Matthew 22.37

type: passage created: 2026-05-06 updated: 2026-05-06 book: Matthew chapter: 22 verses: "37" translation_default: ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT tags: [scripture] citation_count: 2 enriched: false

Quoted in

Matthew 22.37

Book: Matthew · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

"35. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, trying him: 36. Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?"

"37. And he said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind."

"38. This is the great and first commandment. 39. And a second like unto it is this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself." (Matthew 22:35-39, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"35. One of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, testing him. 36. “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?”"

"37. Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’"

"38. This is the first and great commandment. 39. A second likewise is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’" (Matthew 22:35-39, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"35. Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, 36. Master, which is the great commandment in the law?"

"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."

"38. This is the first and great commandment. 39. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (Matthew 22:35-39, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"35. and one of them, a lawyer, did question, tempting him, and saying, 36. 'Teacher, which [is] the great command in the Law?'"

"37. And Jesus said to him, 'Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thine understanding --"

"38. this is a first and great command; 39. and the second [is] like to it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself;" (Matthew 22:35-39, YLT)

Setting

Speaker: Matthew (traditionally) the tax-collector-apostle / narrator + Jesus's direct teaching
Audience: Jewish-Christian audience (heavy OT-fulfillment emphasis)
Location: first-century Palestine (events); possibly Antioch (composition)
Time period: events c. 4 BC, AD 30/33; composed c. AD 60-80

Theological reading

Key words

G2316 - theos, theos (Strong's G2316). Also appears in: Matthew 1.23, Matthew 3.16, Matthew 5.9.
G2424 - Iesous, Iesous (Strong's G2424). Also appears in: Matthew 1.1, Matthew 1.16, Matthew 1.18.
G2588 - kardia, kardia (Strong's G2588). Also appears in: Matthew 5.28, Matthew 6.21, Matthew 9.4.
G2962 - kyrios, kyrios (Strong's G2962). Also appears in: Matthew 1.20, Matthew 1, Matthew 6.24.
G5590 - psyche, psyche (Strong's G5590). Also appears in: Matthew 6.25-26, Matthew 10.28, Matthew 10.37-39.

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.