The Meaning of Mark 12:33 Explained

Mark 12:33

KJV: And to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.

YLT: and to love Him out of all the heart, and out of all the understanding, and out of all the soul, and out of all the strength, and to love one's neighbour as one's self, is more than all the whole burnt-offerings and the sacrifices.'

Darby: and to love him with all the heart, and with all the intelligence, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbour as one's self, is more than all the burnt-offerings and sacrifices.

ASV: and to love him with all the heart, and with all the understanding, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is much more than all whole burnt-offerings and sacrifices.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  to love  him  with  all  the heart,  and  with  all  the understanding,  and  with  all  the soul,  and  with  all  the strength,  and  to love  [his] neighbour  as  himself,  is  more  than all  whole burnt offerings  and  sacrifices. 

What does Mark 12:33 Mean?

Context Summary

Mark 12:28-44 - The First Commandment
To the young ruler our Lord named one command as great-the love of one's neighbor. Now, in answer to this scribe, he turned with unerring choice, first to Deuteronomy 6:4-5, and then to Leviticus 19:18, for the two pillars on which the collective and individual life of man must rest. The reverent answer of the scribe proves that he was no ordinary questioner; and our Lord acknowledged this when He told him that a few steps more would bring him into the kingdom of God. Our Lord was David's son by human descent, but as Son of God, proceeding from the Father, He is exalted far above David and all mankind.
In terrible words, Mark 12:38-40, Christ denounced the moral and religious leaders of the time. They made a pretense and a gain of their religion. How great the contrast between them and this poor widow, who cast into God's treasury all that she had to provide for her day's living! Our Lord is quick to notice acts like these, which give evidence of the true heart. [source]

Chapter Summary: Mark 12

1  Jesus tells the parable of the tenants
13  He avoids the snare of the Pharisees and Herodians about paying tribute to Caesar;
18  convicts the Sadducees, who denied the resurrection;
28  resolves the scribe, who questioned of the first commandment;
35  refutes the opinion that the scribes held of the Christ;
38  bidding the people to beware of their ambition and hypocrisy;
41  and commends the poor widow for her two mites, above all

Greek Commentary for Mark 12:33

Understanding [συνέσεως]
A different word from that in Mark 12:30. From συνίημι ,to send or bring together. Hence συνίημι is a union or bringing together of the mind with an object, and so used to denote the faculty of quick comprehension, intelligence, sagacity. Compare συνετῶν , the prudent, Matthew 11:25. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Mark 12:33

