SUMMARY
Part of a list of laws concerning ethical relationships, Leviticus 19:18 states, “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.”
ANALYSIS
Leviticus 19 begins with the commandment, “You shall be holyHoly is a term that originally meant set apart for the worship or service of God. While the term may refer to people, objects, time, or places, holiness in Judaism and Christianity primarily denotes the realm of the divine More, for I the LORD your God am holy” (19:2). The rest of the chapter, then, instructs the Israelites how to “be holy.” The list of laws includes many having to do with relationships, from honoring parents (19:3) to loving the aliens who live among the Israelites (19:33-34). To “be holy” has to do with treating other people with justice and mercyMercy is a term used to describe leniency or compassion. God's mercy is frequently referred to or invoked in both the Old and New Testaments. More, caring for the poor (19:9-10), being honest (19:11-13, 35-36), having respect for eldersElders are leaders who exercise wisdom or leadership by virtue of their age and experience. In the New Testament elders, along with the chief priests and scribes, constituted the primary opposition to Jesus when he taught in Jerusalem. More (19:32), and, in general, acting with moral and ethical integrity.
At the heart of these laws is the well-known commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (19:18). It is part of a unit of two verses (19:17-18) that instruct the Israelites not to hate one another, not to take revenge or bear a grudge against one another, but to love one another. This verse and fourteen other verses in this chapter end with the refrain of the Holiness Code: “I am the LORD.” The point of the chapter seems to be something like this: Because the Lord is holy, and because human beings are made in the image of GodAccording to the book of Genesis, humans were created in the likeness, or the image, of God. The phrase is generally taken to refer to the uprightness and dignity of human nature. Because of disobedience the image of God has been corrupted or, some say,... More, those who are called to emulate God’s holiness are to do so by acting with mercy and love toward their fellow human beings.
It is interesting to note a very similar commandment at the end of the chapter, in 19:34: “The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God.” The commandment to “love your neighbor as yourself” is not to be understood, then, as applying only to one’s peers or family. One is also commanded to love the “alien,” that is, the foreigner or outsider in one’s community. The parableA parable is a brief story with a setting, an action, and a result. A prominent aspect of Jesus' teaching was telling parables to illustrate something about the kingdom, or reign, of God. More of the Good Samaritan–which begins with the quoting of Leviticus 19:18 and the lawyer’s question, “Who is my neighbor?”–makes much the same point (LukeThe "beloved physician" and companion of Paul More 10:25-37).
Leviticus 19:18 is, of course, most well-known because JesusJesus is the Messiah whose life, death, and resurrection are God's saving act for humanity More cites it as the second part of the greatest commandment. Asked by the religious authorities which commandment is the greatest, Jesus responds by quoting Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18: “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets” (MatthewA tax collector who became one of Jesus' 12 disciples More 22:37-40; see also Mark 12:28-34). Given its prominence in this Gospel account, Leviticus 19:18 is arguably the most well-known commandment in the book of Leviticus, though it is likely many Christians do not know the origin of the verse.
