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Mark 12:30
And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart...
Jesus is asked by a friendly scribe what is the first of all the commandments
Mark 12:30 And 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.
Mark 12:30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.
And you should care about MASTER, that Divine of yours, from a whole heart of yours and from that whole self of yours, and from that whole intelligence of yours, and from that whole strength of yours.
Greek
Greek Word Order
καὶ ἀγαπήσεις Κύριον” “τὸν θεόν σου ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας σου
And you should care about MASTER, that Divine of yours, from a whole heart of yours
καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ψυχῆς σου καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς διανοίας σου
and from whole that self of yours, and from whole that intelligence of yours,
καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ἰσχύος σου.”
and from whole that strength of yours.
We care about the Divine beyond our own normal cares, selfishness, thoughts, and abilities
Lost in Translation
Unlike the Matthew version, this verse is identical to the Greek of the Septuagint from Deuteronomy 6:5. However, the English translations translated this like it is the Matthew version. The main difference is the preposition translated as "with," which is a preposition that primarily means "from." However, it can also mean "beyond." This changes the case of the objects (heart, soul, mind) to a genitive. A genitive object means a movement away from something or a position away from something else. Of movement, this preposition indicates moving "from" and "out of." However, of place, the sense is "beyond."
Vocabulary (Greek word by word)
καὶ [1089 verses] (conj/adv) "And" is kai, which is the conjunction joining phrases and clauses, "and," or "but." After words implying sameness, "as" (the same opinion as you). Used in series, joins positive with negative "Not only...but also." Also used to give emphasis, "even", "also," and "just." -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and", but it also is used to add emphasis ("also"). In a series, it is best translated as "not only...but also." After words implying sameness "as".
Ἀγαπήσεις [32 verses](verb 2nd sg aor subj act) "Love" is from agapao, which means "to be fond of", "to greet with affection", "to persuade", "to caress", "to prize", "to desire", "to be pleased with," and "to be contended with." "Agape" takes its modern meaning of "brotherly love" from the English translations of the New Testament.
Κύριον [92 verses](noun sg masc acc) "Lord" is kyrios, which means "having power," "being in authority" and "being in possession of." It also means "lord," "master of the house," and "head of the family."
τὸν [821 verses](article sg masc acc) "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"). -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.
θεόν [144 verses] (noun sg masc acc) "God" is from theos, which means "God," "divine," and "Deity."
σου [144 verses](pron 2nd sg gen) "Thy" is sou is the genitive form of the second-person, singular pronoun that means "of you" and "your."
ἐξ [121 verses] (prep) "With" is ek, which means 1) [of motion] "out of", "from", "by", "away from;" 2) [of place] "beyond", "outside of", "beyond;" 3) [of succession] "after", "from;" 4) [of rest] "on", "in," 5) [of time] "since", "from", "at", "in;" 5) [of materials] "out of", "made from."
ὅλῃ [23 verses] (adj sg fem gen) "Whole" is from holos, which means "the whole", "entire", "complete", "complete in all its parts", "wholly", "altogether", "on the whole", "speaking generally", "utter," "actually", "really, "the universe," and "safe and sound."
καρδίᾳ [37 verses](noun sg fem gen) "Heart" is from kardia, which means "heart (the physical organ)", "the seat of emotions (especially passion, rage, and anger)", "inclination", "desire," "purpose", "mind", "the pith (in wood), and "the deep (of the sea)."
σου [144 verses](pron 2nd sg gen) "Thy" is sou is the genitive form of the second-person, singular pronoun that means "of you" and "your."
καὶ [1089 verses]"And" is from kai, which is the conjunction joining phrases and clauses, "and," or "but." After words implying sameness, "as" (the same opinion as you). Used in series, joins positiv with negative "Not only...but also." Also used to give emphasis, "even", "also," and "just."
ἐξ [121 verses] (prep) "With" is ek, which means 1) [of motion] "out of", "from", "by", "away from;" 2) [of place] "beyond", "outside of", "beyond;" 3) [of succession] "after", "from;" 4) [of rest] "on", "in," 5) [of time] "since", "from", "at", "in;" 5) [of materials] "out of", "made from."
ὅλης [23 verses](adj sg fem gen) "Whole" is from holos (holos), which means "the whole", "entire", "complete", "complete in all its parts", "wholly", "altogether", "on the whole", "speaking generally", "utter," "actually", "really, "the universe," and "safe and sound."
τῆς [821 verses] (article sg fem gen) Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"), which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones."
ψυχῆς [33 verses](noun sg fem gen) "Soul" is from psyche, which means "breath", "life", "self", "spirit," and "soul." It has the clear sense of the conscious self and is often translated as "life" in the Gospels. It is also used to describe "the spirit" of things. It is often translated as "soul."
σου [144 verses](pron 2nd sg gen) "Thy" is sou is the genitive form of the second-person, singular pronoun that means "of you" and "your."
