Jesus replied, “This is the most important: ‘Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.
Parallel translations
- WEB Jesus answered, “The greatest is, ‘Hear, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one:
- KJV And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
- NKJV Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.
- NASB Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘Hear, Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one;
- NLT Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus answers by quoting the Shema: 'Hear, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one.'
Overview
Jesus begins with the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4), Israel's foundational confession of the one true God. By grounding the greatest commandment in God's oneness, He roots all duty in who God is. True obedience flows from rightly knowing and confessing the Lord.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- Deut 6:4Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One.
- Luke 10:27He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’ and ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
- Gal 3:20A mediator is unnecessary, however, for only one party; but God is one.
- Rom 3:30since there is only one God, who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith.
- 1 Cor 8:4So about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that an idol is nothing at all in the world, and that there is no God but one.
- Jude 1:25to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority through Jesus Christ our Lord before all time, and now, and for all eternity. Amen.
- Jas 2:19You believe that God is one. Good for you! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
- Mark 12:32–33“Right, Teacher,” the scribe replied. “You have stated correctly that God is One and there is no other but Him,
- Deut 30:6The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love Him with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live.
- 1 Tim 2:5For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
- Matt 10:37Anyone who loves his father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me;
- 1 Tim 1:5The goal of our instruction is the love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and a sincere faith.
- Deut 10:12And now, O Israel, what does the LORD your God ask of you but to fear the LORD your God by walking in all His ways, to love Him, to serve the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul,
- Matt 23:9And do not call anyone on earth your father, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.
- Prov 23:26My son, give me your heart, and let your eyes delight in my ways.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Mark drives urgently to the cross, showing Jesus the Son of God as the suffering Servant who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
How Mark 12:29 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.