Matthew 22 · Verse 36

Matthew 22:36

Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
Matthew 22:36, King James Version

Matthew 22:36 in other translations

BSB“Teacher, which commandment is the greatest in the Law?”
WEB“Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?”
ASVTeacher, which is the great commandment in the law?
YLT‘Teacher, which is the great command in the Law?'
DARBYTeacher, which is the great commandment in the law?
BBEMaster, which is the chief rule in the law?
WebsterMaster, which is the great commandment in the law?

What does Matthew 22:36 mean?

Barnes' Notes
Verse 36. Which is the great commandment? That is, the greatest commandment, or the one most important. The Jews are said to have divided the law into greater and smaller, commandments. Which was of the greatest importance they had not determined. Some held that it was the law respecting sacrifice; others, that respecting circumcision; others, that pertaining to washings and purifying, etc.

The law. The word law has a great variety of significations; it means, commonly, in the Bible, as it does here, the law given by Moses, recorded in the first five books of the Bible.

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 36 Which is the great commandment - We see here three kinds of enemies and false accusers of Christ and his disciples; and three sorts of accusations brought against them. 1. The Herodians, or politicians and courtiers, who form their questions and accusations on the rights of the prince, and matters of state, Mat 22:16. 2. The Sadducees, or libertines, who found theirs upon matters of religion, and articles of faith, which they did not credit, Mat 22:23. 3. The Pharisees, lawyers, scribes, or Karaites, hypocritical pretenders to devotion, who found theirs on that vital and practical godliness (the love of God and man) of which they wished themselves to be thought the sole proprietors, Mat 22:36.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Matthew 22:34-40

An interpreter of the law asked our Lord a question, to try, not so much his knowledge, as his judgment. The love of God is the first and great commandment, and the sum of all the commands of the first table. Our love of God must be sincere, not in word and tongue only. All our love is too little to bestow upon him, therefore all the powers of the soul must be engaged for him, and carried out toward him. To love our…

Read the full comment on Matthew 22:34-40 →

Matthew 22:36 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

διδάσκαλε,didaskaleTeacher,G1320
ποίαpoiawhichG4169
ἐντολὴentolēcommandmentG1785
μεγάληmegalē[is the] greatestG3173
ἐνeninG1722
τῷtōtheG3588
νόμῳ;nomōlaw?G3551

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Matthew 22:36

  • Mark 12:28-33

    And one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all? And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these. …

  • Matthew 5:19-20

    Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.

  • Luke 11:42

    But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

  • Matthew 23:23-24

    Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.

  • Hosea 8:12

    I have written to him the great things of my law, but they were counted as a strange thing.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
5:19,20; 15:6; 23:23,24; Ho 8:12; Mr 12:28-33; Lu 11:42

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Matthew 22:35

    Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,

  • Matthew 22:36

    Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

  • Matthew 22:37

    Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

Read all of Matthew 22

Matthew 22:36 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Maestro, ¿cuál es el mandamiento grande en la ley?
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Maître, quel est le grand commandement dans la loi?
German
Elberfelder 1871		Lehrer, welches ist das große Gebot in dem Gesetz?
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Magister, quod est mandatum magnum in lege?