καὶ [1089 verses]"And" is from kai, which is the conjunction joining phrases and clauses, "and," or "but." After words implying sameness, "as" (the same opinion as you). Used in series, joins positive with negative "Not only...but also." Also used to give emphasis, "even", "also," and "just."
ἐξ [121 verses] (prep) "With" is ek, which means 1) [of motion] "out of", "from", "by", "away from;" 2) [of place] "beyond", "outside of", "beyond;" 3) [of succession] "after", "from;" 4) [of rest] "on", "in," 5) [of time] "since", "from", "at", "in;" 5) [of materials] "out of", "made from."
ὅλης [23 verses](adj sg fem gen) "Whole" is from holos (holos), which means "the whole", "entire", "complete", "complete in all its parts", "wholly", "altogether", "on the whole", "speaking generally", "utter," "actually", "really, "the universe," and "safe and sound."
τῆς [821 verses](article sg fem gen) Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"), which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones."
διανοίας[2 verses](noun sg fem gen) "Mind" is from dianoia, which means "thought", "intention", "purpose", "notion", "process of thinking", "thinking faculty," intelligence", "understanding", "thoughts expressed," and "meaning."
σου [144 verses](pron 2nd sg gen) "Thy" is sou is the genitive form of the second-person, singular pronoun that means "of you" and "your."
καὶ [1089 verses] "And" is from kai, which is the conjunction joining phrases and clauses, "and," or "but." After words implying sameness, "as" (the same opinion as you). Used in series, joins positive with negative "Not only...but also." Also used to give emphasis, "even", "also," and "just."
ἐξ [121 verses] (prep) "From" is ek, which means 1) [of motion] "out of", "from", "by", "away from;" 2) [of place] "beyond", "outside of", "beyond;" 3) [of succession] "after", "from;" 4) [of rest] "on", "in," 5) [of time] "since", "from", "at", "in;" 5) [of materials] "out of", "made from."
ὅλης [23 verses](adj sg fem gen) "Whole" is holos, which means "the whole", "entire", "complete", "complete in all its parts", "wholly", "altogether", "on the whole", "speaking generally", "utter," "actually", "really, "the universe," and "safe and sound."
τῆς [821 verses](article sg fem gen) Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"), which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones."
ἰσχύος [4 verses]( noun sg fem gen) "Strength" is ischys, which means "strength of body", "might", "power", "brute force," and "motive force."
σου [144 verses](pron 2nd sg gen) "Thy" is sou is the genitive form of the second-person, singular pronoun that means "of you" and "your."
KJV — word by word
and --The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and", but it also is used to add emphasis ("also") and, in a series, as it is here, is often best translated as "not only...but also."
Thou -- This is from the second-person, plural form of the following verb.
shalt -- (CW) This helping verb "shall" does not indicate the future tense, but that the verb describes a possibility, the subjunctive voice. A "might" or "should" in English is more appropriate but is assumed in an
"if/when/whoever/except" clause. Helping verbs are not needed in Greek since the main verb carries this information in its form.
love -- The Greek word translated as "love" means "to be fond of", "to greet with affection," and "to be contended with." Jesus uses this word in the sense of "to be devoted to." See this article on love for more information.
the -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, but this article appears before the word for "God" not the word for "Lord." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.
Lord -- The word translated as "lord" means "having power" and "being in authority." This is the word used to translate the Hebrew Yehovah, the name of God.
thy -- The word translated as "thy" is the possessive form of the second person, singular pronoun. This word appears after the word "God" so "of yours."
God -- The word translated as "God" means "God" and "deity." It is introduced with an article, so "the God." Jesus often uses it this way perhaps to indicate the one God as opposed to the pagan gods.
with -- (WW) The Greek preposition translated as "with" means "out of" or "from."
all -- (CW) The word translated as "all" in each of the three phrases means "whole", "entire," and "complete." This is not the common Greek word usually translated as "all."
thy -- The word translated as "thy" is the possessive form of the second person, singular pronoun. This word appears after the word "heart" so "of yours."
heart -- "Heart" is from the Greek word that means "heart" both the physical organ and as the seat of emotions, which we discuss in a larger Greek context in this article here. However, this phrase can be read as defining the "heart" and both.
and --The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and", but it also is used to add emphasis ("also") and, in a series, as it is here, is often best translated as "not only...but also."
with -- (WW) The Greek preposition translated as "with" means "out of" or "from."
all -- (CW) The word translated as "all" in each of the three phrases means "whole", "entire," and "complete." This is not the common Greek word usually translated as "all."
thy -- The word translated as "thy" is the possessive form of the second person, singular pronoun. This word appears after the word "soul" so "of yours."
missing "the"-- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.
soul, -- The word translated here as "soul" is a common word in Greek meaning "life", "soul", "consciousness," and "a sense of self." Christ uses it to mean primary "spirit" or "mind." This is especially clear here where "mind" is contrasted with "body". However, this also has the sense of contrasting the conscious mind (and memory) with the unconscious brain. This Greek word is our source of the English word "psyche." Read more about its meaning in this article.
