Foursquare Bible College

Quezon City
A.Y. 2023-2024

A WORD STUDY ON NEIGHBOR (Πλησίον)

In partial fulfillment of the requirements in

Introduction to Biblical Language 1

Submitted by:

Alchel Grace R. Emaas

Submitted to:

Ptr. Melchizedek Eleazar Atienza

October 2023
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

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I. Introduction - 2

II. Original Word - 3

III. Range of Meanings - 4

IV. Context - 5

V. Summary - 7

VI. Bibliography - 8

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 I. Introduction

The word NEIGHBOR is a common word and concept that we see in the bible.
We see it mentioned twice in the Ten Commandments, and it is even mentioned in the
Great Commandment that was told by Jesus Christ. In the whole bible, the word
“neighbor” can be seen over 140 times. There isn’t a fixed number though because
appearances differ with the version. For instance, it appears 143 in the NKJV, 144 in
KJV, 141 in NIV, and 150 in ESV.1 For 9 other translations, it has 163 occurrences.2

The word neighbor (which is the American English way of spelling the British
English neighbour), is derived from mostly Germanic roots, although it can be traced to
Proto-Germanic and Proto-Indo-European. In Old English, the West Saxons had the
word neahgebur, the Anglians had the word nehebur, both to mean someone who lives
beside us. These Old English words are ultimately derived from two different words: the
West Saxon neah or the Anglian neh (which both mean "near") and bur meaning "room,
hut, dwelling, chamber". Neah or neh share the same roots as the Old Frisian nei, Dutch
na, Old High German nah, or the Gothic newa. Bur comes from Proto-Germanic buraz,
from the Proto-Indo-European root bheue - "to be, exist, dwell".3

In this study, we will try to find out what the word neighbor really means as to
how it was used in Luke 10:27 & 36, from the popular parable - The Good Samaritan.

1
https://christianfaithguide.com/how-many-times-is-neighbor-mentioned-in-the-bible/
2
https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/words/Neighbor
3
https://www.answers.com/english-language-arts/What_is_the_origin_of_the_word_neighbor

2
II. Original Word

The Greek word for neighbor is πλησίον - plēsiŏn, play-see’-on (G4139). This
word was first mentioned in the New Testament in Matthew 5:43, and was last
mentioned in James 4:12. Here is a list of verses that used the word πλησίον:4

Matt. 5:43 “You have heard that it was said ‘You shall love your neighbor and
hate your enemy.’
Matt. 19:19 Honor your father and mother, and You shall love your neighbor
as yourself.”
Matt. 22:39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
Mark 12:31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Mark 12:33 And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding
and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself is much more
than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
Luke 10:27 And he answered “You shall love the Lord your God with all your
heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind,
and your neighbor as yourself.”
Luke 10:29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my
neighbor?”
Luke 10:36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the
man who fell among the robbers?”
John 4:5 So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that
Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
Act 7:27 But the man who was wronging his neighbor thrust him aside,
saying ‘Who made you a ruler and a judge over us?
Rom. 13:9 For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall
not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other
commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as
yourself.”
Rom. 13:10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling
of the law.
Rom. 15:2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.
Gal. 5:14 For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your
neighbor as yourself.”
Eph. 4:25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak
the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.
4

https://www.stepbible.org/?q=version=ESV|version=SBLG|strong=G4139&display=INTERLEAVED&qFilte
r=G4139&pos=1

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 Heb. 8:11 And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his
brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of
them to the greatest.
James 2:8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture “You
shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.
Jam 4:12 There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to
destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?

Other related terms are: περίοικος (perioikos) 'neighboring' (G4040) and γείτων
(geitōn) 'neighbour' (G1069).

