Jesus is asked by a friendly scribe what is the first of all the commandments
Mark 12:31 And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
Mark 12:31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.
Mark 12:31 The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.
A second is this: "You should care for those neighbors of yours as much as yourself." Another commandment, better than these doesn't exist.
The core of this verse is the Greek from the Septuagint, Leviticus 19:18. Both Mark and Matthew follow it exactly. However, Matthew says something different following it.
The word translated as "love" doesn't describe an emotional state, but the devotion to duty. See this article about the words translated as "love." This verb is mistranslated as a command, but the form of the Greek word is one of possibility, something that might or could happen. "You might love" or "you should love."
Notice, the word that Jesus uses for "neighbor" actually means "those nearby." It doesn't generalize as a "neighbor" to anyone in the world. It is those who we can see and act upon directly not in some anonymous way.
We all live locally and shouldn't be so egotistical as to act globally.
IW - Inserted Word -- The word "and" doesn't exist in the source and isn't otherwise justified.
OS -- Outdated Source -- The Greek word translated as "like" existed in the KJV Greek source but not the one we used today.
IW - Inserted Word -- The word "namely" doesn't exist in the source and isn't otherwise justified.
CW - Confusing Word - This "shall" does not indicate the future tense, but describes a possibility, the subjunctive voice.
CW - Confusing Word - This is one of two different verbs with different meanings translated as "love" so the translation confuses them.
MW - Missing Word -- The article "the" before "neighbor" is not shown in the English translation.
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "the" doesn't exist in the source.
- WF - Wrong Form - The "love" is not a command but a possibility.
- CW - Confusing Word - This is one of two different verbs with different meanings translated as "love" so the translation confuses them.
- MW - Missing Word -- The article "the" before "neighbor" is not shown in the English translation.
- MW - Missing Word -- The article "other" is not shown in the English translation.
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "the" doesn't exist in the source.
- IP - Inserted phrase-- The phrase "equallty important" doesn't exist in the source and isn't otherwise justified.
- MW - Missing Word -- The article "this" is not shown in the English translation.
- WF - Wrong Form - The "love" is not in the form of a command.
- CW - Confusing Word - This is one of two different verbs with different meanings translated as "love" so the translation confuses them.
- MW - Missing Word -- The article "the" before "neighbor" is not shown in the English translation.
And -- (IW) There is no Greek word that is translated as "and" in the source we use today but it does exist in the source that the KJV translators used.
the -- -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "the" in the Greek source. IW - Inserted Word -- The word "the" doesn't exist in the source.
second -- The word for "second" means specifically the second of two and "later" in time. There is also no "the" to mark the adjective as a noun. However, the form of the word refers to earlier "commandment."
is -- There is no verb "to be" here in the Greek. However, when noun and pronouns appear in the form of a subject without a verb, the verb "to be" is assumed.
like, -- (OS) There is no Greek word that is translated as "like" in the source we use today but it does exist in the source that the KJV translators used.
namely -- (IW) There is no Greek word that is translated as "namely" in the source we use today nor was there one in the source that the KJV translators used. It was added for clarity.
this, - The word translated as "this" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English. An "it" or "one" would be more appropriate. The Greek that the KJV translators used has another word that more clearly means "this."
Thou -- This is where the quote from Leviticus starts. The "thou" is from the second-person, singular form of the following verb.
shalt -- (CW) This helping verb "shall" does not indicate the future tense, but that the verb describes a possibility, the subjunctive voice. A "might" or "should" in English is more appropriate, but is assumed in an
"if/when/whoever/except" clause. Helping verbs are not needed in Greek since the main verb carries this information in its form.
love -- (CW) The word translated as "love" expresses a lot of different ideas including "to be fond of," "to greet with affection," "to persuade," and "to be contented with." Jesus however, applies it to relationships where we have a duty to care for others: family, God, etc. Another word, also translated as "love," is used to for relationships of affectionate friendship that are more voluntary. To distinguish this word, translating it as "cares for" seems to work best. See this article on love for more information.
thy -- The word translated as "thy" is the possessive form of the second person pronoun.
untranslated "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.
neighbour -- The word translated as "neighbor" means "close", "near,"neighboring, " and "one's neighbor." Notice, the word that Christ uses for "neighbor" is not a word that can be applied to the faceless masses nor to close friends and family. This is a word that refers only to personal acquaintances and those physically nearby.
as -- The word translated as "as" has a very broad meaning, translating as "how", "when", "where", "just as", "like," and related words.
thyself. -- "Yourself" is the second person reflexive pronoun.
