And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
Parallel translations
- WEB A second likewise is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
- BSB And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
- NKJV And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
- NASB The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
- NLT A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
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
The second commandment is to love your neighbor as yourself. Love for others flows from and resembles love for God.
Overview
Quoting Leviticus 19:18, Jesus joins love of neighbor to love of God as inseparable companions. Genuine love for God necessarily issues in self-giving love toward others. Together these commands summarize the whole moral life and are fully embodied in Christ, who loved God perfectly and gave Himself for sinners.
Cross-references & the web
Quotation
- Lev 19:18Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.
Cross-references · 9
- Mark 12:31And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.
- Luke 10:27–37And 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.
- Lev 19:18Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.
- Rom 13:9–10For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
- Gal 5:14For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
- Matt 19:19Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
- Rom 15:2Let every one of us please his neighbour for his good to edification.
- Jas 2:8If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:
- Gal 6:10As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Commentaries & study tools
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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 22:39 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.