SEV Biblia, Chapter 12:28
¶ Y llegndose uno de los escribas, que los había oído disputar, y sabía que les había respondido bien, le pregunt: ¿Cul es el principal mandamiento de todos?
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 28. And one of the Scribes came , etc..] Matthew calls him a lawyer, ( Matthew 22:35), an interpreter of the law, as a Scribe was: and having heard them reasoning together ; being present at the dispute between Christ and the Sadducees, which he diligently attended to: and perceiving that he had answered them well : in a most beautiful manner. The Jews have adopted the very Greek word here used, and make use of it in the same sense as wlaq hyl rma f207 , he answered him well: or, as the gloss upon it, praise worthily; in a manner deserving praise; and is the same with trmaq ry p f208 , thou hast said well, or beautifully; and so the answer here was with great solidity, and judgment, and strength of argument, to their utter confusion and silence; whereby he understood he had considerable knowledge in the law, and yet was willing to try if he could not puzzle him with a question relating to it: asked him, which is the first commandment of all ? of all the commandments in the law, moral and ceremonial.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 28-34 - Those who sincerely desire to be taught their duty, Christ will guid in judgment, and teach his way. He tells the scribe that the grea commandment, which indeed includes all, is, that of loving God with all our hearts. Wherever this is the ruling principle in the soul, there is a disposition to every other duty. Loving God with all our heart, wil engage us to every thing by which he will be pleased. The sacrifice only represented the atonements for men's transgressions of the mora law; they were of no power except as they expressed repentance an faith in the promised Saviour, and as they led to moral obedience. An because we have not thus loved God and man, but the very reverse therefore we are condemned sinners; we need repentance, and we nee mercy. Christ approved what the scribe said, and encouraged him. He stood fair for further advance; for this knowledge of the law leads to conviction of sin, to repentance, to discovery of our need of mercy and understanding the way of justification by Christ.
Greek Textus Receptus
και 2532 CONJ προσελθων 4334 5631 V-2AAP-NSM εις 1520 A-NSM των 3588 T-GPM γραμματεων 1122 N-GPM ακουσας 191 5660 V-AAP-NSM αυτων 846 P-GPM συζητουντων 4802 5723 V-PAP-GPM ειδως 1492 5761 V-RAP-NSM οτι 3754 CONJ καλως 2573 ADV αυτοις 846 P-DPM απεκριθη 611 5662 V-ADI-3S επηρωτησεν 1905 5656 V-AAI-3S αυτον 846 P-ASM ποια 4169 I-NSF εστιν 2076 5748 V-PXI-3S πρωτη 4413 A-NSF πασων 3956 A-GPF εντολη 1785 N-NSF
Vincent's NT Word Studies
28. Well (kalwv). Lit., beautifully, finely, admirably. What (poia). Rather, of what nature.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
12:28 {Heard them questioning together} (akousas autwn sunzetountwn). The victory of Christ over the Sadducees pleased the Pharisees who now had come back with mixed emotions over the new turn of things (#Mt 22:34). #Lu 20:39 represents one of the scribes as commending Jesus for his skilful reply to the Sadducees. Mark here puts this scribe in a favorable light, "knowing that he had answered them well" (eidws hoti kalws apekriqe autois). "Them" here means the Sadducees. But #Mt 22:35 says that this lawyer (nomikos) was "tempting" (peirazwn) by his question. "A few, among whom was the scribe, were constrained to admire, even if they were willing to criticize, the Rabbi who though not himself a Pharisee, surpassed the Pharisees as a champion of the truth." That is a just picture of this lawyer. {The first of all} (prwte pantwn). First in rank and importance. #Mt 22:36 has "great" (megale). See discussion there. Probably Jesus spoke in Aramaic. "First" and "great" in Greek do not differ essentially here. Mark quotes #De 6:4f. as it stands in the LXX and also #Le 19:18. #Mt 22:40 adds the summary: "On these two commandments hangeth (krematai) the whole law and the prophets."
