KJV: And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?
YLT: And one of the scribes having come near, having heard them disputing, knowing that he answered them well, questioned him, 'Which is the first command of all?'
Darby: And one of the scribes who had come up, and had heard them reasoning together, perceiving that he had answered them well, demanded of him, Which is the first commandment of all?
ASV: And one of the scribes came, and heard them questioning together, and knowing that he had answered them well, asked him, What commandment is the first of all?
| προσελθὼν | having come up |
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Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular Root: προσέρχομαι Sense: to come to, approach. |
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| εἷς | one |
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Parse: Adjective, Nominative Masculine Singular Root: εἷς Sense: one. |
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| τῶν | of the |
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Parse: Article, Genitive Masculine Plural Root: ὁ Sense: this, that, these, etc. |
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| γραμματέων | scribes |
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Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Plural Root: γραμματεύς Sense: a clerk, scribe, esp. |
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| ἀκούσας | having heard |
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Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular Root: ἀκουστός Sense: to be endowed with the faculty of hearing, not deaf. |
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| συζητούντων | reasoning together |
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Parse: Verb, Present Participle Active, Genitive Masculine Plural Root: συζητέω Sense: to seek or examine together. |
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| ἰδὼν | having seen |
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Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Singular Root: εἶδον Sense: to see with the eyes. |
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| ὅτι | that |
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Parse: Conjunction Root: ὅτι Sense: that, because, since. |
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| καλῶς | well |
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Parse: Adverb Root: καλῶς Sense: beautifully, finely, excellently, well. |
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| ἀπεκρίθη | He answered |
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Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Passive, 3rd Person Singular Root: ἀποκρίνομαι Sense: to give an answer to a question proposed, to answer. |
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| ἐπηρώτησεν | he questioned |
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Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular Root: ἐπερωτάω Sense: to accost one with an enquiry, put a question to, enquiry of, ask, interrogate. |
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| ἐντολὴ | commandment |
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Parse: Noun, Nominative Feminine Singular Root: ἐντολή Sense: an order, command, charge, precept, injunction. |
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| πρώτη | [the] first |
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Parse: Adjective, Nominative Feminine Singular Root: πρῶτος Sense: first in time or place. |
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| πάντων | of all |
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Parse: Adjective, Genitive Neuter Plural Root: πᾶς Sense: individually. |
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Greek Commentary for Mark 12:28
The victory of Christ over the Sadducees pleased the Pharisees who now had come back with mixed emotions over the new turn of things (Matthew 22:34). Luke 20:39 represents one of the scribes as commending Jesus for his skilful reply to the Sadducees. Mark here puts this scribe in a favourable light, “knowing that he had answered them well” “Them” here means the Sadducees. But Matthew 22:35 says that this lawyer (νομικος nomikos) was “tempting” (πειραζων peirazōn) by his question. “A few, among whom was the scribe, were constrained to admire, even if they were willing to criticize, the Rabbi who though not himself a Pharisee, surpassed the Pharisees as a champion of the truth.” That is a just picture of this lawyer. [source]
First in rank and importance. Matthew 22:36 has “great” See discussion there. Probably Jesus spoke in Aramaic. “First” and “great” in Greek do not differ essentially here. Mark quotes Deuteronomy 6:4f. as it stands in the lxx and also Leviticus 19:18. Matthew 22:40 adds the summary: “On these two commandments hangeth (κρεμαται krematai) the whole law and the prophets.” [source]
Lit., beautifully, finely, admirably. [source]
Rather, of what nature. [source]
Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Mark 12:28
The positive adjective is sometimes as high in rank as the superlative. See μεγας megas in Matthew 5:19 in contrast with ελαχιστος elachistos The superlative μεγιστος megistos occurs in the N.T. only in 2 Peter 1:4. Possibly this scribe wishes to know which commandment stood first (Mark 12:28) with Jesus. “The scribes declared that there were 248 affirmative precepts, as many as the members of the human body; and 365 negative precepts, as many as the days in the year, the total being 613, the number of letters in the Decalogue” (Vincent). But Jesus cuts through such pettifogging hair-splitting to the heart of the problem. [source]
First aorist participle, no longer passive in idea. The lawyer‘s answer is first from the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:3; Deuteronomy 11:13) which was written on the phylacteries. The second part is from Leviticus 19:18 and shows that the lawyer knew the law. At a later time Jesus himself in the temple gives a like summary of the law to a lawyer (Mark 12:28-34; Matthew 22:34-40) who wanted to catch Jesus by his question. There is no difficulty in the two incidents. God is to be loved with all of man‘s four powers (heart, soul, strength, mind) here as in Mark 12:30. [source]
The Pharisees had rallied in glee and one of their number, a lawyer, had made a feeble contribution to the controversy which resulted in his agreement with Jesus and in praise from Jesus (Mark 12:28-34; Matthew 27:34-40). Luke does not give this incident which makes it plain that by “they say” The construction with λεγουσιν legousin is the usual infinitive and the accusative in indirect discourse. By “the Christ” (τον Χριστον ton Christon) “the Messiah” is meant. [source]
Subfinal use of ινα hina in apposition with εντολη entolē (commandment) and explanatory of it, as in John 15:12 See Christ‘s summary of the commandments (Mark 12:28-31; Matthew 22:34-40).So these two points here (1) We should believe (πιστευσωμεν pisteusōmen first aorist active subjunctive according to B K L, though Aleph A C read the present subjunctive πιστευωμεν pisteuōmen) either in a crisis (aorist) or the continuous tenor (present) of our lives. The “name” of Jesus Christ here stands for all that he is, “a compressed creed” (Westcott) as in 1 John 1:3. Note dative ονοματι onomati here with πιστευω pisteuō as in 1 John 5:10, though εις ονομα eis onoma (on the name) in 1 John 5:13; John 1:12; John 2:23; John 3:18.But (2) we should love one another” There are frequent points of contact between this Epistle and the words of Jesus in John 13-17. [source]