Romans 13:9b → Leviticus 19:18

Paul quotes Leviticus 19:18 in Romans 13:9 as the summation of the second table of the Decalogue, declaring that love (agapē) is the fulfillment (plērōma) of the law. This citation follows Jesus' own identification of Leviticus 19:18 as the second great commandment (Matt 22:39), and Paul's use reflects apostolic consensus on its centrality. The original Holiness Code context defined "neighbor" (rēa') primarily within Israelite covenant community, but Paul's application universalizes it consistent with Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37). The claim that love "sums up" (anakephalaioutai) all commandments is a hermeneutical statement about Torah's inner logic: the commandments against adultery, murder, theft, and coveting all flow from and return to the love-command. Paul thus demonstrates continuity between old covenant moral law and new covenant ethics while showing that the law finds its telos in Christ-shaped love (cf. Rom 13:10, "love is the fulfillment of the law").