Mark 12:30
What does Mark 12:30 mean?
A plain-English look at Mark 12:30 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Mark 12:30 means
Jesus emphasizes that the love for God must be absolute and comprehensive, engaging every aspect of a person’s being: heart (emotions, will), soul (innermost being, life), mind (intellect, understanding), and strength (physical and mental energy). This all-encompassing love is not merely an outward observance but an inward, wholehearted devotion that permeates one’s entire existence. It signifies surrendering every faculty and capacity to God’s will and affection, ensuring that He holds the supreme place in one’s life.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.
KJV
King James Version · 1611And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949And you are to have love for the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862and thou shalt love the Lord thy God out of all thy heart, and out of thy soul, and out of all thine understanding, and out of all thy strength--this <FI>is<Fi> the first command;
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart and with thy whole soul and with thy whole mind and with thy whole strength. This is the first commandment.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890and thou shalt love the Lord thyGod with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thine understanding, and with all thy strength. This is [the] first commandment.
Context
This verse elaborates on the first and greatest commandment, continuing Jesus’s direct answer to the scribe. It details the multifaceted nature of loving God as introduced in the previous verse. This expansive definition of love for God provides the depth and intensity intended by the Law, leading immediately to the crucial second commandment that defines human relationships, thereby presenting a holistic view of divine expectation.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Deuteronomy 6:5
and thou shalt love Jehovah thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
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