Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13 KJV)
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13 ASV)
No one has greater love than this, that one should lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13 DBY)
Greater love than this hath no one, that any one his life may lay down for his friends; (John 15:13 YLT)
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:13 WEB)
Interlinear
Greater <meizon> love <agape> hath <echo> no man <oudeis> than <meizon> this, <taute> that <hina> a man <tis> lay down <tithemi> his <autos> life <psuche> for <huper> his <autos> friends. <philos> (John 15:13 KJV)
Matthew Poole’s Commentary
Ver. 13. The reason of this is because life is the greatest earthly good to men under ordinary circumstances: Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life, Job 2:4. Now it is impossible that a man should show a greater love to another, than by parting with the greatest good he is in possession of for his sake. Hence our Saviour proves, that he loved them with the greatest love, because he for their sake was about to part with what in the common judgment of men is the greatest good. The greatness of the love of Christ to us is from hence often commended to us in Scripture; and our mutual love to our brethren is pressed upon this argument, Eph 5:2; 1Jo 3:16. But how did Christ lay down his life for his friends, when the Scripture tells us, that the just died for the unjust, 1Pe 3:18, and that while we were enemies, we were reconciled unto God by the death of his Son, Ro 5:10?
Answer. Friends must not here be taken as a name of relation, but only as it signifieth the objects of love; persons we have set our love upon, whether they mutually love us or not; as the world was the object of that love in God, which moved him to send his only begotten Son, Joh 3:16. Though they for whom Christ died were enemies by their wicked works, yet by his death they were reconciled. But possibly the first answer is best; for by Christ’s death they were only meritoriously reconciled, and after this enemies to God, till they received the word of reconciliation, and believed in Christ.
Albert Barnes’ NT Commentary
Verse 13. Greater love hath, &c. No higher expression of love could be given. Life is the most valuable object we possess; and when a man is willing to lay that down for his friends or his country, it shows the utmost extent of love. Even this love for friends has been rarely witnessed. A very few cases–like that of Damon and Pythias–have occurred where a man was willing to save the life of his friend by giving his own. It greatly enhances the love of Christ, that while the instances of those who have been willing to die for friends have been so rare, he was willing to die for enemies–bitter foes, who rejected his reign, persecuted him, reviled him, scorned him, and sought his life, 1Jo 4:10; Re 5:6,10. It also shows us the extent of his love that he gave himself up, not to common sufferings, but to the most bitter, painful, and protracted sorrows, not for himself, not for friends, but for a thoughtless and unbelieving world.
“O Lamb of God, was ever pain, Was ever LOVE like thine!”
{n} “greater love” Ro 5:7,8