Matthew 22:37-40
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Jesus doesn't just cite a commandment; he lifts the entire law and prophets to hinge on this one directive. It’s not merely about feeling good about God, but about actively, completely, and wholeheartedly dedicating your entire being—your affections, your will, your very life—to Him. This isn't just a suggestion; it's the foundational principle from which all true righteousness flows.
And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse comes during a heated debate where religious leaders are trying to trap Jesus with tricky questions. After Jesus answers their questions about taxes and the resurrection, a Pharisee, a teacher of the Law, asks what the greatest commandment is. Jesus' answer, drawing from Old Testament scripture, reveals the core of God's expectations for His people.
Jesus reveals the ultimate command isn't about following rules, but about a total devotion. What does it truly mean to give God 'all' of yourself?
Jesus pulls from Deuteronomy 6:5 to state the greatest commandment: 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'
This isn't just about feeling good; it's about directing every part of your being towards God.
Why does God command such total love? It's not a demand from an aloof ruler, but an invitation rooted in His own character and actions.
Jesus' command to love God is deeply rooted in God's initiative and covenant love for Israel, as seen in Deuteronomy 6:4-5.
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Understand the original words
agapaō · Greek Verb
In a biblical context, refers to a commitment of the will, mind, and emotions that results in sacrificial action. It is the defining characteristic of the believer's relationship with God and others.
kardia · Greek Noun
Often considered the seat of the intellect, will, and inner self. Biblically, it is the center of human personality and the place where decisions for or against God are made.
psychē · Greek Noun
The vital, animating principle of human life. It refers to the individual person, their life-breath, and their existence before God.
dianoia · Greek Noun
Refers to the faculty of understanding, reasoning, and cognition. Loving God with the mind involves dedicating one's intellectual capacities and thoughts to His glory.
plēsion · Greek Noun
Any other person, particularly those within the community of faith, but in Jesus' teaching, it extends to all people, including enemies. It signifies the object of one's duty of care and love.
kremamai · Greek Verb
To hang or be suspended from. Metaphorically, it means that the entire witness and moral requirements of the Hebrew Scriptures are rooted in and supported by these two core commands.
nebi'im · Hebrew Noun
The divinely inspired spokesmen for God in the Old Testament whose writings and ministries served to call Israel to repentance and point forward to the coming Messiah.
Jesus' response is deeply rooted in the Shema and the Law given at Sinai. By emphasizing complete devotion to God, He directs His listeners back to the core of their faith, challenging the superficial observance often found among religious leaders.
c. 1500 BC
The Shema is given
The foundational prayer and declaration of faith, 'Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one,' is given to the Israelites, emphasizing the singularity of God.
c. 1450 BC
The Law is reiterated
In Deuteronomy, Moses reiterates the Law, including the command to love God with all one's heart, soul, and might, which forms the basis for Jesus' teaching.
c. 70 AD
Destruction of the Second Temple
The Roman destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem marked a profound crisis for Judaism, leading to a re-evaluation of religious practice and the centrality of the Law.
c. 30-33 AD— this verse
Jesus' Trial and Teaching
Jesus is questioned by a lawyer about the greatest commandment, to which He responds by quoting Deuteronomy's command to love God with all one's being.
This is the original Old Testament passage quoted by Jesus, forming the foundational command for loving God with one's entire being.
Mark 12:30Mark's Gospel includes 'with all your strength' in Jesus' citation, emphasizing that this love for God engages every fiber of our physical and mental capabilities.
Luke 10:27Luke's account also adds 'with all your strength' and presents this command as the condition for inheriting eternal life, highlighting its life-transforming power.
Matthew 22:39Immediately following the command to love God, Jesus states the second greatest commandment: to love your neighbor as yourself, showing how these two are intrinsically linked and form the core of God's law.
1 John 4:19This New Testament passage explains that our love for God is a response to His prior love for us, providing the motivation and enablement for fulfilling this great commandment.
calvinMatthew 22:34-40: "But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together."
- But when the Pharisees heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they assembled together. 35. And one of them, a doctor of the law, put a question to him, tempting him, and saying, 36. Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37. Jesus saith to him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38. Th…
henryMatthew 22:34-40: "But when the Pharisees had heard that he had put the Sadducees to silence, they were gathered together."
22:34-40 An interpreter of the law asked our Lord a question, to try, not so much his knowledge, as his judgment. The love of God is the first and great commandment, and the sum of all the commands of the first table. Our love of God must be sincere, not in word and tongue only. All our love is too little to bestow upon him, therefore all the powers of the soul must be eng…
Jesus doesn't just cite a commandment; he lifts the entire law and prophets to hinge on this one directive. It’s not merely about feeling good about God, but about actively, completely, and wholeheartedly dedicating your entire being—your affections, your will, your very life—to Him. This isn't just a suggestion; it's the foundational principle from which all true righteousness flows.
This verse comes during a heated debate where religious leaders are trying to trap Jesus with tricky questions. After Jesus answers their questions about taxes and the resurrection, a Pharisee, a teacher of the Law, asks what the greatest commandment is. Jesus' answer, drawing from Old Testament scripture, reveals the core of God's expectations for His people.
This verse comes during a heated debate where religious leaders are trying to trap Jesus with tricky questions. After Jesus answers their questions about taxes and the resurrection, a Pharisee, a teacher of the Law, asks what the greatest commandment is. Jesus' answer, drawing from Old Testament scripture, reveals the core of God's expectations for His people.
"And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these t…" — Jesus doesn't just cite a commandment; he lifts the entire law and prophets to hinge on this one directive. It’s not merely about feeling good about God, but about actively, completely, and wholehe…
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Last reviewed October 2026
