Bible Strands
John 13:34
A new commandment I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you also must love one another.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jesus speaks to his disciples during the farewell discourse, in the final hours before his death (v. 33).
The words — kainēn (new) modifies "commandment," marking this as a distinct charge rather than a restatement; kathōs (even as) sets the standard: the measure of their love is his.
The thread — Leviticus 19:18 commands love of neighbor "as yourself"; John 15:17 repeats the same command in the vine-and-branches discourse; Ephesians 5:2 echoes the standard explicitly: "just as Christ loved us."
Why it lands — It is a command, not an aspiration, and the benchmark is not mutual feeling but the self-giving love Christ has already demonstrated.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
Cross-references
- Ephesians 5:2 and walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant sacrificial offering to God.
- Leviticus 19:18 Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against any of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD.
- John 15:17 This is My command to you: Love one another.
- 1 Peter 1:22 Since you have purified your souls by obedience to the truth so that you have a genuine love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from a pure heart.
- 1 John 3:23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and we should love one another just as He commanded us.
- 1 Corinthians 12:26 If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
- Galatians 6:2 Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
- 1 John 4:21 And we have this commandment from Him: Whoever loves God must love his brother as well.
- James 2:8 If you really fulfill the royal law stated in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.
- Colossians 3:12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with hearts of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.