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James 2:8

“If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, You shall love your neighbor as yourself, you do well.”

James 2:8 · direct translation from the Greek
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8

Quotation · Leviticus 19:18

Go to Leviticus 19:18

James calls the second half of Leviticus 19:18 “the royal law.”

Formula: κατὰ τὴν γραφήν “according to the Scripture” (James 2:8)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: Εἰ μέντοι νόμον τελεῖτε βασιλικὸν κατὰ τὴν γραφήν Ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν καλῶς ποιεῖτε

Hebrew (Masoretic text): לֹא תִקֹּם וְלֹא תִטֹּר אֶת בְּנֵי עַמֶּךָ וְאָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ כָּמוֹךָ אֲנִי יְהוָה

Septuagint (Leviticus 19:18-19 in the Septuagint numbering): καὶ οὐκ ἐκδικᾶταί σου ἡ χείρ, καὶ οὐ μηνιεῖς τοῖς υἱοῖς τοῦ λαοῦ σου, καὶ ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν· ἐγώ εἰμι κύριος. Τὸν νόμον μου φυλάξεσθε. τὰ κτήνη σου οὐ κατοχεύσεις ἑτεροζύγῳ, καὶ τὸν ἀμπελῶνά σου οὐ κατασπερεῖς διάφορον, καὶ ἱμάτιον ἐκ δύο ὑφασμένον κίβδηλον οὐκ ἐπιβαλεῖς σεαυτῷ.

The Greek of the NT matches the Septuagint word for word in 6 consecutive words: “Ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν.”

Septuagint, Swete’s text, First1KGreek transcription (with reading errors), CC BY-SA 4.0

James 2:8, word by word

you reallyμέντοιmentoi

yet, however

Yet, however; it marks a contrast with what was said before.

Where else “mentoi” appears
fulfillτελεῖτεteleite

carry out

To complete what was said or commanded.

Where else “teleite” appears
the royalβασιλικὸνbasilikon

royal

Belonging to a monarch.

Where else “basilikon” appears
lawνόμονnomon

law

The instructions God gave Israel through Moses; also, the whole of Scripture.

Where else “nomon” appears
the Scriptureγραφήνgraphēn

Scripture

Scripture: the sacred text; "the Scriptures", the Old Testament.

Where else “graphēn” appears
You shall loveἈγαπήσειςAgapēseis

love

Love: to seek the good of the other, even of someone who does not deserve it.

Where else “Agapēseis” appears
your neighborπλησίονplēsion

neighbor

The other person, whom you must love as yourself.

Where else “plēsion” appears
yourselfσεαυτόνseauton

yourself

Yourself.

Where else “seauton” appears
you doποιεῖτεpoieite

do

To carry out an action or cause an effect.

Where else “poieite” appears
wellκαλῶςkalōs

well

Well, rightly.

Where else “kalōs” appears

Translation note

Quotation of Leviticus 19:18.

Parallel passages

Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.

Quotation · Leviticus 19:18

James calls the second half of Leviticus 19:18 “the royal law.”

See them side by side

James 2:8

8If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, You shall love your neighbor as yourself, you do well.

Leviticus 19:18

18You shall not take vengeance, and you shall not bear a grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am YHWH.

The context

7Do they not blaspheme the good name that was invoked over you?

8 · This verse (above)

9But if you show partiality, you commit sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors.

Read all of James 2

To study James 2 in a group

  1. 1. What it says

    What situation does James describe with the man in the gold ring and the poor man, and what does he say about it (v. 1-4)?

  2. 2. What it means

    James says faith without works is dead (v. 14-17). What example does he use, and what is he trying to show?

  3. 3. How I live it

    Whom could you treat today with the same attention you would give to someone important?

How to use it