III. Range of Meanings

1. Near, Close By
- neuter of a derivative of πέλας - pĕlas (near); (adv.) close by5
- one who is near in terms of proximity or circumstance6
- literally means the one near indicating a mere outward nearness, proximity7
- i.e. John 4:5

2. Neighbor
- as noun, a neighbor
- one who lives near another
- i.e. Matt. 19:19; Rom. 15:2

3. Fellow Hebrew, Countryman

- fellow (countryman)8
- “fellow Israelite” or “member of the covenant”9
- i.e. Acts 7:27

4. Fellow Human Being

- simply as a member of the human race10
- i.e. Luke 10:27, 36

5
Strong, J., S.T.D., LL.D. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Hendrickson Publishers.
Massachusetts
6
Danker, F. The Concise Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament
7
Vincent, M. Word Studies in the New Testament
8
Strong, J., S.T.D., LL.D. Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
9
Freedman, D.N. Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible: Eerdmans, W. B.
10
Danker, F. The Concise Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament

4
IV. Context

In the Parable of the Good Samaritan from Luke 10:25-37, a lawyer, in an

attempt to rationalize his own racial prejudice, asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"
(Luke 10:29). This lawyer-scribe unknowingly expresses a fundamental issue in all of
ethics: For whom are we responsible in issues of justice and mercy? Jesus' answer was
the parable of the Good Samaritan and the fundamental ideas of the parable find their
roots in both Old Testament and Jewish soil.

The problem of "neighborliness" was acute in Judaism because of the people's

self-consciousness of being the chosen people (Gen 12:1-3 ; 15:1-6 ; 17:1-8), sealed in
the rite of circumcision (17:9-14). Election set Israel apart, made the people particularly
loyal to their own kind (cf. Matt 5:43-48) and, at the same time, permitted the tendency
to neglect, even condemn, those who were not Israelites. With such tendencies, it is not
surprising that legislation had to be given to Israel to encourage compassion and justice
for the non-Jew. Thus, Moses prescribes rites of conversion for the foreigner who wants
to eat Passover with Israel (Exod 12:43-49) and, even more, prohibits the reaping of the
crops entirely; instead, some crops were to be left "for the poor and the alien" (Lev
19:9-10 ; cf. Deut 24:19-22) and every third year a tithe was to be shared with the
sojourners (Deut 14:29 ; 26:12-13). The fundamental basis for this is that at one time
Israel was also a sojourner while in Egypt; therefore, Israel is to treat its sojourners with
compassion and justice (Lev 19:33-34 ; Deut 10:19 ; 24:22). Essentially, then, the
Mosaic laws demand both compassion and justice to be guaranteed for the foreigner
because God loves the sojourner (Deut 10:18). It is impossible for us to know just how
Israel treated the foreigner who decided to live with, or near, them. The records show
both slave labor (1 Chron 22:2; 2 Chron 2:17-18) and inclusion among the people (2
Chron 30:25).

In spite of this insistence of the law that Israel was to be kind to foreigners and
treat them with compassion and justice, the preponderance of emphasis is on the
"neighborliness" to be shown to fellow members of the covenant with Israel. We ought
to see this as special benevolence among Israelites; it did, however, develop at times
into racial favoritism and discrimination. In fact, to be a "neighbor" was to be a "brother"
(cf. Jer 31:34): at the end of seven years release was granted from debts owed to a
"neighbor-brother" but this same privilege of release was not granted to foreigners (Deut
15:2-3). Thus, when the Old Testament prescribes treating one's neighbor as oneself
(Lev 19:18 b), we are to envisage how Israel was to treat fellow Israelites (Lev 19:17-18
a) and, only by extension, Gentiles. There developed then an entire network of legal
prescriptions and prohibitions about dealings with one's neighbors, including attitudes

5
and actions like adultery and business relations. The vision of Zechariah for the final
days included the refreshing fellowship of neighborliness (3:10).

Thus, when we enter into the New Testament period we are to understand the
biblical laws of the Old Testament that speak of neighborliness as injunctions for special
treatment of fellow Jews. Jews showed special love for fellow Jews because they were
covenantally and racially bound together. The social realities of Jewish history, with the
constant battering of the people of Israel by other nations, also inclined the Jewish
people to favor their own. Social realities also reveal that Jews were kind to Gentiles in
general and for those Jews who lived in the diaspora there was also a general social
friendliness to be observed. Early Christianity showed a similar kind of "prejudiced love"
(Gal 6:10) and it would be wrong to vilify either Jews or Christians for their "prejudiced
love" unless that love becomes neglect, or even contempt, of outsiders in need.

