Leviticus 19:18
New English Translation
18 You must not take vengeance or bear a grudge against[a] any of your people,[b] but you must love your neighbor as yourself.[c] I am the Lord.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Leviticus 19:18 tn Heb “and you shall not retain [anger?].” This line seems to refer to the retaining or maintaining of some vengeful feelings toward someone. Compare the combination of the same terms for taking vengeance and maintaining wrath against enemies in Nahum 1:2 (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 305).
- Leviticus 19:18 tn Heb “the sons of your people.”
- Leviticus 19:18 sn Some scholars make a distinction between the verb אָהֵב (ʾahev, “to love”) with the direct object and the more unusual construction with the preposition ל (lamed) as it is here and in Lev 19:34 and 2 Chr 19:2 only. If there is a distinction, the construction here probably calls for direct and helpful action toward one’s neighbor (see the discussion in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 305, and esp. 317-18). Such love stands in contrast to taking vengeance or bearing a grudge against someone and, in NT terms, amounts to fulfilling the so-called “golden rule” (Matt 7:12).
Matthew 5:43-48
New English Translation
Love for Enemies
43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’[a] and ‘hate your enemy.’[b] 44 But I say to you, love your enemy and[c] pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be like[d] your Father in heaven, since he causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even the tax collectors[e] do the same, don’t they? 47 And if you only greet your brothers, what more do you do? Even the Gentiles do the same, don’t they? 48 So then, be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.[f]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Matthew 5:43 sn A quotation from Lev 19:18.
- Matthew 5:43 sn The phrase hate your enemy does not occur explicitly in the OT, but was commonly inferred from passages like Deut 7:2; 30:7; Ps 26:5; Ps 139:21-22. Jesus’ hearers (and Matthew’s readers) would not have been surprised by the statement. It is the antithesis Jesus gives in the following verses that would have shocked them.
- Matthew 5:44 tc Most mss (D L W Δ Θ ƒ13 33 565 579 700 1241 1424 M lat sy(p),h) read “bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you,” before “those who persecute you.” But this is surely a motivated reading, importing the longer form of this aphorism from Luke 6:27-28. The shorter text is found in א B ƒ1 sys,c sa bopt mae, as well as several fathers.
- Matthew 5:45 tn Grk “be sons of your Father in heaven.” Here, however, the focus is not on attaining a relationship (becoming a child of God) but rather on being the kind of person who shares the characteristics of God himself (a frequent meaning of the Semitic idiom “son of”). See L&N 58.26.
- Matthew 5:46 sn The Roman system of taxation was frequently characterized by “tax farming” where an individual would bid to collect taxes for the Roman government throughout an entire district and then add a surcharge or commission (often exorbitant) which they kept for themselves as their profit. The tax collectors referred to in the NT were generally not the holders of these tax contracts themselves, but hired subordinates who were often local residents. Since these tax collectors worked for Rome (even indirectly), they were viewed as traitors to their own people and were not well liked. In addition, the system offered many opportunities for dishonesty and greed, both of which were often associated with local tax collectors.
- Matthew 5:48 sn This remark echoes OT statements in Lev 11:44-45 and Lev 19:2: “you must be holy as I am holy.”
Matthew 19:19
New English Translation
19 honor your father and mother,[a] and love your neighbor as yourself.”[b]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Matthew 19:19 sn A quotation from Exod 20:12-16; Deut 5:16-20.
- Matthew 19:19 sn A quotation from Lev 19:18.
Matthew 22:34-40
New English Translation
The Greatest Commandment
34 Now when the Pharisees[a] heard that he had silenced the Sadducees,[b] they assembled together.[c] 35 And one of them, an expert in religious law,[d] asked him a question to test[e] him: 36 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”[f] 37 Jesus[g] said to him, “‘Love[h] the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’[i] 38 This is the first and greatest[j] commandment. 39 The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[k] 40 All the law and the prophets depend[l] on these two commandments.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Matthew 22:34 sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.
- Matthew 22:34 sn See the note on Sadducees in 3:7.
- Matthew 22:34 tn Grk “for the same.” That is, for the same purpose that the Sadducees had of testing Jesus.
- Matthew 22:35 tn Traditionally, “a lawyer.” This was an expert in the interpretation of the Mosaic law.
- Matthew 22:35 tn Grk “testing.” The participle, however, is telic in force.
