Verse of the Day
Author Spotlight
Loading featured author...
Report Issue
See a formatting issue or error?
Let us know →
Verse Takeaways
1
A Man-Made Addition
Commentators unanimously state that only the first half of this phrase, "Thou shalt love thy neighbor," is from the Old Testament (Leviticus 19:18). The second half, "and hate thine enemy," was a human addition. Scholars call it a "rabbinical inference" or a "parasitical growth" that distorted God's original command. Jesus is correcting this flawed human tradition, not the Law of God itself.
See 3 Verse Takeaways
Book Overview
Matthew
Author
Audience
Composition
Teaching Highlights
Outline
+ 5 more
See Overview
Commentaries
11
Albert Barnes
On Matthew 5:43
18th Century
Theologian
You have heard that it has been said, You shall love your neighbour, and hate your enemy. The command to love our neighbour was a law of G…
AT Robertson
On Matthew 5:43
And hate thine enemy (κα μισησεις). This phrase is not in Le 19:18, but is a rabbinical inference which Jesus repudiates bluntly. …
Charles Spurgeon
On Matthew 5:38–43
19th Century
Preacher
You have heard that it has been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: but I say to you, that you resist not evil: but whoever shall…
Go Ad-Free
Go ad-free and create your own bookmark library
Expositor's Bible Commentary
On Matthew 5:43
The command “Love your neighbor” is found in Lev 19:18; no OT Scripture adds “and hate your enemies,” though this seems to be the result of popular…
John Calvin
On Matthew 5:43
16th Century
Theologian
You shall love your neighbor. It is astonishing that the Scribes fell into so great an absurdity as to limit the word neighbor to…
John Gill
On Matthew 5:43
17th Century
Pastor
You have heard that it has been said
By, or to them of old time. This law has been delivered to them,
Matthew Henry
On Matthew 5:43–48
17th Century
Minister
The Jewish teachers understood ���neighbor��� to mean only those who were of their own country, nation, and religion, whom they regarded as their f…
Thomas Aquinas
On Matthew 5:43–48
13th Century
Philosopher
You have heard that it has been said, You shall love your neighbor. Above, the Lord fulfilled the Law concerning permissi…