Letter of the Law is defined as which of the following?

• A. Exactly what the law says
• B. What the law intends; deeper meaning
• C. A parable illustrating a rule
• D. A person who enforces the law

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is literal interpretation: the phrase refers to taking the law by its exact wording, the precise text as written, without weighing the broader purpose or intent behind it. That makes the option describing “exactly what the law says” the best fit. In biblical and legal thought, there’s also the contrasting idea of the spirit of the law, which looks at the intended aims and moral purpose behind a rule. The other descriptions point to that broader purpose or to something different altogether—intention or deeper meaning is about the spirit, a parable is a teaching story used to illustrate a rule, and a person who enforces the law is about enforcement, not interpretation. So, the literal, word-for-word reading is what “letter of the law” means.