Deuteronomy 6:5
New English Translation
5 You must love[a] the Lord your God with your whole mind,[b] your whole being,[c] and all your strength.[d]
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- Deuteronomy 6:5 tn The verb אָהֵב (ʾahev, “to love”) in this setting communicates not so much an emotional idea as one of covenant commitment. To love the Lord is to be absolutely loyal and obedient to him in every respect, a truth Jesus himself taught (cf. John 14:15). See also the note on the word “loved” in Deut 4:37.
- Deuteronomy 6:5 tn Heb “heart.” In OT physiology the heart (לֵב, לֵבָב; levav, lev) was considered the seat of the mind or intellect, so that one could think with one’s heart. See A. Luc, NIDOTTE 2:749-54.
- Deuteronomy 6:5 tn Heb “soul”; “being.” Contrary to Hellenistic ideas of a soul that is discrete and separate from the body and spirit, OT anthropology equated the “soul” (נֶפֶשׁ, nefesh) with the person himself. It is therefore best in most cases to translate נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh) as “being” or the like. See H. W. Wolff, Anthropology of the Old Testament, 10-25; D. Fredericks, NIDOTTE 3:133-34.
- Deuteronomy 6:5 sn For NT variations on the Shema see Matt 22:37-39; Mark 12:29-30; Luke 10:27.
Matthew 22:36-40
New English Translation
36 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”[a] 37 Jesus[b] said to him, “‘Love[c] the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’[d] 38 This is the first and greatest[e] commandment. 39 The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[f] 40 All the law and the prophets depend[g] on these two commandments.”
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- Matthew 22:36 tn Or possibly “What sort of commandment in the law is great?”
- Matthew 22:37 tn Grk “And he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
- Matthew 22:37 tn Grk “You will love.” The future indicative is used here with imperatival force (see ExSyn 452 and 569).
- Matthew 22:37 sn A quotation from Deut 6:5. The threefold reference to different parts of the person says, in effect, that one should love God with all one’s being.
- Matthew 22:38 tn Grk “the great and first.”
- Matthew 22:39 sn A quotation from Lev 19:18.
- Matthew 22:40 tn Grk “hang.” The verb κρεμάννυμι (kremannumi) is used here with a figurative meaning (cf. BDAG 566 s.v. 2.b).
Mark 12:29-31
New English Translation
29 Jesus answered, “The most important is: ‘Listen, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love[a] the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’[b] 31 The second is: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[c] There is no other commandment greater than these.”
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- Mark 12:30 tn Grk “You will love.” The future indicative is used here with imperatival force (see ExSyn 452 and 569).
- Mark 12:30 sn A quotation from Deut 6:4-5 and Josh 22:5 (LXX). The fourfold reference to different parts of the person says, in effect, that one should love God with all one’s being.
- Mark 12:31 sn A quotation from Lev 19:18.
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