Our Lord seemed to say: "Here is all Scripture in a nutshell; the whole range of human duty in a portable pocket form." We are reminded of Ecclesiastes 12:13. But what a magnificent definition is here given of pure and undefiled religion! The whole Law is gathered up in that one word love! See Romans 13:8-10.
In Mark 12:33 the word strength is added. There are four channels of love. The heart stands for our emotions; the soul for our will and general individuality; the mind for our intellect; and strength for the activities and energies of our service. Often we cannot feel love, but we can always use our strength for God and show our love by doing things which we would never do except for His sake.
The question which the Master propounded to the scribes can be solved only by the admission of His two natures-divine and human-as existing in His one person. As David's Lord He is divine; as his son, He was born of the Virgin. See Matthew 1:1. [source]
Chapter Summary: Matthew 22
1The parable of the marriage of the king's son 9The vocation of the Gentiles 12The punishment of him who lacked a wedding garment 15Tribute ought to be paid to Caesar 23Jesus confutes the Sadducees for the resurrection; 34answers which is the first and great commandment; 41and puzzles the Pharisees by a question about the Messiah
Greek Commentary for Matthew 22:36
The great commandment in the law [εντολη μεγαλη εν τωι νομωι] 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]
Which is the great commandment [ποία ἐντολὴ μεγάλη] The A. V. and Rev. alike miss the point of this question, which is: which kind of command is great in the law? That is, what kind of a commandment must it be to constitute it a great one? Not, which commandment is greatest as compared with the others? 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. Of these they called some li ght and some heavy. Some thought that the law about the fringes on the garments was the greatest; some that the omission of washings was as bad as homicide; some that the third commandment was the greatest. It was in view of this kind of distinction that the scribe asked the question; not as desiring a declaration as to which commandment was greatest, but as wanting to know the principle upon which a commandment was to be regarded as a great commandment. [source]
Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Matthew 22:36
Mark 12:28The first of all [πρωτη παντων] 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]
John 15:14I command [ἐντέλλομαι] Of several words for command in the New Testament, this one is always used of giving a specific injunction or precept. The kindred noun, ἐντολή , means an order, a charge, a precept and hence is used of a separate precept of the law as distinguished from the law as a whole ( νόμος ). See Matthew 22:36,Matthew 22:38. It is, however, sometimes used of the whole body of the moral precepts of Christianity. See on John 13:34. The sense of specific commands here falls in with the reading of the Rec. Text, ὅσα , whatsoever, literally, as many things as. [source]
What do the individual words in Matthew 22:36 mean?
Parse: Noun, Vocative Masculine Singular
Root: διδάσκαλος
Sense: a teacher. 2 in the NT one who teaches concerning the things of God, and the duties of man.
Greek Commentary for Matthew 22:36
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]
The A. V. and Rev. alike miss the point of this question, which is: which kind of command is great in the law? That is, what kind of a commandment must it be to constitute it a great one? Not, which commandment is greatest as compared with the others? 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. Of these they called some li ght and some heavy. Some thought that the law about the fringes on the garments was the greatest; some that the omission of washings was as bad as homicide; some that the third commandment was the greatest. It was in view of this kind of distinction that the scribe asked the question; not as desiring a declaration as to which commandment was greatest, but as wanting to know the principle upon which a commandment was to be regarded as a great commandment. [source]
Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Matthew 22:36
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]
Of several words for command in the New Testament, this one is always used of giving a specific injunction or precept. The kindred noun, ἐντολή , means an order, a charge, a precept and hence is used of a separate precept of the law as distinguished from the law as a whole ( νόμος ). See Matthew 22:36, Matthew 22:38. It is, however, sometimes used of the whole body of the moral precepts of Christianity. See on John 13:34. The sense of specific commands here falls in with the reading of the Rec. Text, ὅσα , whatsoever, literally, as many things as. [source]