You have heard that it was said: see comments on verses 21 and 27.
The command love your neighbor comes from Leviticus 19.18, and it was always interpreted so as to apply to fellow Israelites, not to aliens. New American Bible translates “You shall love your countryman,” and Good News Translation “Love your friends.”
It would be wrong to use a word for neighbor that meant only someone who lived in the immediate area, such as in the same section of town. Some translations follow New American Bible with “your countryman” or “your own people.” This is probably the best rendering. Others follow Good News Translation, “your friends,” or “the people you like,” or even “the people who like you.” Note that “neighbor” may be singular or plural, depending on which is more natural.
Love is extraordinarily difficult to translate in many parts of the world. In those languages which do not have a real equivalent, different ways of speaking of love are used, including “be concerned for their welfare,” “care for,” “treat (or, think of) with affection,” “have sweet (or hot, or cool, etc.) stomach (or liver, or heart) for,” and so on. The term from the Old Testament always implies a sense of faithful loyalty, not mere emotion, so that expressions which approach this idea are to be preferred over those meaning merely to like someone very much.
As in verse 21, shall is an imperative.
The command hate your enemy has puzzled scholars. It cannot be found as a quotation, nor can it be considered as a fair interpretation of Jewish ethics of the time. But although the command is not specifically mentioned in the Old Testament, there are many passages which not only permit but even encourage hatred and revenge against one’s enemies. Moreover, groups such as the scribes and the Qumran sect, which thrived on absolute devotion to God and strict observance to his laws, did despise and even hate people of less dedication. Therefore it is quite likely that Jesus’ words reflect popular attitudes of his day, if not actual teachings.
Some languages will express hate as “despise” or “wish evil toward.”
If there is no word for enemy in a language, then translators use a phrase such as “the person who hates you” or “who opposes you.”
Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
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