And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:
Parallel translations
- WEB Jesus answered, “The greatest is, ‘Hear, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one:
- BSB Jesus replied, “This is the most important: ‘Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.
- 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 is one LORD:
- Luke 10:27And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.
- Gal 3:20Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one.
- Rom 3:30Seeing it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.
- 1 Cor 8:4As concerning therefore the eating of those things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other God but one.
- Jude 1:25To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
- Jas 2:19Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
- Mark 12:32–33And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:
- Deut 30:6And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.
- 1 Tim 2:5For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
- Matt 10:37He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
- 1 Tim 1:5Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:
- Deut 10:12And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,
- Matt 23:9And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
- Prov 23:26My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe 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.