Greatest of all commandments is to love the Lord
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In Deuteronomy, Moses exhorts the children of Israel to love and serve the Lord "with all thy heart and with all thy soul." (See Deut. 6:5, 10:12.)
When Christ Himself came to earth and organized His Church, He identified loving the Lord as the first and great commandment. (See Matt. 22:38.)In A Companion to Your Study of the Old Testament, Daniel H. Ludlow notes that these words have been quoted by generations of Jews. In fact, the words "are written on small parchments in the mezuzot placed on the `posts' of their houses and in their phylacteries placed on their foreheads and left arms."
Ludlow also points out that, in Deut. 10:12, "the word fear in the King James Version is a classic example of a word in the scripture which does not mean the same today as in the original language. Although several different Hebrew words are translated `fear' in the King James Version, the Hebrew word which is often used to denote a relationship to God is yare, which has the basic meaning of `reverence' or `awesome respect.'
"Joseph Fielding Smith has reviewed some of the meanings of the word:
" `The Lord is merciful and kind and does not require of those who serve Him that they be afraid and tremble before Him. There is no delight in His heart in the "fear" of the wicked because of their sins. Most scriptural passages which tell us to "fear the Lord" have no reference to fright.
" `The word "fear" has more than the one meaning which we so universally use. The scriptural meaning is "to have reverential awe."
" `When the Lord requires that we "fear" Him and keep His commandments, He means that we should pay to Him homage and reverence which we owe to our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ. To fear the Lord is to love Him. That is the sense in which the word is used. The Lord is not asking us to be afraid of Him, but to draw near unto Him, and the greatest of all the commandments is, that we love Him.' "
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(ADDITIONAL INFORMATION)
Articles on this page may be used in conjunction with the Gospel Doctrine course of study.
Information compiled by Kellene Ricks.
Sources: A Companion to Your Study of the Old Testament, by Daniel H. Ludlow; The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, edited by Edward L. Kimball; June 1976 Ensign; and the Old Testament student manual.