There -- This is from the third-person, singular form of the following verb. "It," "he," or "she" would also work. The last part of this verse works better as a spoken statement in response to a question than a written sentence.
is -- The verb "is" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition. It also equates terms or assigns characteristics. When the verb "to be" appears early in the clause before the subject, the sense is more like "it is" or, in the plural, "there are." This word ends the verse as a punchline, "it isn't."
none -- The Greek word translated as "none" is the Greek negative (no, not) used to deny objective facts, not opinions. It makes a negative statement of fact. Adding "really" to the sentence captures the same idea. It is not usually translated as "none" for which Greek has a different word. It precedes the "is' and begins the clause that ends the verse like an answer to a question, "No, it isn't."
other The word translated as "other"\ means "another", "one besides", "of another sort", "different", and "other than what is true",
commandment -- The word translated as "commandments" has the sense of a direct "order" or "command" given by someone as opposed to a body of law or tradition in society.
greater -- "Greater" is an adjective which is the comparative form of the word meaning "big" or "great." It means "bigger", "higher", "longer", "greater" and simply, "superior." When it is introduced by an article, it means "the greater." It is not the superlative form.
than -- This word comes from the genitive case of the following word that required the addition of a preposition in English. The most common is the "of" of possession, but here the "than" for a comparisons is best.
these. -- "These" is translated from a Greek word that means "this", "that", "the nearer."
The -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "the" in the Greek source.
second -- The word for "second" means specifically the second of two and "later" in time. There is also no "the" to mark the adjective as a noun. However, the form of the word refers to earlier "commandment."
is -- There is no verb "to be" here in the Greek. However, when nouns and pronouns appear in the form of a subject without a verb, the verb "to be" is assumed.
this, - The word translated as "this" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English. An "it" or "one" would be more appropriate. The Greek that the KJV translators used has another word that more clearly means "this."
Love -- (WF, CW) The word translated as "love" expresses a lot of different ideas including "to be fond of," "to greet with affection," "to persuade," and "to be contented with." Jesus however, applies it to relationships where we have a duty to care for others: family, God, etc. Another word, also translated as "love," is used to for relationships of affectionate friendship that are more voluntary. To distinguish this word, translating it as "cares for" seems to work best. See this article on love for more information.
your -- The word translated as "your " is the possessive form of the second person pronoun.
missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.
neighbour -- The word translated as "neighbor" means "close", "near,"neighboring, " and "one's neighbor." Notice, the word that Christ uses for "neighbor" is not a word that can be applied to the faceless masses nor to close friends and family. This is a word that refers only to personal acquaintances and those physically nearby.
as -- The word translated as "as" has a very broad meaning, translating as "how", "when", "where", "just as", "like," and related words.
yourself. -- "Yourself" is the second person reflexive pronoun.
There -- This is from the third-person, singular form of the following verb. "It," "he," or "she" would also work. The last part of this verse works better as a spoken statement in response to a question than a written sentence.
is -- The verb "is" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition. It also equates terms or assigns characteristics. When the verb "to be" appears early in the clause before the subject, the sense is more like "it is" or, in the plural, "there are." This word ends the verse as a punchline, "it isn't."
no -- The Greek word translated as "none" is the Greek negative (no, not) used to deny objective facts, not opinions. It makes a negative statement of fact. Adding "really" to the sentence captures the same idea. It is not usually translated as "none" for which Greek has a different word. It precedes the "is' and begins the clause that ends the verse like an answer to a question, "No, it isn't."
missing "other "-- (MW) The untranslated word "other" means "another", "one besides", "of another sort", "different", and "other than what is true",
commandment -- The word translated as "commandments" has the sense of a direct "order" or "command" given by someone as opposed to a body of law or tradition in society.
greater -- "Greater" is an adjective which is the comparative form of the word meaning "big" or "great." It means "bigger", "higher", "longer", "greater" and simply, "superior." When it is introduced by an article, it means "the greater." It is not the superlative form.
than -- This word comes from the genitive case of the following word that required the addition of a preposition in English. The most common is the "of" of possession, but here the "than" for comparisons is best.
these. -- "These" is translated from a Greek word that means "this", "that", "the nearer."
The -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "the" in the Greek source.
second -- The word for "second" means specifically the second of two and "later" in time. There is also no "the" to mark the adjective as a noun. However, the form of the word refers to earlier "commandment."
is -- There is no verb "to be" here in the Greek. However, when noun and pronouns appear in the form of a subject without a verb, the verb "to be" is assumed.
equally important: -- (IP) There are no Greek words that can be translated as "equally important" in the Greek source.
missing "this"-- (MW) The untranslated word "this" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English. An "it" or "one" would be more appropriate. The Greek that the KJV translators used has another word that more clearly means "this."
