Matthew 22:37–40
Bible Verses. Also called Matthew 22:37-40, The Great Commandment, Greatest Commandment, Love thy neighbour as thyself, Love thy neighbor as thyself, With all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38 This is the first and great commandment.
39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Scripture quotation from the King James Version (KJV). Read this chapter
In this passage Jesus, asked which is the greatest commandment, names love for God and love for neighbor and declares that all the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments. It is accepted across denominational lines as a summary of biblical ethics.
About this articleAI draft from a Korean source. No sources listed. Not yet reviewed by a person.
- Origin
Drafted by AI from the Korean church.wiki article, then translated and adapted for English readers on 5 November 2026.
- Sources
None listed yet. The article draws on the biblical text and general reference works. Add a source
- Review
Not yet reviewed by a person. Last edited by a person: never. Translation updated 5 November 2026. Edit history
Context
After the dispute with the Sadducees over the resurrection, a lawyer from among the Pharisees tests Jesus by asking which is the great commandment in the law. Rabbis of the time debated the commandments of the law, counting them and distinguishing the greater from the lesser. Jesus answers by joining Deuteronomy 6:5, a verse from the Shema that Jews recited daily, with the command to love one's neighbor in Leviticus 19:18. Mark adds "with all thy strength" (Mark 12:30), and Luke follows the exchange with the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25–37).
Interpretation
- As a summary of the law: Love for God is seen as summarizing the first table of the Ten Commandments (the first through fourth commandments), and love for neighbor the second table (the fifth through tenth commandments). The Heidelberg Catechism answers the question of what God's law requires of us with this passage.
- As an order of love: Noting that the second commandment is "like unto" the first, this reading holds that the two loves cannot be separated but that love for God comes first. Augustine spoke of an "order of love," in which all other loves find their proper place when God is loved above all.
- "As thyself": Some interpret self-love as a third commandment, while others take the phrase as a standard: one should care for one's neighbor as much as one already cares for oneself.
Questions of Application
A point of discussion is whether these two commandments replace the law or serve as a principle for interpreting it. Mainstream Protestantism holds that love is the fulfilling of the law (Romans 13:10) but that it does not abolish the law's specific commandments. By contrast, some twentieth-century proposals, such as "situation ethics," retained only the principle of love and relativized specific norms; these were criticized by conservative theologians.
Within the church, some observe that the character of a church is shaped by whether it places greater emphasis on love for God (worship and piety) or on love for neighbor (charity and social engagement). This passage is often cited as a call to hold both together.
Related Passages
See also 5
Is there a problem with this article? Report it
Log in to report. Reports are reviewed within 24 hours.
Discussion 0
Share corrections, other viewpoints or questions about this article.