Matthew 22:34-40 Meaning
Jesus says the greatest command is to love God, and the second is to love your neighbor. He teaches that these two commands hold together the Law and the Prophets. Early Christian writers like Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, Clement of Alexandria, Ignatius, and Tatian repeatedly explained the passage this way.
141 early-church witnesses · 238 source quotations · compared with Scripture
What does Matthew 22:34-40 mean?
Matthew 22:34-40 means that Jesus put love at the center of God’s law. The first duty is to love God fully, and the second is to love your neighbor as yourself. He says every other command in the Law and the Prophets hangs on these two commands. Early Christian writers like Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, Clement of Alexandria, Ignatius, and Tatian used this passage to teach that true obedience is summed up in love.
Many more early Christian quotations, Bible passages, and source links are gathered below so you can study the evidence for yourself.
Passage context
In Matthew 22, the Pharisees gathered after Jesus answered the Sadducees. A lawyer then asked him which commandment was greatest. Jesus answered by quoting the command to love God and then adding the command to love your neighbor. He ended by saying these two commands hold up the whole Law and the Prophets.
Why early Christian sources matter
Early Christian writers help show how the first churches read this passage. Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, Clement of Alexandria, Ignatius, and Tatian all used it to explain that love is the heart of God’s law. Their comments are useful because they repeat the same core reading across different places and years. That makes the interpretation clear and early.
Common interpretation points
- The passage is often linked with Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18, which Jesus brings together in one answer.
- Some early writers also connect this saying with Mark 12:30-31 and Luke 10:27, which give the same command in nearby forms.
- The main point is not that other commands do not matter, but that they are all summed up under love for God and neighbor.
Evidence-Based Summary
Matthew 22:34-40 means that Jesus named love for God and love for neighbor as the center of God’s law, and that all the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands. Early Christian writers like Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, Clement of Alexandria, Ignatius, and Tatian repeatedly used this passage to explain that true obedience is summed up in love, not in mere rule-keeping.
They also tied it to the Bible’s wider teaching in the Law and the Prophets, especially Deuteronomy 6:5, Leviticus 19:18, Mark 12:30-31, and Luke 10:27. The evidence is broad and consistent on the main meaning, while some related quotations focus more on the law’s fulfillment or on nearby passages than on Matthew 22:34-40 itself.
Key Takeaways
- Jesus says love for God and love for neighbor are the center of the Law and the Prophets.
- Early Christian writers widely repeated this reading from the second and third centuries.
- The strongest supporting Bible texts are Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18.
Questions Answered by the Sources
What did Jesus say was the greatest commandment?
Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind, and the second is to love your neighbor as yourself. He said these two commands hold up all the Law and the Prophets, so they are the summary of what God wants. The closest Bible parallels repeat the same teaching in Mark 12 and Luke 10.
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Matthew 22:37 Direct teaching
Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
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Matthew 22:40 Direct teaching
On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
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Matthew 22:39 Direct teaching
And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
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Matthew 22:38 Supporting witness
This is the first and great commandment.
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Luke 10:27 Supporting witness
And he answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.”
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Mark 12:30 Supporting witness
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.
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Mark 12:28 Background
And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?”
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Mark 12:33 Supporting witness
And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
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Matthew 22:36 Background
“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”
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Matthew 22:35 Background
And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him.
More related quotations from this section 4 shown
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Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho Supporting witness
They are these: ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy strength, and thy neighbour as thyself.’ For the man who loves God with all the heart, and with all the strength, being filled with a God-fearing mind, will reverence no other god;
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Tatian, The Diatessaron Supporting witness
Matthew 22:38 This is the great and preëminent commandment.
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Didache, The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles Supporting witness
...eath. There is a great difference between these two ways. The way of life is this. First, you shall love God who made you. Second, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. And whatever you would not want to happen to you, do not do to another. And the teaching of these words is this: Bless those who curse you, and pray for your enemies, and fast for those who persecute you. For what reward is there if you love those who love you? Do not even the Gentiles do the same? But love those who hate you, and you will not have an enemy. Keep away from fleshly and worldly desires. If someone strikes your right cheek, turn the other cheek to him also, and you will be perfect. If someone forces you to go one mile, go with him two. If someone takes away your cloak, give him your coat also. If someone takes what is yours, do not ask for it back, for you are not able to do so. Give to everyone who asks you, and do not ask for it back. For the Father wills that everyone should be given something from our own free gifts. Happy is the one who gives according to the commandment, for he is guiltless. Woe to the one who receives. If a person receives because he has need, he is guiltless. But the one
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Origen, Commentary on Matthew Background
...use the Pharisees and Sadducees had left what is figuratively called man, the word of truth, or the law, and had been corrupted by falsehood and the law of sin. For if there are two laws, the law in our members warring against the law of the mind, and the law of the mind, Romans 7:23, we must say that the law of the mind, that is, the spiritual law, is man, to whom the soul was given by God as wife, that is, to the man who is law, according to what is written, "A wife is married to a man by God," Proverbs 19:14. But the other is a lover of the soul that is subject to it, and because of it the soul is also called an adulteress. Now Paul clearly shows in the Epistle to the Romans that the law is husband of the soul. He says, "The law has dominion over a man for as long a time as he lives; for the woman that has a husband is bound to the husband while he lives," to the husband who is law, and so on. For consider in these things that the law has dominion over the man so long a time as the law lives, as a husband over a wife. For the woman that has a husband, that is, the soul under the law, is bound to the husband while he lives, to the husband who is the law. But if the husband, th
How did early Christians explain Matthew 22:34-40?
Early Christian writers regularly used this passage to teach that love for God and neighbor is the center of Christian life. Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, Clement of Alexandria, Ignatius, Tatian, and Cyprian all repeat the same basic reading: the law is fulfilled in these commands, and true obedience flows from love. Their comments are broad and early, and they are one of the clearest witness groups on this passage.
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Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho Direct teaching
...rist spoke truthfully when he summed up all righteousness and piety in two commandments: 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your strength, and your neighbor as yourself.' For the person who loves God with all their heart and strength, being filled with a God-fearing mind, will honor no other god; and since God desires it, he would honor the angel who is loved by the same Lord and God. The person who loves their neighbor as themselves will wish for them the same good things they desire for themselves, and no one wishes harm upon themselves. Consequently, someone who loves their neighbor would pray and strive for their neighbor to have the same benefits they have. No other being is as close to man as another similarly-disposed and rational being—man. Therefore, since all righteousness has two aspects, one concerning God and the other concerning humans, whoever, according to Scripture, loves the Lord God with all their heart and strength and their neighbor as themselves would truly be a righteous person. But you have never been shown to possess friendship or love towards God, or the prophets, or yourselves. Instead, as is clear, you are continually
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Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Direct teaching
This is love, to love God and our neighbour.
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Ignatius, Epistle to the Smyrnaeans (Long Version) Direct teaching
...e main points are faith in God, hope in Christ, the enjoyment of the good things we anticipate, and love towards God and our neighbor. For, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and your neighbor as yourself." And the Lord says, "This is eternal life, to know the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom He has sent." And again, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Therefore, notice those who preach other doctrines, how they claim that the Father of Christ cannot be known, and how they show enmity and deceit in their dealings with one another. They have no regard for love; they despise the good things we expect hereafter; they regard present things as if they were permanent; they ridicule those who are in affliction; they laugh at those who are in bonds.
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Clement of Alexandria, Who Is the Rich Man That Shall Be Saved? Supporting witness
Matthew 22:36-38 that no commandment is greater than this (He says), and with exceeding good reason;
Did early Christians think Matthew 22:40 meant the whole Law and the Prophets depend on love?
Yes. Early Christian writers consistently say that the whole law and the prophets are joined to the two commands of love. Irenaeus says the Lord taught that the entire law and the prophets hang on these two commandments, and Tatian, Cyprian, and other writers repeat the same idea. This matches the wording of Matthew 22:40 and its close parallels.
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Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book IV Direct teaching
2. But that this is the first and greatest commandment, and that the next [has respect to love] towards our neighbour, the Lord has taught, when He says that the entire law and the prophets hang upon these two commandments.
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Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book IV Supporting witness
3. As in the law, therefore, and in the Gospel [likewise], the first and greatest commandment is, to love the Lord God with the whole heart, and then there follows a commandment like to it, to love one’s neighbour as one’s self;
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Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book IV Supporting witness
The first and greatest commandment, and the one that pertains to love for our neighbor, is something the Lord has taught us. He stated that the entire law and the prophets depend on these two commandments. Furthermore, He did not bring down any other commandment greater than this one from heaven but instead reinforced it to His disciples, instructing them to love God with all their heart and others as themselves. If He had come from a different Father, He would not have employed the first and greatest commandment of the law. Instead, He would have surely sought to bring down a greater commandment from the perfect Father, rather than using the one given by the God of the law. Similarly, Paul declares, "Love is the fulfillment of the law," and he states that when all other things are gone, "faith, hope, and love" will remain, and the greatest of these is love. He emphasizes that without the love of God, neither knowledge, the understanding of mysteries, faith, nor prophecy is beneficial, and without love, all are empty and meaningless. Moreover, love makes a person perfect, and he who loves God is perfect both in this world and in the one to come. We never cease to love God; rather,
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Tatian, The Diatessaron Supporting witness
Matthew 22:40 On these two commandments, then, are hung the 32 [Arabic, p.
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Cyprian, Treatises Supporting witness
Matthew 22:40 And again: Whatsoever good things you would have men do to you, do even so to them.
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Cyprian, Treatises Supporting witness
On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
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Anonymous, Treatise on Re-Baptism Supporting witness
For on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets;
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Ignatius of Antioch, Connection to Matthew 22:40 Supporting witness
And again, "A new commandment give I unto you, that ye love one another. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
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Origen, De Principiis (On First Principles) Supporting witness
And to these He added: On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
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Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho Supporting witness
And hence I think that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ spoke well when He summed up all righteousness and piety in two commandments.
