Mark 12:31
“And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.”
King James Version (KJV)
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Having named loving God as the first commandment, Jesus immediately adds the second, to love one's neighbor, declaring that no commandment is greater than these two.
What Does Mark 12:31 Mean?
Mark 12:31 gives the second greatest commandment -- to love your neighbor as yourself -- joining it closely to the command to love God. Having named loving God as first, Jesus adds this as its inseparable companion.
He calls it "like" the first, meaning it is of the same kind and flows from the same source. Love for God naturally overflows into love for people. The command, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself," sets a clear and searching standard: the care, consideration, and good we naturally desire for ourselves are to be extended to others. It assumes we already attend to our own needs and tells us to give that same attention to our neighbor. Then Jesus seals both commands together: "There is none other commandment greater than these." The whole life God desires can be summed up in love -- toward Him and toward people. These two are not in competition; genuine love for God shows itself in love for others, and true love for others is rooted in love for God. This verse refuses to let devotion become merely private or vertical. The one who loves God will be known by how they treat the people around them.
In the Original Language
The Greek "agapao" (love) is committed, self-giving love. "Plesion" (neighbour) means the one near at hand, anyone we encounter.
Cross References
“Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.”
- Leviticus 19:18
“Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”
- Romans 13:9
“If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?”
- 1 John 4:20
Application
Love for God is meant to overflow into genuine love for the people around us, extending to them the care we desire for ourselves.