Love -- (WF, CW) The word translated as "love" expresses a lot of different ideas including "to be fond of," "to greet with affection," "to persuade," and "to be contented with." Jesus however, applies it to relationships where we have a duty to care for others: family, God, etc. Another word, also translated as "love," is used to for relationships of affectionate friendship that are more voluntary. To distinguish this word, translating it as "cares for" seems to work best. See this article on love for more information.
your -- The word translated as "your " is the possessive form of the second person pronoun.
missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.
neighbour -- The word translated as "neighbor" means "close", "near,"neighboring, " and "one's neighbor." Notice, the word that Christ uses for "neighbor" is not a word that can be applied to the faceless masses nor to close friends and family. This is a word that refers only to personal acquaintances and those physically nearby.
as -- The word translated as "as" has a very broad meaning, translating as "how", "when", "where", "just as", "like," and related words.
yourself. -- "Yourself" is the second person reflexive pronoun.
No -- The Greek word translated as "none" is the Greek negative (no, not) used to deny objective facts, not opinions. It makes a negative statement of fact. Adding "really" to the sentence captures the same idea. It is not usually translated as "none" for which Greek has a different word. It precedes the "is' and begins the clause that ends the verse like an answer to a question, "No, it isn't."
other -- The word trans.ated as "other" means "another", "one besides", "of another sort", "different", and "other than what is true",.
commandment -- The word translated as "commandments" has the sense of a direct "order" or "command" given by someone as opposed to a body of law or tradition in society.
is -- The verb "is" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition. It also equates terms or assigns characteristics. When the verb "to be" appears early in the clause before the subject, the sense is more like "it is" or, in the plural, "there are." This word ends the verse as a punchline, "it isn't."
greater -- "Greater" is an adjective which is the comparative form of the word meaning "big" or "great." It means "bigger", "higher", "longer", "greater" and simply, "superior." When it is introduced by an article, it means "the greater." It is not the superlative form.
than -- This word comes from the genitive case of the following word that required the addition of a preposition in English. The most common is the "of" of possession, but here the "than" for a comparisons is best.
these. -- "These" is translated from a Greek word that means "this", "that", "the nearer."
δευτέρα [5 verses](adj sg fem nom) "The second" is deuteros, which means "second", "next", "second of two," and "later."
αὕτη [83 verses](adj sg fem nom) "Like" is houtos, which as an adjective means "this", "that", "the nearer." As an adverb, it means "in this way", "therefore", "so much", "to such an extent," and "that is why." -- "This" is translated from a Greek word that means "this", "that", "the nearer." -- The word translated in KJV as "thus" is in its adverbial form, so it means "in this manner" or "in this way."
“Ἀγαπήσεις [32 verses](verb 2nd sg aor subj act) "Love" is agapao, which means "to be fond of", "to greet with affection", "to persuade", "to caress", "to prize", "to desire", "to be pleased with," and "to be contended with." "Agape" takes its modern meaning of "brotherly love" from the English translations of the New Testament.
τὸν [821 verses](article 2nd sg acc) Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"), which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones."
λησίον [5 verses](adj sg masc acc)"Neighbor" is from plesion, which means "close", "near,"neighboring, " and "one's neighbor."
σου [144 verses] (pron 2nd sg gen) "Thy" is from sou which means "you" and "your."
ὡς (167 verses](adv) "As" is from hos, an adverb which means to "thus", "as", "how", "when", "where", "like", "just as", "so far as", "as much as can be", "that", "in order that", "nearly (with numbers)," and "know that."
σεαυτόν.” [5 verses](adj sg masc acc) "Yourself" is from seatou, which means "of yourself."
μείζων [22 verses](adj sg masc nom comp) "Greater" is meizon which means "bigger", "higher", "longer," and "greater" and is the comparative form of megas, which means "big" and "great." The superlative form "greatest" is megistos, μέγιστος.--
τούτω [83 verses](adj pl masc gen) "These" is houtos, which as an adjective means "this", "that", "the nearer."
νἄλλη [34 verses](adj sg fem nom )"The other" is allos, which means "another", "one besides", "of another sort", "different", "other than what is true", "as well", "besides," {with numerals: "yet", "still", "further"), "of other sort", "other than what is", "untrue", "unreal", "other than right", "wrong", "bad", "unworthy," [with an article] "the rest", "all besides," and [in series] "one...another."
ἐντολὴ [23 verses](noun sg fem nom) "Commandment" is from entolê (entole) which means "injunction", "order," and "command." --
οὐκ [269 verses](partic) "None" is ou which is the negative adverb for facts and statements, negating both single words and sentences. The other negative adverb, μή applies to will and thought; οὐ denies, μή rejects; οὐ is absolute, μή relative; οὐ objective, μή subjective. --
ἔστιν ” [614 verses](verb 3rd sg pres ind act) "There is" is eimi, which means "to be," "to exist," "to be the case," of circumstance and events "to happen," and "is possible."
Matthew 22:39 And the second [is] like it,
Leviticus 19:18 (Septuagint): ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν