Matthew 22:38 kjv
This is the first and great commandment.
Matthew 22:38 nkjv
This is the first and great commandment.
Matthew 22:38 niv
This is the first and greatest commandment.
Matthew 22:38 esv
This is the great and first commandment.
Matthew 22:38 nlt
This is the first and greatest commandment.
Matthew 22 38 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Deut 6:5 | "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength." | The Old Testament source of the Great Commandment. |
| Mk 12:30 | "And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart..." | Parallel account of the Great Commandment. |
| Lk 10:27 | "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart..." | Parallel account given in response to a lawyer's question. |
| Mt 22:37 | "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart..." | The direct preceding verse giving the commandment. |
| Mt 22:40 | "On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets." | Emphasizes these two commands summarize the whole law. |
| Rom 13:10 | "Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law." | Love fulfills the law. |
| Gal 5:14 | "For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" | Love sums up all ethical commands. |
| 1 Jn 4:8 | "He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." | God's essence is love, reflected in our love for Him. |
| 1 Jn 4:19 | "We love Him because He first loved us." | Our love is a response to God's initiating love. |
| Deut 10:12 | "And now, Israel, what does the LORD your God require of you, but to fear the LORD...to love Him..." | The call to love God is central to covenant requirements. |
| Jos 22:5 | "...to love Him, to walk in all His ways, to keep His commandments..." | Loving God involves obeying His commands wholeheartedly. |
| Ps 119:2 | "Blessed are those who keep His testimonies, who seek Him with the whole heart!" | The importance of wholehearted seeking of God. |
| Ps 119:97 | "Oh, how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day." | Affection for God's law stems from love for God. |
| Prov 8:17 | "I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me." | God's reciprocity to those who love Him. |
| Is 29:13 | "...their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men." | Contrast with empty worship, emphasizing heart love. |
| Jer 24:7 | "Then I will give them a heart to know Me...for they shall return to Me with their whole heart." | God promises a new heart to genuinely love and seek Him. |
| Ezek 11:19 | "Then I will give them one heart...that they may walk in My statutes..." | The Lord gives a heart to obey His statutes. |
| Joel 2:12-13 | "Return to Me with all your heart...rend your heart and not your garments." | Emphasis on inner transformation and heartfelt devotion. |
| Heb 8:10 | "I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts..." | God's new covenant puts laws on the heart, leading to natural obedience. |
| Rev 2:4 | "Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love." | Admonition against losing primary devotion to God. |
| Jn 14:15 | "If you love Me, keep My commandments." | Demonstrating love for Jesus through obedience. |
| Jn 15:10 | "If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love..." | Abiding in God's love through obedience. |
| 1 Cor 13:13 | "And now abides faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love." | Highlights love as the supreme virtue in the Christian life. |
| 1 Tim 1:5 | "Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith." | The ultimate goal of Christian teaching is love. |
| Deut 4:29 | "But from there you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul." | Wholehearted seeking results in finding God. |
Matthew 22 verses
Matthew 22 38 Meaning
This verse asserts the supreme pre-eminence of the commandment to "love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all all your mind," which Jesus states in the preceding verse (Matthew 22:37). It defines this single commandment as being both chronologically and hierarchically "first," indicating its foundational position and paramount importance above all other precepts in the Law of God. It is the greatest because it encompasses and guides all other divine requirements, establishing the core of one's relationship with the Creator.
Matthew 22 38 Context
This verse appears during a pivotal confrontation in Jerusalem in the days leading up to Jesus' crucifixion. Various Jewish religious factions (Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians) consecutively try to entrap Jesus with difficult questions regarding taxation, the resurrection, and finally, the Law. The context for Matthew 22:38 specifically is a question posed by a Pharisee, a lawyer, who asks Jesus, "Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?" (Mt 22:36). This question aimed to test Jesus' understanding of the vast body of Mosaic Law, which consisted of 613 commandments, prompting him to prioritize. Jesus' reply in verse 37, drawing directly from the Shema (Dt 6:5), articulates the command to love God wholeheartedly. Verse 38 then clarifies the supreme position of this command. This answer stands as a polemic against the meticulous legalism and potential for neglecting the spiritual heart of the Law, prevalent among some Jewish leaders who focused more on ritual purity and external observance rather than inward devotion and genuine love for God and neighbor. Jesus transcends the debate by returning to the foundational principle of God's covenant with His people.
