Leviticus 19:15

Justice, Love, and Propriety

19:15 “‘You ¹  must not deal unjustly in judgment: ²  you must neither show partiality to the poor nor honor the rich. ³  You must judge your fellow citizen fairly. ⁴ 

Deuteronomy 33:9

33:9 He said to his father and mother, “I have not seen him,” ⁵ 

and he did not acknowledge his own brothers

or know his own children,

for they kept your word,

and guarded your covenant.

Matthew 10:37

10:37 “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

Matthew 22:16

22:16 They sent to him their disciples along with the Herodians, ⁶  saying, “Teacher, we know that you are truthful, and teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. ⁷  You do not court anyone’s favor because you show no partiality. ⁸ 

Luke 14:26

14:26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate ⁹  his own father and mother, and wife and children, and brothers and sisters, and even his own life, ¹⁰  he cannot be my disciple.

Luke 14:2

14:2 There ¹¹  right ¹²  in front of him was a man suffering from dropsy. ¹³ 

Colossians 1:16

1:16 for all things in heaven and on earth were created by him – all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, ¹⁴  whether principalities or powers – all things were created through him and for him.

James 3:17

3:17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, accommodating, ¹⁵  full of mercy and good fruit, ¹⁶  impartial, and not hypocritical. ¹⁷ 

¹ tc Smr has the singular rather than the plural “you” of the MT, which brings this verb form into line with the ones surrounding it.

² tn Heb “You shall not do injustice in judgment” (NASB similar); cf. NIV “do not pervert justice.”

³ tn Heb “You shall not lift up faces of poor [people] and you shall not honor faces of great.”

⁴ tn Heb “In righteousness you shall judge your fellow citizen.”

⁵ sn This statement no doubt alludes to the Levites’ destruction of their own fellow tribesmen following the golden calf incident (Exod 32:25-29).

⁶ sn The Herodians are mentioned in the NT only once in Matt (22:16 = Mark 12:13) and twice in Mark (3:6; 12:13; some mss also read “Herodians” instead of “Herod” in Mark 8:15). It is generally assumed that as a group the Herodians were Jewish supporters of the Herodian dynasty (or of Herod Antipas in particular). In every instance they are linked with the Pharisees. This probably reflects agreement regarding political objectives (nationalism as opposed to submission to the yoke of Roman oppression) rather than philosophy or religious beliefs.

⁷ sn Teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Very few comments are as deceitful as this one; they did not really believe this at all. The question of the Pharisees and Herodians was specifically designed to trap Jesus.

⁸ tn Grk “And it is not a concern to you about anyone because you do not see the face of men.”

⁹ tn This figurative use operates on a relative scale. God is to be loved more than family or self.

¹⁰ tn Grk “his own soul,” but ψυχή (yuch) is frequently used of one’s physical life. It clearly has that meaning in this context.

¹¹ tn Grk “And there.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

¹² tn Grk “behold.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1). Here it has been translated as “right” in the phrase “right in front of him,” giving a similar effect of vividness in the translation.

¹³ sn The condition called dropsy involves swollen limbs resulting from the accumulation of fluid in the body’s tissues, especially the legs.

¹⁴ tn BDAG 579 s.v. κυριότης 3 suggests “bearers of the ruling powers, dominions” here.

¹⁵ tn Or “willing to yield,” “open to persuasion.”

¹⁶ tn Grk “fruits.” The plural Greek term καρπούς has been translated with the collective singular “fruit.”

¹⁷ tn Or “sincere.”