Mark 12:28

Now one of the scribes had come up and heard their debate. Noticing how well Jesus had answered them, he asked Him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?”

BSB

Parallel translations

4 additional translations

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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?

ASV

And one of the scribes came, and heard them questioning together, and knowing that he had answered them well, asked him, What commandment is the first of all?

YLT

And one of the scribes having come near, having heard them disputing, knowing that he answered them well, questioned him, `Which is the first command of all?'

DBT

And one of the scribes who had come up, and had heard them reasoning together, perceiving that he had answered them well, demanded of him, Which is [the] first commandment of all?

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Commentary voices

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Voices6

On this verse

For in this law given to Adam we recognise in embryo all the precepts which afterwards sprouted forth when given through Moses; that is, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God from thy whole heart and out of thy whole soul; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself; Thou shalt not kill; Thou shall not commit adultery; Thou shalt not steal; False witness thou shall not utter; Honour thy father and mother; and, That which is another's, shall thou not covet.

Tertullian· An Answer to the Jews, 220patristic

Related commentary

And one of the Scribes came,.... Matthew calls him a lawyer, Mat 22:35, an interpreter of the law, as a Scribe was: and having heard them reasoning together; being present at the dispute between Christ and the Sadducees, which he diligently attended to: and perceiving that he had answered them well: in a most beautiful manner.

John Gill· Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748)reformed

See the notes at Mat 22:34-40. Mar 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, and commended the conduct of the man.

Albert Barnes· Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)evangelical

Our Lord's answer is in a strain of respect very different from what He showed to cavillers--ever observing His own direction, "Give not that which is holy to the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine; lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you" (Mt 7:6).

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown· Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, 1871reformed

Which is the first commandment? - The principal, and most necessary to be observed. The Lord our God is one Lord - This is the foundation of the first commandment, yea, of all the commandments.

John Wesley· Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament, 1755evangelical

"Which is that command which we ought to have in a special manner an eye to, and our obedience to which will lay a foundation for our obedience to all the rest?" Not that any commandment of God is little (they are all the commands of a great God), but some are greater than others, moral precepts than rituals, and of some we may say, They are the greatest of all.

Matthew Henry· Commentary on the Whole Bible, 1710puritan

Voices on this verse

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Rabbinic commentary

How the Hebraic tradition has read this verse — and Marcus Brown’s own reading of it.

Cross-references

12 linked verses

The verses this one reaches12

Matthew 22:34
And when the Pharisees heard that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, they themselves gathered together.
Matthew 22:36
“Teacher, which commandment is the greatest in the Law?”
Luke 10:25–28
One day an expert in the law stood up to test Him. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
1 Timothy 1:5
The goal of our instruction is the love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and a sincere faith.
Luke 20:39
Some of the scribes answered, “Teacher, You have spoken well!”
Malachi 4:4
“Remember the law of My servant Moses, the statutes and ordinances I commanded him for all Israel at Horeb.
Mark 10:19
You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness, do not cheat others, honor your father and mother.’”
Titus 2:8
and wholesome speech that is above reproach, so that anyone who opposes us will be ashamed, having nothing bad to say about us.
Matthew 19:18
“Which ones?” the man asked. Jesus answered, “‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness,
Matthew 5:19
So then, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do likewise will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever practices and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 23:23
Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay tithes of mint, dill, and cumin. But you have disregarded the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.
Luke 11:42
Woe to you Pharisees! You pay tithes of mint, rue, and every herb, but you disregard justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without neglecting the former.

Cross-references

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The quotation web

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Around this verse

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread — the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

Featured studyThe Burning Bush — the Name RevealedThis study walks through this verse.

Jesus Heals the Sick — Gustave Doré (engraving, public domain)

Mark — The Gospel of the servant in motion. The narrative hinges at Peter's confession (8:27). Before: the Servant revealed. After: the Servant suffers.

Canon: New Testament
Author: John Mark, companion of Peter (Acts 12:12; 1 Pet 5:13)
Date: c. AD 50–65

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first — the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
Matthew 5:19
So then, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do likewise will be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever practices and teaches them will be…
leads to
- James 2:10–11
  Whoever keeps the whole law but stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
- Deuteronomy 12:32
  See that you do everything I command you; do not add to it or subtract from it.
- Romans 13:8–10
  Be indebted to no one, except to one another in love. For he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.
- Matthew 28:20
  and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
- Matthew 11:11
  Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
Through
Matthew 19:18
“Which ones?” the man asked. Jesus answered, “‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not bear false witness,
leads to
- Deuteronomy 5:16–21
  Honor your father and your mother, as the LORD your God has commanded you, so that your days may be long and that it may go well with you in the land that the…
- Luke 18:20
  You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and mother.’”
- Exodus 20:12–17
  Honor your father and mother, so that your days may be long in the land that the LORD your God is giving you.

The whole web at once: see the Arc.

Where the connections lead

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Continue: Mark 12 →