Matthew 22 38 Word analysis
- This (Greek: houtos): A demonstrative pronoun referring directly to the commandment stated immediately before it in Matthew 22:37: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind." It acts as an emphatic pointing to the absolute authority and distinct nature of that singular directive.
- is (Greek: estin): A simple yet powerful verb "to be," asserting a definitive truth and identity. It signifies an unchanging reality, stating the undeniable fact of the commandment's supreme status.
- the first (Greek: protē - πρώτη): "First" here means not only chronologically prior (as the command to love God preceded the rest of the Decalogue conceptually) but, more importantly, primary in rank, preeminence, and importance. It implies the foundation upon which all other commandments are built or find their ultimate meaning. It's the most excellent or chief.
- and (Greek: kai): A conjunction connecting "first" and "greatest," highlighting a unified dual nature of its supremacy. It's both first in order/priority and greatest in significance/magnitude.
- greatest (Greek: megalē - μεγάλη): This term means supreme in magnitude, size, significance, or importance. It emphasizes that this command carries more weight, has deeper implications, and possesses a higher value than any other commandment in the entire Law. It affects the most profound aspects of one's being and relationship with God.
- commandment (Greek: entolē - ἐντολή): Refers to a divine injunction, a precept, or an authoritative ordinance given by God. It signifies a binding instruction that carries divine authority and expects obedience. This term underscores that love for God is not merely a suggestion or a sentiment, but a required and central directive for all of God's people.
Matthew 22 38 Bonus section
The uniqueness of this commandment lies in its divine target: God Himself. Unlike the second greatest commandment (love your neighbor), the first points directly to the Creator, emphasizing an ultimate, vertical relationship that underpins all horizontal human interactions. This priority aligns with the core of Israel's faith, encapsulated in the Shema (Dt 6:4-5), a daily declaration of the singular nature of God and the required response of His people. Jesus' emphasis here re-centered Jewish religious thought away from a potential obsession with minute legal details and back to the foundational essence of faith: a loving relationship with the living God. It's also important to recognize the immediate and unbreakable connection between this verse and Matthew 22:39, where Jesus immediately follows by identifying the "second" great commandment (to love one's neighbor). This signifies that these two, while distinct, are inseparably linked; genuine love for God necessarily expresses itself in love for one's fellow human beings. They form the dual pillars upon which "all the Law and the Prophets hang" (Mt 22:40), acting as the interpretive lens for all Scripture.
Matthew 22 38 Commentary
Matthew 22:38, standing on its own but deriving its force from the preceding verse, emphatically declares the paramount significance of wholehearted love for God. This statement is more than a ranking; it is a profound theological insight from Jesus into the very heart of divine Law. By identifying the love of God as the "first and greatest commandment," Jesus signifies that this single directive serves as the foundational principle from which all other commands derive their meaning and power. It is not just about outward conformity, but an inward orientation of the entire being—intellect, emotions, and will—towards God. This holistic love defines the essence of true religion, establishing one's primary allegiance and devotion to the Creator. Failing in this command fundamentally undermines any attempt to genuinely fulfill other aspects of the Law. It implies that true obedience stems from this core love, and that without it, all religious practices are ultimately hollow. This verse highlights a theological boundary: devotion to God is not to be fragmented but should consume the entire self. For practical usage, this means daily life is an act of worship: how one uses their mind (for study, prayer), their heart (for compassion, purity), and their strength (for service, generosity) all fall under this umbrella of loving God completely. It reminds believers that all actions, words, and thoughts should flow from this central and greatest love.