and --The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and", but it also is used to add emphasis ("also") and, in a series, as it is here, is often best translated as "not only...but also."
with -- (WW) The Greek preposition translated as "with" means "out of" or "from."
all -- (CW) The word translated as "all" in each of the three phrases means "whole", "entire," and "complete." This is not the common Greek word usually translated as "all."
thy -- The word translated as "thy" is the possessive form of the second person, singular pronoun. This word appears after the word "mind" so "of yours."
missing "the"-- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.
mind. -- "Mind" is from a word Christ rarely uses. It means "thought", "intention", "purpose,"and "meaning."
and --The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and", but it also is used to add emphasis ("also") and, in a series, as it is here, is often best translated as "not only...but also."
with -- (WW) The Greek preposition translated as "with" means "out of" or "from."
all -- (CW) The word translated as "all" in each of the three phrases means "whole", "entire," and "complete." This is not the common Greek word usually translated as "all."
thy -- The word translated as "thy" is the possessive form of the second person, singular pronoun. This word appears after the word "mind" so "of yours."
missing "the"-- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.
strength: -- "Strength" is a noun that means "strength of body", "might", "power", "brute force," and "motive force."
this is the first commandment. -- (OS) There are no Greek words that can be translated as "this is the first commandment" in the source we use today but it does exist in the source that the KJV translators used.
NIV — word by word
missing "and"-- (MW) The untranslated word "and" is used as the conjunction "and", but it also is used to add emphasis ("also") and, in a series, as it is here, is often best translated as "not only...but also."
Love -- (WF) The Greek word translated as "love" means "to be fond of", "to greet with affection," and "to be contended with." Jesus uses this word in the sense of "to be devoted to." . See this article on the words for love for more information.
the -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, but this article appears before the word for "God" not the word for "Lord." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.
Lord -- The word translated as "lord" means "having power" and "being in authority." This is the word used to translate the Hebrew Yehovah, the name of God.
your -- The word translated as "thy" is the possessive form of the second person, singular pronoun. This word appears after the word "God" so "of yours."
God -- The word translated as "God" means "God" and "deity." It is introduced with an article, so "the God." Jesus often uses it this way perhaps to indicate the one God as opposed to the pagan gods.
with -- (WW) The Greek preposition translated as "with" means "out of" or "from."
all -- (CW) The word translated as "all" in each of the three phrases means "whole", "entire," and "complete." This is not the common Greek word usually translated as "all."
your -- The word translated as "thy" is the possessive form of the second person, singular pronoun. This word appears after the word "heart" so "of yours."
heart -- "Heart" is from the Greek word that means "heart" both the physical organ and as the seat of emotions, which we discuss in a larger Greek context in this article here. However, this phrase can be read as defining the "heart" and both.
and --The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and", but it also is used to add emphasis ("also") and, in a series, as it is here, is often best translated as "not only...but also."
with -- (WW) The Greek preposition translated as "with" means "out of" or "from."
all -- (CW) The word translated as "all" in each of the three phrases means "whole", "entire," and "complete." This is not the common Greek word usually translated as "all."
your -- The word translated as "thy" is the possessive form of the second person, singular pronoun. This word appears after the word "soul" so "of yours."
missing "the"-- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.
soul, -- The word translated here as "soul" is a common word in Greek meaning "life", "soul", "consciousness," and "a sense of self." Christ uses it to mean primary "spirit" or "mind." This is especially clear here where "mind" is contrasted with "body". However, this also has the sense of contrasting the conscious mind (and memory) with the unconscious brain. This Greek word is our source of the English word "psyche." Read more about its meaning in this article.
and --The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and", but it also is used to add emphasis ("also") and, in a series, as it is here, is often best translated as "not only...but also."
with -- (WW) The Greek preposition translated as "with" means "out of" or "from."
all -- (CW) The word translated as "all" in each of the three phrases means "whole", "entire," and "complete." This is not the common Greek word usually translated as "all."
your -- The word translated as "thy" is the possessive form of the second person, singular pronoun. This word appears after the word "mind" so "of yours."
missing "the"-- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.
mind. -- "Mind" is from a word Christ rarely uses. It means "thought", "intention", "purpose,"and "meaning."
and --The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and", but it also is used to add emphasis ("also") and, in a series, as it is here, is often best translated as "not only...but also."
with -- (WW) The Greek preposition translated as "with" means "out of" or "from."
all -- (CW) The word translated as "all" in each of the three phrases means "whole", "entire," and "complete." This is not the common Greek word usually translated as "all."
your -- The word translated as "thy" is the possessive form of the second person, singular pronoun. This word appears after the word "mind" so "of yours."
missing "the"-- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.
strength: -- "Strength" is a noun that means "strength of body", "might", "power", "brute force," and "motive force."
Related Verses
Matthew 22:37 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, ›