Luke 6:31
“And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Context
Part of Jesus' Sermon on the Plain, set among His teachings on loving enemies and showing mercy; this principle summarizes how disciples are to treat all people.
What Does Luke 6:31 Mean?
This verse, often called the Golden Rule, gives a simple and powerful guide for how to treat others: do to them what you would want them to do to you. In the midst of teaching about love, generosity, and mercy, Jesus offers this principle as a measuring stick for all our dealings with people.
What makes Jesus' version striking is that it is stated positively. Rather than merely saying "do not harm others," He says to actively do for others the good we would wish for ourselves. This shifts the focus from avoiding wrong to pursuing good. It asks us to use our own desires -- to be treated with kindness, fairness, respect, and patience -- as the guide for how we treat everyone else. The rule is beautifully practical: in any situation, we can ask how we would want to be treated, and then act accordingly. It cuts through endless rules by appealing to something we all understand from the inside. And it flows naturally from the love for others that Jesus has been teaching throughout this sermon. When applied honestly, this single principle transforms relationships, communities, and everyday encounters. It is the heart of love made practical -- love that imagines itself in the other person's place and acts with the same care it would hope to receive.
In the Original Language
The phrase kathos thelete (as you would, as you wish) makes our own desire the measure. The word homoios (likewise) calls for matching action toward others.
Cross References
“Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.”
- Matthew 7:12
“Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.”
- Romans 13:10
“For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
- Galatians 5:14
Application
In every encounter, ask how you would want to be treated, then actively do that good for the other person.