What Does Mark 12:29 Mean in the King James?

And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord:

Mark 12:29 · 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

The Greek command to hear echoes the Shema’s call to hear and respond, so God’s oneness is received as more than a sound or slogan.

THE MEANING

The verse places one God at the center of your attention now. Hearing is an active receiving that opens toward response, gathering the whole person around the Lord who is one.

WHAT THIS UNDOES

It undoes the belief that hearing God means only noticing religious words; the command joins listening with an answering response.

THE ROOT

ἄκουε

akoue

GROWS FROM

ἀκου-

Hear, listen; the imperative asks for attentive reception.

Mark’s ⁨ἄκουε⁩ is an imperative of ⁨ἀκούω⁩ (akouō, hear or listen), rendering the opening command of the Hebrew Shema, ⁨שמע⁩ (šemaʿ, hear and respond). English “Hear” can sound like sound reaching the ear alone, while the Hebrew phrase joins attention with response.

ALSO GROWS

akoē: Hearing; also a report or message received by hearing.

ἀκοή

The same root can name both the act of hearing and what is heard, binding the listener to the message.

hypakouō: Listen to; obey.

ὑπακούω

This compound keeps ⁨ἀκούω⁩ (akouō, hear) within a word for responsive listening, illuminating the force of the command.

THE PATTERN

The one God gathers hearing into a single, responsive confession.

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:

Deuteronomy 6:4 · KJVThe confession joins the call to hear with the declaration that the LORD is one.

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

James 1:22 · KJVHearing becomes a response rather than remaining only reception.

But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

1 Corinthians 8:6 · KJVThe confession of one God and one Lord gathers all things around a single source.

THE THREAD

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD:

Deuteronomy 6:4 · KJV

Mark repeats this confession in Greek, with ⁨ἄκουε⁩ (akoue, hear) carrying the opening imperative that Hebrew states as ⁨שמע⁩ (šemaʿ, hear and respond). The Greek wording preserves the same movement: hear the one Lord, with hearing opening toward response.

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