From Strength to Undersanding

When asked “What is the great commandment?” in Mat 22, our Lord answers by quoting Deu 6.5 with modifications. The most significant is the change from strength to understanding. Strength was needed for God’s earthly people to fulfill His prescriptive will in the promised land. Understanding is needed for God’s heavenly people to grow in His sovereign will, increasing their appreciation of His favor and increasing their knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ.

NKJ  Deuteronomy 6:5 "You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.

WTT Deuteronomy 6:5 וְאָ֣הַבְתָּ֔ אֵ֖ת יְהוָ֣ה אֱלֹהֶ֑יךָ בְּכָל־לְבָבְךָ֥ וּבְכָל־נַפְשְׁךָ֖ וּבְכָל־מְאֹדֶֽךָ׃

LXE  Deuteronomy 6:5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy mind, and with all thy soul, and all thy strength.

BGT  Deuteronomy 6:5 καὶ ἀγαπήσεις κύριον τὸν θεόν σου ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας σου καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ψυχῆς σου καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς δυνάμεώς σου

NKJ  Matthew 22:37 Jesus said to him, "`You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.'

BGT  Matthew 22:37 ὁ δὲ ἔφη αὐτῷ· ἀγαπήσεις κύριον τὸν θεόν σου ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ καρδίᾳ σου καὶ ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ ψυχῇ σου καὶ ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ διανοίᾳ σου·

“Understanding” is a better translation of “διανοίᾳ” than “mind” in Mat 22.37.

The LXE is not as literal as I would like. It tries to harmonize the above two verses, while the differences in the Greek have significance as follows:

One. “Heart” is better than the LXE translation of “καρδίᾳ” than “mind”. The Septuagint does translate the Hebrew word as “understanding” or “mind” in a similar passage, Jos 22.5. First century Jewish tradition appears to have regarded that single Hebrew word as meaning “heart” and “understanding” in Greek.

Two. “Thy” (“your”) is not in the Greek. It is in the Hebrew. NT and LXX literal translations should replace with “the”.

Three. Literal Greek translation would replace “with” (the translation of the Hebrew preposition) with “out of”. Interestingly the “first commandment” of Mark 12.30,33 follows this with the addition of “and out of all the understanding”.

The “great commandment” of Matt. 22.37 omits the “strength” phrase of Deut. and Mark, and changes the prepositions from “ἐξ” (“out of”) to “ἐν” (“in”).

The following literal translations of the relevant verses summarize the above in a more coherent way.

Hjvb  Deuteronomy 6:5 "You will love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength.

Gjvb  Deuteronomy 6:5 And you will love the LORD your God out of all the heart, and out of all the soul, and out of all the strength.

Gjvb  Mark 12:30 `And you will love the LORD your God out of all the heart, and out of all the soul, and out of all the understanding, and out of all the strength.' This is the first commandment.

Gjvb  Matthew 22:37 Jesus said to him, "`You will love the LORD your God in all the heart, and in all the soul, and in all the understanding.'

Note: It would be overly literal to translate “κύριον” as “Lord” when it stands for “יהוָ֣ה” (“Jehovah” or “LORD”) in the Hebrew.

Have just noticed that “love” is not in the imperative in the original languages. English versions have mostly been written by crypto-Galatians. William Kelly warned us, “The error of the Galatians is ubiquitous.” More about this later.