Old Testament

The Old Testament bears witness to the evolution of the concept of “neighbor” within the ancient Near East. Within the biblical narrative from Abraham to David, the Hebrew people tend to be nomadic or pastoral; words commonly translated “neighbor” in other places are used here to mean “friend” or a nearby “other” (e.g., Gen 11:3; 7; 15:10; 31:49; 38:12).

In Exodus, the concept appears similar to that of the rest of the ancient Near East. Within the land of Goshen, the Israelites are neighbors among themselves. They remain segregated from the rest of the ancient world by ethnicity, religion, and socioeconomic status. They bear many of the same social responsibilities to their own people, their “neighbors,” as within other ancient Near Eastern groups:

• providing for one another’s welfare (Exod 12:4)

• standing against one another’s enemies (Exod 3:22; 11:2)

• resolving disputes civilly and righteously (Exod 18:16; 22:7)

• attesting to another’s actions with integrity and honesty during a legal dispute (Exod 20:16)

• refraining from stealing or coveting one another’s property (Exod 20:17)

• refraining from violence against each other (Exod 21:14)

In these cases, the concept of “neighbor” is represented by two different Hebrew words, each with their own distinct connotation. The Hebrew word שָׁכֵן (shakhen) appears 20 times in the Old Testament; it is rendered as “neighbor” 18 times in the NASB and NRSV and as γείτων (geitōn) 14 times in the Septuagint. The basic meaning of שָׁכֵן (shakhen) is related to the concept of dwelling and thus connotes a person or group of people who live in close proximity to another, similar to the understanding in the larger ancient Near Eastern context. שָׁכֵן (shakhen) has a variety of uses ranging from the family next door to the stranger in a nearby country (Pss 44:13; 79:4; 89:41). It may refer to persons living in the same neighborhood (Exod 12:4, Ruth 4:17) or to those living in the same city. Additionally it may refer to neighboring cities (Jer 49:18; 50:40), residents of the same nation, or even nearby people groups (Exod 3:22; Deut 1:7; Jer 12:14; Ezek 16:26). In poetry, שָׁכֵן (shakhen, “neighbor”) appears in parallel to רֵעַ (rea', “friend, companion”), family (Jer 49:10; Prov 27:10), acquaintances (Psa 31:11), enemies (Psa 80:6), and perhaps even strangers in a crowd or on a highway (Pss 79:4; 89:41).

Neighbor in the Old Testament extends beyond persons living in a close proximity. רֵעַ (rea', “friend, fellow”) is translated as “neighbor” 66 times in the NASB. It is most commonly translated as “neighbor” within legal discourse or Wisdom literature, including Prophetic literature that falls into one of these two categories. In certain legal contexts, רֵעַ (rea') as “neighbor” can refer specifically to fellow citizens (e.g., Lev 19:18, “Do not bear a grudge against an Israelite, but rather love your neighbor as yourself”). Yet even in this context, the concept of acting neighborly is extended beyond fellow citizens to the stranger in the midst of the land (Lev 19:33–37). The Greek Septuagint most often translates רֵעַ (rea') as πλησίον (plēsion, “fellow,” when used a noun), which in turn becomes the foundation for most New Testament passages that speak about how to treat a neighbor. The basic meaning of both רֵעַ (rea') and πλησίον (plēsion) is a fellow human being, often one who is associated by one or more shared life experiences.