The popular saying “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” is commonly attributed to the Bible, but does the Bible actually contain this statement? A close examination of Scripture reveals that while the Bible does not contain this exact wording, it does communicate the same underlying principle in several places.
The Golden Rule in the Gospels
The closest biblical parallel to “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” is found in the words of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount:
“So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12 ESV)
This statement is often referred to as the “Golden Rule.” It succinctly summarizes the second table of the Ten Commandments, which deal with human-to-human relationships and ethics. Rather than simply prohibiting certain behaviors, the Golden Rule takes a positive approach, instructing us to actively treat others with the same care and consideration we would want to receive ourselves.
A similar statement is also found in Luke 6:31: “And as you wish that others would do to you, do so to them.” The context here is Jesus’ Sermon on the Plain, which contains content parallel to the Sermon on the Mount. The wording is slightly different than Matthew’s account but communicates the same ethical principle.
The Law and the Prophets
Jesus concludes his teaching on the Golden Rule by saying “this is the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 7:12). What does he mean by this? The Law refers to the first five books of the Old Testament, the Torah, which contains God’s commandments and instructions given to Israel. This includes moral and ethical laws like the Ten Commandments. The Prophets refer to the Major and Minor Prophetic books of the Old Testament, which communicated God’s word, called Israel to obedience, and anticipated the coming Messiah.
By saying the Golden Rule summarizes the Law and the Prophets, Jesus is claiming that this principle encompasses the heart of God’s moral instructions throughout the entire Old Testament. Loving one’s neighbor as oneself is not a new concept but is at the center of the ethical teachings of the Law and the Prophets.
Love Your Neighbor as Yourself
In addition to the Golden Rule, Jesus taught a similar principle known as the second greatest commandment: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39; see also Mark 12:31). When asked about the greatest commandment in the Law, Jesus replied:
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37–40)
This echoes His statement from the Sermon on the Mount that the Golden Rule summarizes the Law and the Prophets. Loving one’s neighbor as oneself encapsulates the spirit of the moral law given by God. Elsewhere, Romans 13:9 states that the commandments “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet” are summed up in the saying, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
While not stated exactly word-for-word, the ethic to treat others as you would want to be treated clearly aligns with the biblical command to love one’s neighbor as yourself. The two principles convey the same message.
Paul and the Epistles
The apostle Paul also reflected the ethic of the Golden Rule in his instructions to the early churches. In Philippians 2:3-4 he wrote, “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Here we see the concept of treating others’ needs and desires as equal to or more important than our own.
In Ephesians 4:32 Paul instructed believers to “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” This emphasizes actively expressing the sort of kindness and grace toward others that we appreciate receiving from God, reflecting the ethic of the Golden Rule.
Paul summarized the law this way in Galatians 5:14: “For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” Here again we see that love for one’s neighbor encapsulates the moral principles behind God’s commands.
Leviticus 19
While the specific wording “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” is not found in the Old Testament, there are passages that communicate the same concept. In Leviticus 19:18, God instructed Israel, “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.” The command to “love your neighbor as yourself” is found here long before Jesus’ teaching in the New Testament.
Leviticus 19 continues with a series of ethical commands that flow out of love for one’s neighbor. These include instructions like:
“You shall not oppress your neighbor” (v. 13)
“You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great” (v. 15)
“You shall not stand idly by while your neighbor’s life is at stake” (v. 16)
“You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge” (v. 18)
“You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (v. 18)
This shows that loving one’s neighbor as oneself was assumed to be a foundational ethical principle in the Law of Moses. Specific commands are given to illustrate what it looks like in practice. The Golden Rule principle can be seen as undergirding many of these commands.
Additional Old Testament Examples
Beyond Leviticus 19, there are additional places in the Old Testament where the Golden Rule principle is reflected:
- Job stated he had made a covenant with his eyes not to “look lustfully” at young women, asking “how then could I look upon a virgin?” (Job 31:1). This illustrates the concept of treating others how he would want to be treated.
- Isaiah instructed Israel, “Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause” (Isaiah 1:17). Again, this involves treating others justly and compassionately.
- Zechariah exhorted Israel to “render true judgments, show kindness and mercy to one another” (Zechariah 7:9). The call is to actively treat others in a way you would want to be treated.
- The Psalms contain prayers for God’s justice, protection, blessings, and compassion to be extended to those in need (Psalm 9:18, 72:4, 82:3-4). This assumes that the attitude of the believer should mirror God’s care for others.
So while the specific wording of the Golden Rule is not found in the Old Testament, its spirit is reflected in commands, prophecies, and prayers calling God’s people to treat others with the care and consideration they would desire for themselves.
One Negative Formulation
There is one passage in the Old Testament where a formulation similar to the Golden Rule is stated in the negative: “And as you wish that others would not do to you, do so to them” (Tobit 4:15). This is found in the Apocryphal book of Tobit. The Apocrypha was written in the Intertestamental period and is considered Scripture by Catholic and Orthodox Christians but not by Protestants.
This passage discourages mistreating others in ways you yourself would not want to be mistreated. So while phrased negatively, it conveys a similar principle as the Golden Rule.
The Golden Rule and the Great Commandments
When looking at Jesus’ teaching about the greatest commandments alongside the Golden Rule, an interesting relationship emerges:
Love God with all your heart, soul, strength, and mind (Matthew 22:37; Luke 10:27)
Love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:39)
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you (Matthew 7:12; Luke 6:31)
Loving God encompasses man’s relationship to his Creator vertically; loving/doing unto others encompasses man’s relationship to fellow man horizontally.
The first and greatest commandment establishes the order. Only by loving God first and foremost can we properly love and serve others. The two great commandments provide a complete picture of man’s moral duty before God.
In Summary
While the Golden Rule is not stated verbatim anywhere in Scripture, its principle is reflected in both Testaments. Jesus’ teaching in the Gospels echoes Leviticus 19:18’s command to “love your neighbor as yourself.” Jesus further clarified that this principle summarizes the ethical teachings of the Law and Prophets.
The Bible consistently instructs God’s people to treat others with the same care, love, justice, and mercy that they would desire for themselves. This mirrors the ethic communicated by the maxim “do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” So while not a verbatim biblical quote, the Golden Rule encapsulates a principle that is firmly grounded in Scripture.
Understanding the biblical framework helps maximize the helpfulness of this common saying. Love for both God and neighbor should be the motivation for following the Golden Rule. And the commands and character of God revealed in Scripture give the clearest picture of what “doing unto others” rightly looks like.
With this foundation, “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” serves as a memorable, practical saying that accurately summarizes the Bible’s teachings about true ethical treatment of fellow image-bearers. It distills the essence of God’s commands about loving our neighbor into an easy-to-recall phrase.
