22:37

You must love: The Greek word here rendered “love” is a·ga·paʹo. This verb and the related noun a·gaʹpe (love) occur more than 250 times in the Christian Greek Scriptures. At 1Jo 4:8, the noun a·gaʹpe is used in the phrase “God is love,” and the Scriptures use God as the paramount example of unselfish love guided by principle. God’s love is expressed thoughtfully and actively. It involves commitment and actions, not just emotions and feelings. Humans who show such love do so as a deliberate choice in imitation of God. (Eph 5:1) That is why humans can be commanded to show love, as in the two greatest commandments, referred to in this context. Jesus is here quoting from De 6:5. In the Hebrew Scriptures, the Hebrew verb ʼa·hevʹ or ʼa·havʹ (to love) and the noun ʼa·havahʹ (love) are the words primarily used to denote love. They convey a range of meanings similar to that of the Greek words mentioned above. In connection with loving Jehovah, these words express a person’s desire to be completely devoted to God and to serve him exclusively. Jesus perfectly demonstrated this kind of love. He showed that love of God requires more than feeling affection for Jehovah. It governs a person’s whole life, influencing all his thoughts, words, and actions.​—See study note on Joh 3:16.

Jehovah: In this quote from De 6:5, the divine name, represented by four Hebrew consonants (transliterated YHWH), occurs in the original Hebrew text.​—See App. C.

heart: When used in a figurative sense, this term generally refers to the total inner person. When mentioned together with “soul” and “mind,” however, it evidently takes on a more specific meaning and refers mainly to a person’s emotions, desires, and feelings. The three terms used here (heart, soul, and mind) are not mutually exclusive; they are used in an overlapping sense, emphasizing in the strongest possible way the need for complete and total love for God.

soul: Or “whole being.”​—See Glossary.

mind: That is, intellectual faculties. A person must use his mental faculties to come to know God and grow in love for him. (Joh 17:3; Ro 12:1) In this quote from De 6:5, the original Hebrew text uses three terms, ‘heart, soul, and strength.’ However, according to Matthew’s account as it appears in Greek, the term for “mind” is used instead of “strength.” There may be several reasons for this use of different terms. First, although ancient Hebrew did not have a specific word for “mind,” this concept was often included in the Hebrew word for “heart.” This term when used figuratively refers to the whole inner person, including a person’s thinking, feelings, attitudes, and motivations. (De 29:4; Ps 26:2; 64:6; see study note on heart in this verse.) For this reason, where the Hebrew text uses the word “heart,” the Greek Septuagint often uses the Greek equivalent for “mind.” (Ge 8:21; 17:17; Pr 2:10; Isa 14:13) Another reason why Matthew may have used the Greek word for “mind” instead of “strength” when quoting De 6:5 is that the Hebrew word rendered “strength [or, “vital force,” ftn.]” could include both physical strength and mental or intellectual ability. Whatever the case, this overlapping of ideas between the Hebrew and Greek terms may help to explain why when quoting Deuteronomy the Gospel writers do not use the same exact wording.​—See study notes on Mr 12:30; Lu 10:27.