Jesus sought to expand the concept of "neighbor" to include non-Jews; while this
is not contrary to Jewish law or to Jewish practice, it clearly was challenging to many in
Judaism. Jewish practice had come to the general conviction that a "neighbor, " in
purely legal terms, was a Jew or proselyte to Judaism. For Jesus, a neighbor was
anyone with whom you came into contact — whether Jew, Samaritan, or Gentile. In fact,
this focus on an expanding definition led to the breaking down of Jewish barriers that
were constructed around the traditional interpretations of cleanness and uncleanness.
At the time of Jesus, various restricting movements, like the Pharisees and Essenes at
Qumran, naturally tended to show favoritism to members of their own social groups.
While the War Scroll at Qumran may be from one extreme end of the evidence, its
emphasis on hating all those who were sons of darkness (non-Essenes) illustrates the
point being made. Thus, we are to understand the parable of the good Samaritan as
addressing the issue of the "limits" of one's responsibility and we are to see Jesus
saying that there are no limits; one cannot exclusively exercise compassion or justice
for one's own kind.11

11
https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/neighbor/#google_vignette

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V. Summary

The Greek word for NEIGHBOR is πλησίον - plēsiŏn, play-see’-on (G4139).

This word was first mentioned in the New Testament in Matthew 5:43, and was last
mentioned in James 4:12. It is a common word and concept that we see in the bible. We
see it mentioned twice in the Ten Commandments, and it is even mentioned in the
Great Commandment that was told by Jesus Christ. In the whole bible, the word
“neighbor” can be seen over 140 times. There isn’t a fixed number though because
appearances differ with the version.

In different contexts in the bible, the word neighbor literally means near or close
by; one who lives near another; or a fellow Hebrew or countryman. In the Parable of the
Good Samaritan from Luke 10:25-37, a lawyer, in an attempt to rationalize his own
racial prejudice, asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?" (v. 29). Jesus' answer was the
parable of the Good Samaritan. Jesus sought to expand the concept of "neighbor" to
include non-Jews; while this is not contrary to Jewish law or to Jewish practice, it clearly
was challenging to many in Judaism. Jewish practice had come to the general
conviction that a "neighbor, " in purely legal terms, was a Jew or proselyte to Judaism.
For Jesus, a neighbor was anyone with whom you came into contact — whether Jew,
Samaritan, or Gentile.

Luke 10:27
And he answered, “YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART,
AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND;
AND YOUR NEIGHBOR (ANYONE YOU CAME INTO CONTACT WITH) AS YOURSELF.”

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VI. BIBLIOGRAPHY

Danker, F. W. (2009). The concise Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament.

University of Chicago Press.

Freedman, D. N., Noël, D., Myers, A. C., & Beck, A. (2000). Eerdmans Dictionary of the
Bible. https://doi.org/10.5117/9789053565032

Jordan, J. M. (2023, August 30). How many times is neighbor mentioned in the Bible?
(What does the Bible say about a neighbor?). Christian Faith Guide.
https://christianfaithguide.com/how-many-times-is-neighbor-mentioned-in-the-bibl
e/

Neighbor in the Bible (163 instances). (n.d.).

https://bible.knowing-jesus.com/words/Neighbor

plēsion in STEP Bible with Greek and Hebrew helps | ESV. (n.d.).
https://www.stepbible.org/?q=version=ESV|version=SBLG|strong=G4139&displa
y=INTERLEAVED&qFilter=G4139&pos=1

Strong, J. (1990). Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Hendrickson

Publishers.

Vincent, M. (2013). Word Studies in the New Testament. Bart Byl.

What does neighbor mean? Bible definition and references. (n.d.). Bible Study Tools.
https://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionary/neighbor/#google_vignette

What is the origin of the word neighbor? - Answers. (2023, August 29). Answers.
https://www.answers.com/english-language-arts/What_is_the_origin_of_the_wor
d_neighbor