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Today's Verse Analysis

Matthew 22:39 And the second [is] like it,

Pharisee asks what the greatest commandment is.

Spoken to
The Pharisees

Matthew 22:39 δευτέρα ὁμοία αὕτη “Ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν.”

Leviticus 19:18: ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν

KJV Verse

Matthew 22:39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

NIV Verse:

Matthew 22:39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.

What His Listeners Heard:

A second is like it: You should care for those neighbors of yours just as yourself.

Lost In Translation:

Jesus uses some uncommon language here. The commandment in this verse is the Greek from the Septuagint, Leviticus 19:18.  Note also that Jesus doesn't suggest that we should care for all of humanity in abstract or for those we don't know. The word translated as "neighbor" means "those nearby." These are real people that we can see and with whom we make personal contact. The word translated as "love" is also not as abstract in Greek as in English. The sense of it it is caring for others as we care for dependent family members.

KJV w/Translation Issues :

And(IW) the(IW) second is like unto(IW) it, Thou shalt(CW) love(CW) thy (MW) neighbour as thyself.

KJV List (See full page for word-by-word analysis):
For analysis of each word of original Greek and biblical verses, click here.

Constantly Updated

My analysis standards and methods are constantly improving. New information on each verse is provided as articles are updated. It requires approximately two years for me to work through updating each of Jesus's verses.

What Jesus's Listeners Heard

The everyday meanings of the Greek words Jesus used were different than the definitions they have been given over time in biblical translation. The word translations here are based upon documents of his time such as the Greek Septuagint, not ideas unknown in his time.

About this Site

See what Jesus said in Greek and see how his words are changed in English translation. My goal is to translate Jesus's words as they were heard when he taught, not the way they are interpreted today. The work here resurrects the humor and cleverness of Jesus's words lost in translation.

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Each article provides detailed information on all the Greek words in each verse with links simplifying your own research. It compares the Greek to popular translations to show where words are confused, changed, left out, and added. This site offers research available nowhere else, such as how often Jesus uses a specific Greek word and links to a list of every verse in which he uses a given word.