Luke 8:10 Understand [συνιῶσιν]
See on understanding, the kindred noun, Mark 12:33. [source]
Luke 2:47 Understanding [συνέσει]
From συνίημι ,to bring together. Hence that quality of mind which combines: understanding not only of facts, but of facts in their mutual relations. See on Mark 12:33; where there is meant “the love of a well-pondered and duly considered resolution which determines the whole person; the love which clearly understands itself” (Cremer). [source]
Luke 20:33 Had her [εσχον]
Constative second aorist indicative of εχω — echō including all seven seriatim. So Matthew 22:28; Mark 12:33. [source]
Acts 7:25 Understood [συνιέναι]
See on understanding, Mark 12:33. [source]
Romans 1:21 Foolish [ἀσύνετος]
See on συνετός prudent Matthew 11:25, and the kindred word σύνεσις understandingsee on Mark 12:33; see on Luke 2:47. They did not combine the facts which were patent to their observation. [source]
1 Corinthians 1:19 Wisdom - prudence [σοφίαν - σύνεσιν]
The two words are often found together, as Exodus 31:3; Deuteronomy 4:6; Colossians 1:9. Compare σοφοὶ καὶ συνετοί wiseand prudent, Matthew 11:25. For the distinction, see, as to σοφία wisdomon Romans 11:33; as to σύνεσις prudenceon Mark 12:33; Luke 2:47. Wisdom is the more general; mental excellence in its highest and fullest sense. Prudence is the special application of wisdom; its critical adjustment to particular cases. [source]
Colossians 2:2 Of understanding [συνέσεως]
See on Mark 12:33; see on Luke 2:47. [source]
Colossians 1:9 Wisdom and spiritual understanding [σοφίᾳ καὶ συνέσει πνευματικῇ]
Rev., better, applies spiritual to both - spiritual wisdom and understanding. The kindred adjectives σοφός wiseand συνετός prudentoccur together, Matthew 11:25; Luke 10:21. For σοφία wisdomsee on Romans 11:33, and on wise, James 3:13. For σύνεσις understandingsee on Mark 12:33, and see on prudent, Matthew 11:25. The distinction is between general and special. Understanding is the critical apprehension of particulars growing out of wisdom, which apprehension is practically applied by φρόνησις prudencesee on Luke 1:17; see on Ephesians 1:8. Spiritual is emphatic, as contrasted with the vain philosophy of false teachers. [source]
1 Timothy 6:9 Foolish [ἀνοήτους]
Foolish answers to several words in N.T., ἀνοήτος, ἀσύνετος, ἄφρων, μωρός. Ἁνοήτος notunderstanding; a want of proper application of the moral judgment or perception, as Luke 24:25, note; Galatians 3:1, note. Ἄφρων is senseless, stupid, of images, beasts. Comp. Luke 12:20, note. Ἁσύνετος approaches the meaning of ἀνοήτος unintelligentSee 27:12. It also implies a moral sense, wicked, Wisd. 1:5; 11:15; Sirach 15:7. On the etymological sense, see on Matthew href="/desk/?q=mt+11:25&sr=1">Matthew 11:25; see on Mark 12:33; see on Luke 2:47. Μωρός is without forethought, as Matthew 7:26; Matthew 25:3; without learning, as 1 Corinthians 1:27; 1 Corinthians 3:18; with a moral sense, empty, useless, 2 Timothy 2:23; Titus 3:9; and impious, godless, Matthew 5:22; Psalm 94:8; Jeremiah 5:21. [source]
2 Timothy 2:7 And the Lord give thee understanding [δώσει γάρ ὁ κύριος σύνεσιν]
More correctly, for the Lord shall give. For σύνεσιν understandingsee on Mark 12:33; see on Luke 2:47; see on Colossians 1:9. [source]

What do the individual words in Mark 12:33 mean?

and - to love Him with all the heart understanding strength the neighbor as oneself more important is than all the burnt offerings sacrifices
καὶ τὸ ἀγαπᾶν αὐτὸν ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας συνέσεως ἰσχύος τὸν πλησίον ὡς ἑαυτὸν περισσότερόν ἐστιν πάντων τῶν ὁλοκαυτωμάτων θυσιῶν

τὸ  - 
Parse: Article, Nominative Neuter Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
ἀγαπᾶν  to  love 
Parse: Verb, Present Infinitive Active
Root: ἀγαπάω  
Sense: of persons.
καρδίας  heart 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: καρδία  
Sense: the heart.
συνέσεως  understanding 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: σύνεσις  
Sense: a running together, a flowing together with.
ἰσχύος  strength 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: ἰσχύς  
Sense: ability, force, strength, might.
πλησίον  neighbor 
Parse: Adverb
Root: πλησίον  
Sense: a neighbour.
ἑαυτὸν  oneself 
Parse: Reflexive Pronoun, Accusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἑαυτοῦ  
Sense: himself, herself, itself, themselves.
περισσότερόν  more  important 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Neuter Singular, Comparative
Root: περισσός  
Sense: exceeding some number or measure or rank or need.
πάντων  than  all 
Parse: Adjective, Genitive Neuter Plural
Root: πᾶς  
Sense: individually.
ὁλοκαυτωμάτων  burnt  offerings 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Neuter Plural
Root: ὁλοκαύτωμα  
Sense: a whole burnt offering.
θυσιῶν  sacrifices 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Plural
Root: θυσία  
Sense: a sacrifice, victim.