- 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 12:28-33
New English Translation
The Greatest Commandment
28 Now[a] one of the experts in the law[b] came and heard them debating. When he saw that Jesus[c] answered them well, he asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The most important is: ‘Listen, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love[d] the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’[e] 31 The second is: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[f] There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 The expert in the law said to him, “That is true, Teacher; you are right to say that he is one, and there is no one else besides him.[g] 33 And to love him with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your strength[h] and to love your neighbor as yourself[i] is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Mark 12:28 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
- Mark 12:28 tn Or “One of the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 1:22.
- Mark 12:28 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- 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.
- Mark 12:32 sn A quotation from Deut 4:35.
- Mark 12:33 sn A quotation from Deut 6:5.
- Mark 12:33 sn A quotation from Lev 19:18.
Luke 10:25-28
New English Translation
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
25 Now[a] an expert in religious law[b] stood up to test Jesus,[c] saying, “Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”[d] 26 He said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you understand it?”[e] 27 The expert[f] answered, “Love[g] the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,[h] and love your neighbor as yourself.”[i] 28 Jesus[j] said to him, “You have answered correctly;[k] do this, and you will live.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Luke 10:25 tn Grk “And behold.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic. The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
- Luke 10:25 tn Traditionally, “a lawyer.” This was an expert in the interpretation of the Mosaic law (see also Luke 7:30, where the same term occurs).
- Luke 10:25 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Luke 10:25 sn The combination of inherit with eternal life asks, in effect, “What must I do to be saved?”
- Luke 10:26 tn Grk “How do you read?” The pronoun “it” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
- Luke 10:27 tn Grk “And he”; the referent (the expert in religious law, shortened here to “the expert”) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
- Luke 10:27 tn Grk “You will love.” The future indicative is used here with imperatival force (see ExSyn 452 and 569).
- Luke 10:27 sn A quotation from Deut 6:5. The fourfold reference to different parts of the person says, in effect, that one should love God with all one’s being.
- Luke 10:27 tn This portion of the reply is a quotation from Lev 19:18. The verb is repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.
- Luke 10:28 tn Grk “And he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
- Luke 10:28 sn Jesus commends the reply (you have answered correctly). What is assumed here, given the previous context, is that he will respond to Jesus’ message, as to love God is to respond to his Son; see v. 22.
John 13:34-35
New English Translation
34 “I give you a new commandment—to love[a] one another. Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.[b] 35 Everyone[c] will know by this that you are my disciples—if you have love for one another.”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- John 13:34 tn The ἵνα (hina) clause gives the content of the commandment. This is indicated by a dash in the translation.
- John 13:34 sn The idea that love is a commandment is interesting. In the OT the ten commandments have a setting in the covenant between God and Israel at Sinai; they were the stipulations that Israel had to observe if the nation were to be God’s chosen people. In speaking of love as the new commandment for those whom Jesus had chosen as his own (John 13:1; 15:16) and as a mark by which they could be distinguished from others (13:35), John shows that he is thinking of this scene in covenant terminology. But note that the disciples are to love “Just as I have loved you” (13:34). The love Jesus has for his followers cannot be duplicated by them in one sense, because it effects their salvation, since he lays down his life for them: It is an act of love that gives life to people. But in another sense, they can follow his example (recall to the end, 13:1; also 1 John 3:16; 4:16 and the interpretation of Jesus’ washing of the disciples’ feet). In this way Jesus’ disciples are to love one another: They are to follow his example of sacrificial service to one another, to death if necessary.
- John 13:35 tn Grk “All people,” although many modern translations have rendered πάντες (pantes) as “all men” (ASV, RSV, NASB, NIV). While the gender of the pronoun is masculine, it is collective and includes people of both genders.
Galatians 5:14
New English Translation
14 For the whole law can be summed up in a single commandment,[a] namely, “You must love your neighbor as yourself.”[b]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Galatians 5:14 tn Or “can be fulfilled in one commandment.”
- Galatians 5:14 sn A quotation from Lev 19:18.
James 2:8
New English Translation
8 But if you fulfill the royal law as expressed in this scripture,[a] “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,”[b] you are doing well.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- James 2:8 tn Grk “according to the scripture.”
- James 2:8 sn A quotation from Lev 19:18 (also quoted in Matt 19:19; 22:39; Mark 12:31; Luke 10:27; Rom 13:9; Gal 5:14).
NET Bible® copyright ©1996-2017 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. http://netbible.com All rights reserved.