-10 Be indebted to no one, except to one another in love. For he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. / The commandments “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and any other commandments, are summed up in this one decree: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” / Love does no wrong to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Galatians 5:14 The entire law is fulfilled in a single decree: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” James 2:8 If you really fulfill the royal law stated in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. Deuteronomy 6:5 And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Mark 12:30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ Matthew 22:37 Jesus declared, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ John 14:15 If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. 1 John 4:19 We love because He first loved us. Romans 13:9 The commandments “Do not commit adultery,” “Do not murder,” “Do not steal,” “Do not covet,” and any other commandments, are summed up in this one decree: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome, Leviticus 19:18 Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against any of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD. 1 Corinthians 13:13 And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love. John 13:34 A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another. Treasury of Scripture This is the first and great commandment. Jump to Previous Command Commandment First Foremost Great Greatest RuleJump to Next Command Commandment First Foremost Great Greatest RuleMatthew 22 1. The parable of the marriage of the king's son.9. The vocation of the Gentiles. 12. The punishment of him who lacked a wedding garment. 15. Tribute ought to be paid to Caesar. 23. Jesus confutes the Sadducees for the resurrection; 34. answers which is the first and great commandment; 41. and puzzles the Pharisees by a question about the Messiah. This is the first Jesus answers the Pharisee’s question by placing wholehearted love for God above every other duty in the Law. Israel’s covenant life began with devotion to the one true God, expressed not merely through outward obedience but through the whole person. Mrk 12:29-30 Jesus replied, “This is the most important: ‘Hear, O Israel,… and greatest commandment. Love for God governs every other command and gives proper direction to all human responsibility. Jesus identifies it as the supreme requirement because God deserves undivided allegiance from those He has called to belong to Him. Rom 13:8-10 Be indebted to no one, except to one another in love.… Persons / Places / Events 1. Jesus ChristThe speaker of this verse, Jesus is addressing the Pharisees and Sadducees, providing clarity on the greatest commandment. 2. Pharisees and Sadducees Religious leaders of the time who often challenged Jesus with questions about the law. 3. The Law Refers to the Mosaic Law, which the Pharisees and Sadducees were experts in and often debated over. 4. Jerusalem The setting of this discourse, where Jesus was teaching in the temple courts. 5. The Great Commandment The context of this verse is Jesus summarizing the law with the command to love God with all one's heart, soul, and mind. Teaching Points The Primacy of Love for GodThe command to love God is not just the first in order but the greatest in importance. It should be the foundation of all our actions and decisions. Holistic Love Loving God with all your heart, soul, and mind involves every aspect of our being—emotions, will, intellect, and spirit. Love as a Command This love is not merely a feeling but a command, requiring intentionality and commitment. Relationship with God Our love for God is a response to His love for us, fostering a deep, personal relationship with Him. Integration with Neighborly Love Loving God naturally extends to loving others, as these commandments are interconnected and reflect God's character. Bible Study Questions and Answers 1. What is the meaning of Matthew 22:38?2. How can we prioritize the "greatest commandment" in our daily lives? 3. What does loving God with "all your heart" look like practically? 4. How does Matthew 22:38 connect to the Ten Commandments? 5. In what ways can we demonstrate love for God in our community? 6. Why is this commandment considered the "greatest" by Jesus in Matthew 22:38? 7. What does "This is the first and greatest commandment" imply about the importance of love in faith? 8. How does Matthew 22:38 shape our understanding of the Old Testament commandments? 9. Why is love prioritized as the greatest commandment in Matthew 22:38? 10. What are the top 10 Lessons from Matthew 22? Verse 38. - The first and great commandment; or better, the great and first commandment; Vulgate, Hoc est maximum et primum mandatum. Here was a plain answer to the question of the scribe, which no one could gainsay (comp. Luke 10:27). They who repeated daily in their devotions, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord" (see Mark), could not help acknowledging that love of him whom they thus confessed was the chief duty of man - one which was superior to every other obligation. Matthew 22:38 exalts the call to love God above every other directive. Jesus declares it certain (“is”), places it first in order and importance, labels it the greatest in weight and influence, and frames it as an authoritative command. When believers give God undivided, wholehearted love, every other command—loving neighbor, pursuing holiness, spreading the gospel—falls beautifully into place. Parallel Commentaries ... Greek Thisαὕτη (hautē) Demonstrative Pronoun - Nominative Feminine Singular Strong's 3778: This; he, she, it. is ἐστὶν (estin) Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist. the ἡ (hē) Article - Nominative Feminine Singular Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the. first πρώτη (prōtē) Adjective - Nominative Feminine Singular Strong's 4413: First, before, principal, most important. Contracted superlative of pro; foremost. and καὶ (kai) Conjunction Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely. greatest μεγάλη (megalē) Adjective - Nominative Feminine Singular Strong's 3173: Large, great, in the widest sense. commandment. ἐντολή (entolē) Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular Strong's 1785: An ordinance, injunction, command, law. From entellomai; injunction, i.e. An authoritative prescription. Additonal Resources Matthew 22:38 Blue Letter BibleMatthew 22:38 Bible Gateway Matthew 22:38 Bible.com Matthew 22:38 NIV |
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