Exploring the Meaning of Entole in Greek

ἐντολή means “commandment,” an authoritative directive that carries moral weight and calls for concrete obedience. In the passages below it appears in disputes about tradition, in instruction about entering life, and in questions about what stands at the center of the law.

Occurrences

Matthew 5:19: Whoever, therefore, shall break one of these least commandments, and teach others to do so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but whoever shall do and teach them shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Here ἐντολή frames obedience as both personal practice (“do”) and public influence (“teach”). The saying treats even the “least commandments” as real obligations: breaking one becomes a pattern that can be passed on, while doing and teaching aligns a person’s conduct and instruction. The word therefore carries the force of a standard that measures faithfulness, not only by private compliance but also by what one encourages in others.

Matthew 15:3: He answered them, “Why do you also disobey the commandment of God because of your tradition?

In this confrontation ἐντολή is explicitly “of God,” set over against “your tradition.” The question assumes that a commandment can be disobeyed not only through open refusal but through substitution—allowing another authority (“tradition”) to override it. The word functions as a touchstone for evaluating religious practice: it exposes the moral seriousness of choices that appear pious yet result in disobedience.

Matthew 19:17: He said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but one, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”

ἐντολή here is tied to the stated goal “enter into life,” and the imperative “keep” sets the expected response. The word is plural (“the commandments”), presenting entry into life in terms of faithful adherence to God’s directives rather than a merely theoretical affirmation. Within the verse’s logic, God’s unique goodness grounds the seriousness of keeping what God commands.

Matthew 22:36: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?”

This question uses ἐντολή to raise an issue of ranking: within “the law,” is there a “greatest commandment”? The word thus becomes a category for discussion about priority and summary—how individual directives relate to a larger body of instruction. Calling one “greatest” assumes that commandments are not all experienced or discussed at the same level, even while they remain commandments.

Matthew 22:38: This is the first and great commandment.

In the immediate answer, ἐντολή is singled out as “first and great.” The word retains its concrete, directive force, but its placement as “first” makes it foundational: it stands at the head, shaping how the rest are understood. The verse presents a commandment not merely as one rule among many but as a primary requirement with organizing authority.

Matthew 22:40: The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

Here ἐντολή is plural again, and the statement that “the whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments” assigns them a supporting, load-bearing role. The imagery is structural: commandments are not only items to obey; they can function as hinges or pillars on which a broader scriptural framework “depends.” The word thus participates in explaining coherence—how diverse instruction can hang together around central directives.

Mark 7:8: “For you set aside the commandment of God, and hold tightly to the tradition of men—the washing of pitchers and cups, and you do many other such things.”

In this rebuke, ἐντολή again belongs to God, and it is actively displaced (“set aside”) while something else is clung to (“hold tightly”). The contrast is sharpened by a tangible example: meticulous “washing of pitchers and cups.” In this scene, ἐντολή carries an authority that can be refused in practice through misplaced zeal—tradition can be embraced so tightly that God’s commandment is pushed out of place.

Mark 7:9: He said to them, “Full well do you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition.

ἐντολή here is the object of outright refusal (“reject”), and the purpose clause (“that you may keep your tradition”) shows competing loyalties. The verse sets “keep” in relation to tradition and “reject” in relation to God’s commandment, turning obedience language into a mirror: one can be diligent about “keeping,” yet that diligence may be directed toward the wrong authority. The word therefore marks the point at which fidelity is tested—what is preserved, and what is discarded.

Mark 10:5: But Jesus said to them, “For your hardness of heart, he wrote you this commandment.

In this explanation, ἐντολή is presented as a written directive (“he wrote you this commandment”) given in view of human condition (“hardness of heart”). The word retains its normative force but is connected to an accommodating purpose within a difficult moral context. The commandment is not portrayed as arbitrary; it is addressed to a people whose disposition requires a firm, written directive.

Mark 10:19: You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not give false testimony,’ ‘Do not defraud,’ ‘Honor your father and mother.’ ”

Here ἐντολή is illustrated through a recognizable set of prohibitions and a positive duty. The list shows the commandment concept spanning multiple areas of life—violence, sexual conduct, property, truthfulness, economic dealing (“defraud”), and family honor. “You know the commandments” also suggests that commandments are not merely esoteric rules; they are commonly taught and expected, forming shared moral knowledge that can be appealed to in conversation.

Mark 12:28: One of the scribes came, and heard them questioning together, and knowing that he had answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the greatest of all?”

In this setting ἐντολή is again the focus of prioritization (“the greatest of all”), but the scene adds the atmosphere of public debate and discernment: the scribe recognizes a “well” answered exchange and then presses the question further. The word becomes the subject of a careful inquiry by someone trained in the law, implying that identifying the greatest commandment is not trivial; it is a question of interpretive judgment and theological weight.

Mark 12:29: Jesus answered, “The greatest is, ‘Hear, Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one:

Although the quotation continues beyond what is reproduced here, the immediate line shows ἐντολή tied to a call to attentive reception: “Hear, Israel.” In this framing, the “greatest” commandment begins with listening and acknowledging who God is (“the Lord our God, the Lord is one”). The word thus introduces a directive that is not only about external acts but about a posture of heedfulness toward God’s identity.

Sense and Usage

Across these passages ἐντολή consistently denotes an authoritative directive that claims obedience and serves as a criterion for evaluating faithfulness. In teaching contexts (Matthew 5:19) it is something one can “break” or “do,” and one can also shape others’ relationship to it by what one teaches. In disputes about religious authority (Matthew 15:3; Mark 7:8–9), the word marks the line between God’s directive and human tradition; the conflict is not between two equally binding practices, but between what is called “the commandment of God” and what is called “the tradition of men.” The verbs used alongside ἐντολή—“disobey,” “set aside,” “reject”—present commandment-keeping as a matter of real loyalty expressed in concrete choices.

In questions about entry and priority (Matthew 19:17; Matthew 22:36, 38, 40; Mark 12:28–29), ἐντολή is linked to life, greatness, and the organizing center of “the law.” The singular/plural shifts are instructive: sometimes the focus is on “the commandments” as a known body that can be kept (Matthew 19:17; Mark 10:19), and sometimes on “the greatest commandment” as a focal point (Matthew 22:36; Mark 12:28–29). Yet even when one is called “first and great” (Matthew 22:38), commandments are not reduced to abstractions; they remain directives with binding force, capable of anchoring wider instruction (“depend on these two commandments,” Matthew 22:40).

Finally, Mark 10:5 shows ἐντολή functioning as a written directive set within pastoral realism: it addresses “hardness of heart.” The word therefore covers both the enduring authority of God’s requirements and the way those requirements confront—and in certain contexts are articulated for—stubborn human realities. Taken together, these scenes portray commandments as knowable, teachable, and weighty: they can be broken or kept, ranked in importance, opposed by tradition, and tied to both communal instruction and personal moral conduct.

Imagery and Rhetoric

Several of these lines cast ἐντολή in vivid relational images. Some are bodily and practical: people “hold tightly” to tradition while “set[ting] aside” God’s commandment (Mark 7:8), and they “reject” one in order to “keep” the other (Mark 7:9). Others are architectural: “The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments” (Matthew 22:40), depicting commandments as supports that bear the weight of a larger structure. Even the call that begins with “Hear, Israel” (Mark 12:29) gives the commandment the feel of a summons—an address that demands attentive reception before any further response.

Sources: Lexical data from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance and the Translators Brief Lexicon of Extended Strongs for Greek (STEPBible, CC BY). Occurrence data from the Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament (STEPBible, CC BY). Scripture quotations from the World English Bible (public domain).