Matthew 22:38 (ASV)

Passage

This is the great and first commandment.

Nearby Context

Matthew 22:36 Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?

Matthew 22:37 And he said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

Matthew 22:38 This is the great and first commandment.

Matthew 22:39 And a second like [unto it] is this, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

Matthew 22:40 On these two commandments the whole law hangeth, and the prophets.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "great", "first", and "commandment". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "great" and "first", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 37's "And he said unto him Thou shalt..." into verse 39's "And a second like unto it is...", so "great" and "first" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "great" and "first" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.