New Living Translation
Mark 12:28
28One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the debate. He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
Mark 12:28 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)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?
- New International Version (NIV)One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
- English Standard Version (ESV)And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, "Which commandment is the most important of all?"
- New King James Version (NKJV)Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?”
Context of Mark 12:28
26“But now, as to whether the dead will be raised—haven’t you ever read about this in the writings of Moses, in the story of the burning bush? Long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, God said to Moses, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ 27So he is the God of the living, not the dead. You have made a serious error.” One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the debate. He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” 29Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. 30And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’
Read all of Mark 12Mark 12:28 word by word
Καὶ προσελθὼν εἷς τῶν γραμματέων, ἀκούσας αὐτῶν συζητούντων, ἰδὼν ὅτι καλῶς ἀπεκρίθη αὐτοῖς, ἐπηρώτησεν αὐτόν· ποία ἐστὶν ἐντολὴ πρώτη πάντων;Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Andκαίkai · andG2532
- oneεἷςheis · oneG1520
- of the scribesὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- of the scribesγραμματεύςgrammateus · scribeG1122
- cameπροσέρχομαιproserchomai · to come near/agreeG4334
- and having heardἀκούωakouō · to hearG191
- themαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- reasoning togetherσυζητέωsuzēteō · to debateG4802
- and perceivingεἴδωeidō · to perceive: seeG1492
- thatὅτιhoti · that/since: thatG3754
- he had answeredἀποκρίνωapokrinomai · to answerG611
- wellκαλῶςkalōs · wellG2573
- askedἐπερωτάωeperōtaō · to questionG1905
- Whichποῖοςpoios · what?G4169
- isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- the firstπρῶτοςprōtos · first: bestG4413
- commandmentἐντολήentolē · commandmentG1785
- of allπᾶςpas · allG3956
Cross-references for Mark 12:28
- Matthew 22:34But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees with his reply, they met together to question him again.
- Matthew 5:19So if you ignore the least commandment and teach others to do the same, you will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. But anyone who obeys God’s laws and teaches them will be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.
- Matthew 19:18“Which ones?” the man asked. And Jesus replied: “‘You must not murder. You must not commit adultery. You must not steal. You must not testify falsely.
- Matthew 23:23“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.
- Luke 11:42“What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore justice and the love of God. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.
Commentaries on Mark 12:28
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 28-34Verses 28-34 See the notes at Matthew 22:34-40. Mark 12:28 Perceiving that he answered them well - That is, with wisdom, and with a proper understanding of the law. In this case the opinion of the Saviour corresponded with that of the Pharisees; and the question which this scribe put to him now seems to have been one of the very few candid inquiries of him by the Jews for the purpose of obtaining information. Jesus answered it in the spirit of kindness…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 28-34Verses 28-34 Those who sincerely desire to be taught their duty, Christ will guide in judgment, and teach his way. He tells the scribe that the great commandment, which indeed includes all, is, that of loving God with all our hearts. Wherever this is the ruling principle in the soul, there is a disposition to every other duty. Loving God with all our heart, will engage us to every thing by which he will be pleased. The sacrifices only represented the…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 28“Which commandment is the most important of all?”: The Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) contains 613 separate commandments, and Jewish teachers frequently debated about which were more important than others. No command was considered unimportant, but some were recognized as more fundamental than others (see Matthew 22:40). Rabbi Hillel’s answer to this question was, “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor”…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2828. And one of the scribes--"a lawyer," says Matthew (Mt 22:35); that is, teacher of the law. came, and having heard them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him--manifestly in no bad spirit. When Matthew (Mt 22:35) therefore says he came "tempting," or "trying him," as one of the Pharisaic party who seemed to enjoy the defeat He had given to the Sadducees, we may suppose that though somewhat priding himself upon his…Read the comment
Topics related to Mark 12:28
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Mark 12
- 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
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