What Does Luke 10:36 Mean in the King James?

Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?

Luke 10:36 · KJV

The analysis reads the King James wording.

King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.

THE KEY

Jesus shifts “neighbor” from a category you identify to a nearness that comes into being through care.

THE MEANING

The question turns on who becomes near to the wounded man. The neighbor is the one whose care crosses the distance between a stranger and someone in danger. The verse makes that nearness visible now, in the relation between a person who is hurt and one who responds.

WHAT THIS UNDOES

It undoes the belief that neighbor means only someone already inside your circle: here, a stranger can become your neighbor through care.

THE ROOT

πλησίον

plēsion

GROWS FROM

πέλας

pelas

Near, close at hand; Greek uses a lexical base rather than a Hebrew-style three-consonant root.

“neighbour” in this verse is plēsion. The Greek word for “neighbor” grows from the idea of being near. In the question, neighbor is not merely a fixed label: it names a relation made real by coming near to the injured stranger.

ALSO GROWS

pelas: near, nearby

πέλας

This lexical base keeps physical and relational nearness audible beneath “neighbor.”

plēsios: near, neighboring

πλησίος

This related form describes what is close; ⁨πλησίον⁩ names the near one as a neighbor.

THE PATTERN

Neighbor becomes visible where love takes the form of care for the person nearby.

Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD.

Leviticus 19:18 · KJVLove of neighbor is expressed as a concrete relation rather than a claim of belonging.

And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.

Luke 10:37 · KJVThe answer identifies the neighbor through the mercy shown to the wounded man.

Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Romans 13:10 · KJVLove takes shape in what happens to the person who is near: no harm is done to the neighbor.

THE THREAD

Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

Romans 13:10 · KJV

Romans uses the same Greek word, ⁨πλησίον⁩ (plēsion), for “neighbor.” It opens Luke’s question further: nearness becomes a lived relation where love does no harm to the person beside you.

Read the SDV Bible.

Every verse has a Deep Dive in the app.

Get Selah Verse

The iPhone Bible app with the Selah Decoded Version.

Does something in this reading look wrong? Tell us