Romans 13:10

10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: love therefore is the fulfilment of the law.

Romans 13:10 Meaning and Commentary

Romans 13:10

Love worketh no ill to his neighbour
That is, the man that truly loves his neighbour, will contrive no ill against him, nor do any to him; he will not injure his person, nor defile his bed, nor deprive or defraud him of his substance; or do hurt to his character, bear false testimony against him, or covet with an evil covetousness anything that is his; but, on the contrary, will do him all the good he is capable of:

therefore love is the fulfilling of the law:
so far as a man loves his neighbour, he acts agreeably to the law, and the particular precepts of it above mentioned: what the apostle says of love to the neighbour, the Jews frequently say of love to God;

``he that loveth God (they say ^F4) (Nryma rve Myyqm) , "hath fulfilled the decalogue", both above and below.''

And again ^F5,

``there is no service like the love of God, R. Abba saith it is (atyyrwad allk) , "the sum of the law"; for the ten words of the law (wlylkta akh) , "are herein comprehended", or "fulfilled":''

and elsewhere ^F6 they observe,

``that (hbhab hlwlk hrwth lk) , "the whole law is comprehended", or fulfilled "in love".''

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FOOTNOTES:

F4 Zohar in Deut. fol. 111. 3.
F5 Zohar in Deut. fol. 113. 1.
F6 Moses Kotsensis Mitzvot Tora, praecept. affirm. 3. prope finem.

Romans 13:10 In-Context

8 Owe no man anything, save to love one another: for he that loveth his neighbor hath fulfilled the law.

9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not covet, and if there be any other commandment, it is summed up in this word, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: love therefore is the fulfilment of the law.

11 And this, knowing the season, that already it is time for you to awake out of sleep: for now is salvation nearer to us than when we [first] believed.

12 The night is far spent, and the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.