Matthew 22:36 — ExegesisTAB

The sentence opens with the vocative didaskale {Διδάσκαλε | di-dás-ka-le} as a direct address, signaling respect toward Jesus and establishing Him as the addressee. The interrogative adjective poia {ποία | po-í-a} precedes and modifies the noun entole {ἐντολή | en-to-lḗ} ‘commandment’, while megale {μεγάλη | me-gá-lē} functions attributively, giving the qualitative sense of a “great” or “weighty” commandment. The prepositional phrase en tō nomō {ἐν τῷ νόμῳ | en tôi nó-mō} specifies the sphere “in the law,” referring to the Mosaic Torah as the domain within which the hierarchy of commandments is being queried. Greek word order places the key noun and its modifier (entole megale) before the contextual prepositional phrase, highlighting the nature of the commandment itself before its location. In English, the clause is reshaped into a natural interrogative (“which commandment is greatest in the law” / “which one is the most important”) while preserving the focus on distinguishing a single preeminent command within the wider body of the law.