AISBT ReaderRom 13:9–10: "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Lev 19:18) in the MT and LXX
Note · Approved
Show drafts
ApprovedShowing approved records only.
language · Rom 13:9–10 · ✓ Approved

Rom 13:9–10: "Love your neighbor as yourself" (Lev 19:18) in the MT and LXX

Says Rom 13:9 sums up the commandments in Ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν (Agapēseis ton plēsion sou hōs seauton). Lev 19:18 has וְאָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ כָּמוֹךָ (ve'ahavta lere'akha kamokha, "love your neighbor as yourself," BSB); Swete has καὶ ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν.

Says The Greek wording matches Swete without the opening καί. Gal 5:14 has the same form.

Says The Hebrew verb is a perfect with waw consecutive, second person singular (וְאָהַבְתָּ, BDB p. 12), and the neighbor is marked with the preposition לְ. The LXX has the future ἀγαπήσεις (agapēseis, you shall love) with a direct object.

Says רֵעַ (rea', "friend, companion, fellow," BDB p. 945) stands in 19:18 beside בְּנֵי עַמֶּךָ ("the sons of your people"). Swete's πλησίον (plēsion, neighbor) is the word Paul repeats in 13:10, ἡ ἀγάπη τῷ πλησίον κακὸν οὐκ ἐργάζεται.

Says Lev 19:34 gives the same command for the sojourner (גֵּר, ger, BDB p. 158): וְאָהַבְתָּ לוֹ כָּמוֹךָ (ve'ahavta lo kamokha, "love him as yourself," BSB); Swete has καὶ ἀγαπήσεις αὐτὸν ὡς σεαυτόν.

Uncertain Whether Paul's "neighbor" means fellow believers or any person is not settled by the Hebrew: Leviticus applies the command both to "your people" (19:18) and to the sojourner (19:34). No lean is taken here; see the Greek note (note.language.Rom.13.8-Rom.13.10.opheilete-pleroma).

Says Rom 13:10 restates the command in Paul's own words, with no quotation formula.

The first half of Lev 19:18 is treated at note.language.Rom.12.19.deut-32-35.

Claims

  • SaysRom 13:9 sums up the commandments in Ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν; MT Lev 19:18 וְאָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ כָּמוֹךָ; Swete καὶ ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν.
  • SaysThe Greek wording matches Swete without καί; Gal 5:14 has the same form (Ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν).
  • SaysMT וְאָהַבְתָּ is a perfect with waw consecutive, second person singular, with לְ before the neighbor; LXX future ἀγαπήσεις with a direct object.
  • Saysרֵעַ stands beside בְּנֵי עַמֶּךָ in 19:18; Swete's πλησίον recurs in Rom 13:10 (ἡ ἀγάπη τῷ πλησίον κακὸν οὐκ ἐργάζεται).
  • SaysLev 19:34 applies the command to the sojourner: MT וְאָהַבְתָּ לוֹ כָּמוֹךָ; Swete καὶ ἀγαπήσεις αὐτὸν ὡς σεαυτόν.
  • UncertainWhether "neighbor" in Rom 13:9 means fellow believers or any person is not settled by the Hebrew (19:18 "your people"; 19:34 the sojourner); no lean.
  • SaysRom 13:10 restates the command in Paul's own words, with no quotation formula.

Citations

  • OSHB CC BY 4.0 Lev 19:18 (וְאָהַבְתָּ morph HC/Vqq2ms; לְרֵעֲךָ morph HR/Ncmsc/Sp2ms); Lev 19:34 (וְאָהַבְתָּ morph HC/Vqq2ms; לוֹ morph HR/Sp3ms)
  • BDB CC BY 4.0 אָהֵב (H157), p. 12, entry a.bh.aa; רֵעַ (H7453), p. 945, entry t.dl.ab; גֵּר (H1616), p. 158, entry c.bf.ad
  • LXX (Swete) CC BY-SA 4.0 Lev 19:18 (vol. 1 p. 229; apparatus: nothing at the love clause); Lev 19:34 (p. 230; apparatus: "om ο 1° A", nothing at the love clause). LXX read on the Swete page image, vol. 1 (1909), pp. 229, 230.
  • SBLGNT CC BY 4.0 Rom 13:9–10; Gal 5:14
  • BSB public domain Lev 19:18, 34
Sources OSHB CC BY 4.0 LXX (Swete) CC BY-SA 4.0 SBLGNT CC BY 4.0 BDB CC BY 4.0 BSB public domain Bible Scholarship & Tool CC BY 4.0

Quotations from LXX (Swete) are used under CC BY-SA 4.0 · Credits

2026-11-07

Open in Reader All notes on this passage
↑↓ move · Enter open · Esc close