More related quotations from this section 7 shown
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Origen, De Principiis (On First Principles) Supporting witness
according to the words of the Saviour Himself, who, when He was asked which was the greatest commandment in the law, replied, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.
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Anonymous, Treatise on Re-Baptism Supporting witness
...e also goes on to say, "And if I give up my body so that I may be burned with fire, but do not have love, I gain nothing." Because the man who does not have love for that God and Christ who are proclaimed by the Law and the Prophets and in the Gospel gains nothing by this deed. They are proclaimed in this way: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your mind, and with all your thought; and you shall love your neighbor as yourself. For on these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets," Matthew 22:37. Just as John the evangelist said, "And every one who loves is born of God, and knows God; for God is love," 1 John 4:7-8. Just as God also says, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that every one who believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." So it plainly appears that he who does not have this love in himself, of loving us and being loved by us, gains nothing by an empty confession and suffering, except that by it this appears and is made plain: he is a heretic who believes in another God, or receives another Christ than the One whom the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament plainly declare. T
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Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness
The first way, therefore, is the way of life, and it is this, which the law also commands: Love the Lord God with all your mind and with all your soul, who is the one and only God, besides whom there is no other; and love your neighbor as yourself. And whatever you would not want done to you, do not do to another. Tobit 4:15 Bless those who curse you; pray for those who mistreat you. Matthew 5:44 Love your enemies; for what thanks is it if you love those who love you? For even the Gentiles do the same. Luke 6:32; Matthew 5:46-47 But love those who hate you, and you will have no enemy. For He says, You shall not hate any man; no, not an Egyptian, nor an Edomite; for they are all the workmanship of God. Do not avoid the persons of the wicked, but their opinions. Abstain from fleshly and worldly lusts. If anyone strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also. Not that revenge is evil, but that patience is more honorable. For David says, If I have repaid those who repaid me evil. If anyone compels you to go one mile, go with him two. And, He that will sue you at the law, and take away your coat, let him have your cloak also. Matthew 5:40; Luke 6:29 And from him who takes y
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Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Supporting witness
...nk I should not pass over the point that the Apostle proclaims the same God through the law and the prophets and the Gospel. For the saying, "You shall not desire," which is written in the Gospel, he attributes to the law in the Epistle to the Romans, knowing that the one who preached through the law and the prophets was one and the same, the Father, and that He was announced through him. For he says, "What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not. But I did not know sin except through the law. For I would not have known desire unless the law had said, 'You shall not desire,'" Romans 7:7. But if those of another opinion, opposing this, think that Paul, directing his words against the Creator, said what follows next, "For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, no good thing dwells," Romans 7:18, let them read what was said before, and what comes after. For first he said, "But sin dwells in me." Because of this, it naturally followed for him to say, "No good thing dwells in my flesh," Romans 7:17. Then he adds, "But if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me." And he says that this, resisting the law of God and of my mind, takes me
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Archelaus, Disputation with Manes Supporting witness
...kept putting them forward. In agreement with all this, he also used the saying that the law and the prophets were until John. He declared, however, that John preached the true kingdom of heaven. For truly he believed that by the cutting off of John's head it was shown that all who came before him, and who had precedence over him, were to be cut off, and that only what came after him was to remain. Therefore, concerning all these matters, O most godly Archelaus, send us back a short written reply. For I have heard that you have studied these subjects to no ordinary degree, and that the ability you have is God's gift, since God gives these gifts to those who are worthy of them, who are His friends, and who show themselves united with Him in purpose and life. For our part is to prepare ourselves and to draw near to the gracious and generous mind, and then we immediately receive from it the richest gifts. Accordingly, since the learning I have for discussing subjects like these does not meet the needs of my desire and purpose, for I confess that I am an unlearned man, I have sent to you, as I have already said more than once, hoping to obtain from your hand the fullest answer to thi
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Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho Background
and in the following terms: ‘The law and the prophets were until John the Baptist;
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Didache, The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles Background
second, your neighbour as yourself; and all things whatsoever you would should not occur to you, do not also do to another.
Common Questions
Why did Jesus say these were the greatest commandments?
He said they were greatest because they sum up the whole law. Loving God comes first, and loving your neighbor follows from it.
Do early Christians treat love as more important than rules?
Yes. They often say love is the heart of the law, not a replacement for it.
What is the main message of Matthew 22:34-40?
The main message is that love for God and love for neighbor sum up God’s law.
Which early Christian writers mention this teaching?
Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, Clement of Alexandria, Ignatius, and Tatian all use this teaching in related passages.
Source Index for Matthew 22:34-40
The guided sections above show the strongest quotations. This compact index highlights 160 ranked source links from 238 compiled sources for deeper study.
Source index 160 ranked links shown
Early Christian Writings 80 shown of 141
Primary-source quotations from early Christian writers and church documents.
Bible Passages 80 shown of 97
Related Bible passages saved for comparison with the early Christian quotations.
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