King James Bible
"Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy."
Jesus introduces a common teaching familiar to his audience, using a formula that appears throughout the Sermon on the Mount. This phrase signals he's about to address a traditional interpretation of the law that he will challenge or expand. This directly quotes Leviticus 19:18, a genuine Old Testament command central to Jewish ethics. The term 'neighbour' was often interpreted narrowly to mean fellow Israelites or those within one's immediate community. This addition is not found in Scripture but reflects popular teaching that extended the logic of loving neighbors to excluding outsiders. Some Jewish teachers and sectarian groups like the Essenes promoted active hostility toward enemies as the flip side of covenant loyalty.