Leviticus 19:18

19:18 You must not take vengeance or bear a grudge ¹  against the children of your people, but you must love your neighbor as yourself. ²  I am the Lord.

Matthew 19:19

19:19 honor your father and mother, ³  and love your neighbor as yourself.” ⁴ 

Romans 13:9

13:9 For the commandments, ⁵  “Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not covet,” ⁶  (and if there is any other commandment) are summed up in this, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” ⁷ 

Galatians 5:13

Practice Love

5:13 For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; ⁸  only do not use your freedom as an opportunity to indulge your flesh, ⁹  but through love serve one another. ¹⁰ 

James 2:8

2:8 But if you fulfill the royal law as expressed in this scripture, ¹¹  “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” ¹²  you are doing well.

James 2:1

Prejudice and the Law of Love

2:1 My brothers and sisters, ¹³  do not show prejudice ¹⁴  if you possess faith ¹⁵  in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. ¹⁶ 

James 3:18

3:18 And the fruit that consists of righteousness ¹⁷  is planted ¹⁸  in peace among ¹⁹  those who make peace.

¹ tn Heb “and you shall not retain [anger?].” This line seems to refer to the retaining or maintaining of some vengeful feelings toward someone. Compare the combination of the same terms for taking vengeance and maintaining wrath against enemies in Nahum 1:2 (see J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 305).

² sn Some scholars make a distinction between the verb אָהַב (’ahav, “to love”) with the direct object and the more unusual construction with the preposition לְ (lamed) as it is here and in Lev 19:34 and 2 Chr 19:2 only. If there is a distinction, the construction here probably calls for direct and helpful action toward one’s neighbor (see the discussion in J. E. Hartley, Leviticus [WBC], 305, and esp. 317-18). Such love stands in contrast to taking vengeance or bearing a grudge against someone and, in NT terms, amounts to fulfilling the so-called “golden rule” (Matt 7:12).

³ sn A quotation from Exod 20:12-16; Deut 5:16-20.

⁴ sn A quotation from Lev 19:18.

⁵ tn Grk “For the…” (with the word “commandments” supplied for clarity). The Greek article (“the”) is used here as a substantiver to introduce the commands that are quoted from the second half of the Decalogue (ExSyn 238).

⁶ sn A quotation from Exod 20:13-15, 17; Deut 5:17-19, 21.

⁷ sn A quotation from Lev 19:18.

⁸ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:11.

⁹ tn Grk “as an opportunity for the flesh”; BDAG 915 s.v. σάρξ 2.c.α states: “In Paul’s thought esp., all parts of the body constitute a totality known as σ. or flesh, which is dominated by sin to such a degree that wherever flesh is, all forms of sin are likew. present, and no good thing can live in the σάρξ…Gal 5:13, 24;…Opp. τὸ πνεῦμα…Gal 3:3; 5:16, 17ab; 6:8ab.”

¹⁰ tn It is possible that the verb δουλεύετε (douleuete) should be translated “serve one another in a humble manner” here, referring to the way in which slaves serve their masters (see L&N 35.27).

¹¹ tn Grk “according to the scripture.”

¹² sn A quotation from Lev 19:18 (also quoted in Matt 19:19; 22:39; Mark 12:31; Luke 10:27; Rom 13:9; Gal 5:14).

¹³ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:2.

¹⁴ tn Or “partiality.”

¹⁵ tn Grk “do not have faith with personal prejudice,” with emphasis on the last phrase.

¹⁶ tn Grk “our Lord Jesus Christ of glory.” Here δόξης (doxhs) has been translated as an attributive genitive.

¹⁷ tn Grk “the fruit of righteousness,” meaning righteous living as a fruit, as the thing produced.

¹⁸ tn Grk “is sown.”

¹⁹ tn Or “for,” or possibly “by.”