This is the first and greatest commandment.
Parallel translations
- WEB This is the first and great commandment.
- KJV This is the first and great commandment.
- NKJV This is the first and great commandment.
- NASB This is the great and foremost commandment.
- NLT This is the first and greatest commandment.
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 calls this the first and great commandment. Love for God stands above all other duties.
Overview
By naming love for God as first and greatest, Jesus establishes the priority that orders all other commands. Every other duty flows from and serves this supreme love. The statement makes clear that true religion is not mere rule-keeping but love directed first toward God.
Cross-references & the web
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Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 22:38 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.