Psalms 19:7-8

19:7 The law of the Lord is perfect

and preserves one’s life. ¹ 

The rules set down by the Lord ²  are reliable ³ 

and impart wisdom to the inexperienced. ⁴ 

19:8 The Lord’s precepts are fair ⁵ 

and make one joyful. ⁶ 

The Lord’s commands ⁷  are pure ⁸ 

and give insight for life. ⁹ 

Matthew 5:28

5:28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to desire her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Matthew 22:37-40

22:37 Jesus ¹⁰  said to him, “‘Love ¹¹  the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ ¹²  22:38 This is the first and greatest ¹³  commandment. 22:39 The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ¹⁴  22:40 All the law and the prophets depend ¹⁵  on these two commandments.”

Mark 12:29-34

12:29 Jesus answered, “The most important is: ‘Listen, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 12:30 Love ¹⁶  the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ ¹⁷  12:31 The second is: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ¹⁸  There is no other commandment greater than these.” 12:32 The expert in the law said to him, “That is true, Teacher; you are right to say that he is one, and there is no one else besides him. ¹⁹  12:33 And to love him with all your heart, with all your mind, and with all your strength ²⁰  and to love your neighbor as yourself ²¹  is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 12:34 When Jesus saw that he had answered thoughtfully, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” Then no one dared any longer to question him.

Romans 7:7-12

7:7 What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Absolutely not! Certainly, I ²²  would not have known sin except through the law. For indeed I would not have known what it means to desire something belonging to someone else ²³  if the law had not said, “Do not covet.” ²⁴  7:8 But sin, seizing the opportunity through the commandment, produced in me all kinds of wrong desires. ²⁵  For apart from the law, sin is dead. 7:9 And I was once alive apart from the law, but with the coming of the commandment sin became alive 7:10 and I died. So ²⁶  I found that the very commandment that was intended to bring life brought death! ²⁷  7:11 For sin, seizing the opportunity through the commandment, deceived me and through it I died. ²⁸  7:12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous, and good.

Romans 7:14

7:14 For we know that the law is spiritual – but I am unspiritual, sold into slavery to sin. ²⁹ 

Hebrews 4:12-13

4:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing even to the point of dividing soul from spirit, and joints from marrow; it is able to judge the desires and thoughts of the heart. 4:13 And no creature is hidden from God, ³⁰  but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account.

[19:7]  ¹ tn Heb “[it] restores life.” Elsewhere the Hiphil of שׁוּב (shuv, “return”) when used with נֶפֶשׁ (nefesh, “life”) as object, means to “rescue or preserve one’s life” (Job 33:30; Ps 35:17) or to “revive one’s strength” (emotionally or physically; cf. Ruth 4:15; Lam 1:11, 16, 19). Here the point seems to be that the law preserves the life of the one who studies it by making known God’s will. Those who know God’s will know how to please him and can avoid offending him. See v. 11a.

[19:7]  ² tn Traditionally, “the testimony of the Lord.” The noun עֵדוּת (’edut) refers here to the demands of God’s covenant law.

[19:7]  ³ tn God’s covenant contains a clear, reliable witness to his moral character and demands.

[19:7]  ⁴ tn Or “the [morally] naive,” that is, the one who is young and still in the process of learning right from wrong and distinguishing wisdom from folly.

[19:8]  ⁵ tn Or “just.” Perhaps the idea is that they impart a knowledge of what is just and right.

[19:8]  ⁶ tn Heb “[they] make happy [the] heart.” Perhaps the point is that they bring a sense of joyful satisfaction to the one who knows and keeps them, for those who obey God’s law are richly rewarded. See v. 11b.

[19:8]  ⁷ tn Heb “command.” The singular here refers to the law as a whole.

[19:8]  ⁸ tn Because they reflect God’s character, his commands provide a code of moral and ethical purity.

[19:8]  ⁹ tn Heb [they] enlighten [the] eyes.

[22:37]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “And he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[22:37]  ¹¹ tn Grk “You will love.” The future indicative is used here with imperatival force (see ExSyn 452 and 569).

[22:37]  ¹² sn A quotation from Deut 6:5. The threefold reference to different parts of the person says, in effect, that one should love God with all one’s being.

[22:38]  ¹³ tn Grk “the great and first.”

[22:39]  ¹⁴ sn A quotation from Lev 19:18.

[22:40]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “hang.” The verb κρεμάννυμι (kremannumi) is used here with a figurative meaning (cf. BDAG 566 s.v. 2.b).

[12:30]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “You will love.” The future indicative is used here with imperatival force (see ExSyn 452 and 569).

[12:30]  ¹⁷ sn A quotation from Deut 6:4-5 and Josh 22:5 (LXX). The fourfold reference to different parts of the person says, in effect, that one should love God with all one’s being.

[12:31]  ¹⁸ sn A quotation from Lev 19:18.

[12:32]  ¹⁹ sn A quotation from Deut 4:35.

[12:33]  ²⁰ sn A quotation from Deut 6:5.

[12:33]  ²¹ sn A quotation from Lev 19:18.

[7:7]  ²² sn Romans 7:7-25. There has been an enormous debate over the significance of the first person singular pronouns (“I”) in this passage and how to understand their referent. Did Paul intend (1) a reference to himself and other Christians too; (2) a reference to his own pre-Christian experience as a Jew, struggling with the law and sin (and thus addressing his fellow countrymen as Jews); or (3) a reference to himself as a child of Adam, reflecting the experience of Adam that is shared by both Jews and Gentiles alike (i.e., all people everywhere)? Good arguments can be assembled for each of these views, and each has problems dealing with specific statements in the passage. The classic argument against an autobiographical interpretation was made by W. G. Kümmel, Römer 7 und die Bekehrung des Paulus. A good case for seeing at least an autobiographical element in the chapter has been made by G. Theissen, Psychologische Aspekte paulinischer Theologie [FRLANT], 181-268. One major point that seems to favor some sort of an autobiographical reading of these verses is the lack of any mention of the Holy Spirit for empowerment in the struggle described in Rom 7:7-25. The Spirit is mentioned beginning in 8:1 as the solution to the problem of the struggle with sin (8:4-6, 9).

[7:7]  ²³ tn Grk “I would not have known covetousness.”

[7:7]  ²⁴ sn A quotation from Exod 20:17 and Deut 5:21.

[7:8]  ²⁵ tn Or “covetousness.”

[7:10]  ²⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “So” to indicate the result of the statement in the previous verse. Greek style often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” but English style generally does not.

[7:10]  ²⁷ tn Grk “and there was found in/for me the commandment which was for life – this was for death.”

[7:11]  ²⁸ tn Or “and through it killed me.”

[7:14]  ²⁹ tn Grk “under sin.”

[4:13]  ³⁰ tn Grk “him”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.