Romans 13:9

“For: You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet; and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this word, namely: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”

Romans 13:9 · direct translation from the Greek
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Loving the other person sums up and fulfills the whole lawLove

With the Greek beneath

9

Quotation · Exodus 20:13-17

Go to Exodus 20:13-17

Paul quotes four commandments, adultery first, and sums them up in Leviticus 19:18.

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: τὸ γάρ Οὐ μοιχεύσεις Οὐ φονεύσεις Οὐ κλέψεις Οὐκ ἐπιθυμήσεις καὶ εἴ τις ἑτέρα ἐντολή ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τούτῳ ἀνακεφαλαιοῦται ἐν τῷ Ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν

Hebrew (Masoretic text): לֹא תִּרְצָח לֹא תִּנְאָף לֹא תִּגְנֹב לֹא תַעֲנֶה בְרֵעֲךָ עֵד שָׁקֶר לֹא תַחְמֹד בֵּית רֵעֶךָ לֹא תַחְמֹד אֵשֶׁת רֵעֶךָ וְעַבְדּוֹ וַאֲמָתוֹ וְשׁוֹרוֹ וַחֲמֹרוֹ וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר לְרֵעֶךָ

Septuagint (Exodus 20:17 in the Septuagint numbering): Oὐκ ἔπι· θυμήσεις τὴν γυναῖκα τοῦ πλησίον σου· οὐκ ἐπιθυμήσεις τὴν οἰκίαν τοῦ πλησίον σου οὔτε τὸν ἀγρὸν αὐτοῦ, οὔτε τὸν παῖδα αὐτοῦ ούτε τὴν παιδίσκην αὐτοῦ, οὔτε τοῦ βοὸς αὐτοῦ οὔτε τοῦ ὑποζυγίου αὐτοῦ οὔτε παντὸς κτήνους αὐτοῦ, οὔτε ὅσα τῷ πλησίον σού ἐστιν.

In the Septuagint verse that most resembles it, at most 2 consecutive words match the Greek of the NT. The transcription has reading errors, so a match may not show.

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

Quotation · Leviticus 19:18

Go to Leviticus 19:18

Paul sums up the commandments in the second half of Leviticus 19:18.

Formula: ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τούτῳ ἀνακεφαλαιοῦται ἐν τῷ “it is summed up in this word” (Romans 13:9)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: τὸ γάρ Οὐ μοιχεύσεις Οὐ φονεύσεις Οὐ κλέψεις Οὐκ ἐπιθυμήσεις καὶ εἴ τις ἑτέρα ἐντολή ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τούτῳ ἀνακεφαλαιοῦται ἐν τῷ Ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν

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

Septuagint (Leviticus 19:18 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.

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

Quotation · Deuteronomy 5:17-21

Go to Deuteronomy 5:17-21

The commandments are also in Deuteronomy 5:17-21; Paul quotes four, adultery first.

Formula: ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τούτῳ ἀνακεφαλαιοῦται ἐν τῷ “it is summed up in this word” (Romans 13:9)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: τὸ γάρ Οὐ μοιχεύσεις Οὐ φονεύσεις Οὐ κλέψεις Οὐκ ἐπιθυμήσεις καὶ εἴ τις ἑτέρα ἐντολή ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τούτῳ ἀνακεφαλαιοῦται ἐν τῷ Ἀγαπήσεις τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν

Hebrew (Masoretic text): לֹא תִּרְצָח וְלֹא תִּנְאָף וְלֹא תִּגְנֹב וְלֹא תַעֲנֶה בְרֵעֲךָ עֵד שָׁוְא וְלֹא תַחְמֹד אֵשֶׁת רֵעֶךָ וְלֹא תִתְאַוֶּה בֵּית רֵעֶךָ שָׂדֵהוּ וְעַבְדּוֹ וַאֲמָתוֹ שׁוֹרוֹ וַחֲמֹרוֹ וְכֹל אֲשֶׁר לְרֵעֶךָ

Septuagint (Deuteronomy 5:21 in the Septuagint numbering): Οὐκ ἐπιθυμήσεις τὴν γυναῖκα τοῦ πλησίον σου· οὐκ ἐπιθυμήσεις τὴν οἰκίαν τοῦ πλησίον σου οὔτε τὸν ἀγρόν αὐτοῦ οὔτε τὸν παῖδα αὐτοῦ οὔτε τὴν παιδίσκην αὐτοῦ, οὔτε τοῦ βοὸς αὐτοῦ οὔτε τοῦ ὑποζυγίου αὐτοῦ οὔτε παντὸς κτήνους αὐτοῦ, οὔτε ὅσα τῷ πλησίον σού ἐστιν.

In the Septuagint verse that most resembles it, at most 2 consecutive words match the Greek of the NT. The transcription has reading errors, so a match may not show.

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

Romans 13:9, word by word

commit adulteryμοιχεύσειςmoicheuseis

commit adultery

Commit adultery.

Where else “moicheuseis” appears
murderφονεύσειςphoneuseis

murder

Kill, murder.

Where else “phoneuseis” appears
stealκλέψειςklepseis

steal

Steal.

Where else “klepseis” appears
covetἐπιθυμήσειςepithymēseis

covet

To want what is not yours or what God forbids.

Where else “epithymēseis” appears
otherἑτέραhetera

other, another

Other, another, different.

Where else “hetera” appears
commandmentἐντολήentolē

commandment

What God or Jesus orders to be done, with his authority, to be carried out.

Where else “entolē” appears
it is summed upἀνακεφαλαιοῦταιanakephalaioutai

sum up

To state in a few words what covers all the rest.

Where else “anakephalaioutai” appears
wordλόγῳlogōi

word

What someone says or teaches.

Where else “logōi” 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

Translation note· on the manuscripts

Exodus 20:13-17; Deuteronomy 5:17-21; Leviticus 19:18. Some manuscripts add “you shall not bear false witness.”

Parallel passages

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

Quotation · Exodus 20:13-17

Paul quotes four commandments, adultery first, and sums them up in Leviticus 19:18.

See them side by side

Romans 13:9

9For: You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet; and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this word, namely: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Exodus 20:13-17

13You shall not murder.

Quotation · Leviticus 19:18

Paul sums up the commandments in the second half of Leviticus 19:18.

See them side by side

Romans 13:9

9For: You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet; and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this word, namely: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

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.

Quotation · Deuteronomy 5:17-21

The commandments are also in Deuteronomy 5:17-21; Paul quotes four, adultery first.

See them side by side

Romans 13:9

9For: You shall not commit adultery, you shall not murder, you shall not steal, you shall not covet; and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this word, namely: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Deuteronomy 5:17-21

17You shall not murder.

The context

8Owe no one anything except to love one another; for the one who loves the other has fulfilled the law.

9 · This verse (above)

10Love works no evil to the neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Read all of Romans 13

To study Romans 13 in a group

  1. 1. What it says

    What does Paul say we owe others, and how does he sum up the law? (vv. 8-10)

  2. 2. What it means

    Why does Paul say love does no harm to a neighbor and so fulfills the law? (v. 10)

  3. 3. How I live it

    Whom close to you can you show love in a concrete way this week, expecting nothing in return?

How to use it