Matthew 7:12

Matthew 7:12 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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.
• English Standard Version (ESV)"So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
• New Living Translation (NLT)“Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. This is the essence of all that is taught in the law and the prophets.

Context of Matthew 7:12

10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. 13“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. 14But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Matthew 7:12 word by word

Πάντα οὖν ὅσα ἐὰν θέλητε ἵνα ποιῶσιν ὑμῖν οἱ ἄνθρωποι, οὕτως καὶ ὑμεῖς ποιεῖτε αὐτοῖς· οὗτος γάρ ἐστιν ὁ νόμος καὶ οἱ προφῆται.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Thereforeοὖνoun · therefore/thenG3767
• all thingsπᾶςpas · allG3956
• whatsoeverὅσοςhosos · just as/how muchG3745
• ·ἄνan · ifG302
• ye wouldθέλωthelō ethelō · to will/desireG2309
• thatἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
• menὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• menἄνθρωποςanthrōpos · a humanG444
• should doποιέωpoieō · to do/make: doG4160
• to youσύsu · youG4771
• evenοὕτωςhoutō · thus(-ly)G3779
• soκαίkai · andG2532
• to themαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• forγάρgar · forG1063
• thisοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
• isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• the lawνόμοςnomos · lawG3551
• the prophetsπροφήτηςprophētēs · prophetG4396

Cross-references for Matthew 7:12

• Luke 6:31Do to others as you would have them do to you.
• Matthew 22:39And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
• Leviticus 19:18“ ‘Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.
• Isaiah 1:17Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.
• Jeremiah 7:5If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly,
• Ezekiel 18:7He does not oppress anyone, but returns what he took in pledge for a loan. He does not commit robbery but gives his food to the hungry and provides clothing for the naked.
• Amos 5:14Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is.
• Micah 6:8He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
• Zechariah 7:7Are these not the words the Lord proclaimed through the earlier prophets when Jerusalem and its surrounding towns were at rest and prosperous, and the Negev and the western foothills were settled?’ ”
• Zechariah 8:16These are the things you are to do: Speak the truth to each other, and render true and sound judgment in your courts;
• Malachi 3:5“So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me,” says the Lord Almighty.
• Mark 12:29“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.
• Romans 13:8Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.
• Galatians 5:13You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.
• 1 Timothy 1:5The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
• James 2:10For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.

Commentaries on Matthew 7:12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men - This is a most sublime precept, and highly worthy of the grandeur and beneficence of the just God who gave it. The general meaning of it is this: "Guided by justice and mercy, do unto all men as you would have them to do to you, were your circumstances and theirs reversed." Yet this saying may be misunderstood. "If the prisoner should ask the judge, 'whether he would be content to be hanged, were he in…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12All things whatsoever … - This command has been usually called the “Saviour‘s golden rule,” a name given to it on account of its great value. All that you “expect” or “desire” of others in similar circumstances, do to them. Act not from selfishness or injustice, but put yourself in the place of the other, and ask what you would expect of him. This would make you impartial, candid, and just. It would destroy avarice, envy, treachery, unkindness, slander…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 12-14Verses 12-14 Christ came to teach us, not only what we are to know and believe, but what we are to do; not only toward God, but toward men; not only toward those of our party and persuasion, but toward men in general, all with whom we have to do. We must do that to our neighbour which we ourselves acknowledge to be fit and reasonable. We must, in our dealings with men, suppose ourselves in the same case and circumstances with those we have to do with, and…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12The Law and the Prophets: The teachings of Jesus in 5:21–7:6 show the true purpose and way to express the law of Moses. Love is central for the disciples of Jesus (see also Galatians 5:13–14, 18).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1212. Therefore--to say all in one word. all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them--the same thing and in the same way. for this is the law and the prophets--"This is the substance of all relative duty; all Scripture in a nutshell." Incomparable summary! How well called "the royal law!" (Jas 2:8; compare Ro 13:9). It is true that similar maxims are found floating in the writings of the cultivated Greeks and Romans, and…Read the comment

Topics related to Matthew 7:12

• Commandments
• Duty
• Golden Rule
• Honesty
• Love
• Neighbor
• Religion
• Seekers

In the dictionaries

• Ask
• Descend
• Destruction
• Gather
• Judge
• Measure
• Mote
• None
• Profess
• Rock

Commentaries on Matthew 7

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Catena Aurea
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• John Lightfoot Commentary
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings