SUMMARY
Part of a list of laws concerning 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 caring for the foreigners who live among the Israelites (19:33-34). To “be holy,” then, 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 passage (19:17-18) that instructs 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 14 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 God, 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 fellow Israelites. The Israelites are also commanded to love the “alien,” that is, the foreigner or outsider in their 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, well-known to Christians 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. (See “Bible in the World.”)
