Word study · Greek
ἀγαπάω
agapaōG0025to love
Used 143 times in the tagged text.
What it means
- Of human affection, to men
- Of divine love;
Full dictionary entry (technical)
- ἀγαπάω, -ῶ,
- [in LXX chiefly for אהב ;]
- to love, to feel and exhibit esteem and goodwill to a person, to prize and delight in a thing.
- 1. Of human affection, to men: τ. πλησίον, Mat.5:43; τ. ἐχθρούς, ib. 44; to Christ, Jhn.8:42; to God, Mat.22:37; with accusative of thing(s), Luk.11:43, Jhn.12:43, Eph.5:25, II Tim 4:8, 10, Heb.1:9, 1Pe.2:17, 3:10, 2Pe.2:15, 1Jn.2:15, Rev.12:11.
- 2. Of divine love;
- (a) God's love: to men, Rom.8:37; to Christ, Jhn.3:35;
- (b) Christ's love: to men, Mrk.10:21; to God, Jhn.14:31; with cogn. accusative, Jhn.17:26, Eph.2:4.
- SYN.: φιλέω. From its supposed etymology (Thayer, LS; but see also Boisacq) ἀ. is commonly understood properly to denote love based on esteem (diligo), as distinct from that expressed by φιλέω (amo), spontaneous natural affection, emotional and unreasoning. If this distinction holds, ἀ. is fitly used in NT of Christian love to God and man, the spiritual affection which follows the direction of the will, and which, therefore, unlike that feeling which is instinctive and unreasoned, can be commanded as a duty. (Cf. ἀγάπη, and v. Tr., Syn. §xii; Cremer, 9, 592; and esp. MM, VGT, see word) (AS)
Same idea, other words · Love
Hebrew uses one common word for love; Greek has several. Agape is the word the New Testament chooses most for God's love and ours, without making it a lesser or higher love than other words in every verse.
- אָהֵבahav to love: loverto love, of people and of GodH0157
- ἀγαπάωagapaō to loveto love (verb)G0025
- ἀγάπηagapē lovelove (noun), the New Testament's favoriteG0026
- φιλέωphileō to loveto love as a friend, to be fond ofG5368
- φιλαδελφίαphiladelphia brotherly lovebrotherly love, love of the family of faithG5360
Where it appears
- Matthew8
- Mark5
- Luke13
- John37
- Romans8
- 1 Corinthians2
- 2 Corinthians4
- Galatians2
- Ephesians10
- Colossians2
- 1 Thessalonians2
- 2 Thessalonians2
- 2 Timothy2
- Hebrews2
- James3
- 1 Peter4
- 2 Peter1
- 1 John28
- 2 John2
- 3 John1
- Jude1
- Revelation4
Every use · 101–143 of 143 · BSB
Listen, my beloved brothers: Has not God chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom He promised those who love Him?
If you really fulfill the royal law stated in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well.
Though you have not seen Him, you love Him; and though you do not see Him now, you believe in Him and rejoice with an inexpressible and glorious joy,
Since you have purified your souls by obedience to the truth so that you have a genuine love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from a pure heart.
Treat everyone with high regard: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honor the king.
For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech.
They have left the straight way and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Beor, who loved the wages of wickedness.
Whoever loves his brother remains in the light, and there is no cause of stumbling in him.
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
By this the children of God are distinguished from the children of the devil: Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother.
This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another.
We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death.
We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death.
Little children, let us love not in word and speech, but in action and truth.
And this is His commandment: that we should believe in the name of His Son, Jesus Christ, and we should love one another just as He commanded us.
Beloved, let us love one another, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
Beloved, let us love one another, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
And love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
And love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as the atoning sacrifice for our sins.
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God remains in us, and His love is perfected in us.
We love because He first loved us.
We love because He first loved us.
If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.
If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.
If anyone says, “I love God,” but hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.
And we have this commandment from Him: Whoever loves God must love his brother as well.
And we have this commandment from Him: Whoever loves God must love his brother as well.
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father also loves those born of Him.
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father also loves those born of Him.
By this we know that we love the children of God: when we love God and keep His commandments.
By this we know that we love the children of God: when we love God and keep His commandments.
The elder, To the chosen lady and her children, whom I love in the truth—and not I alone, but also all who know the truth—
And now I urge you, dear lady—not as a new commandment to you, but one we have had from the beginning—that we love one another.
The elder, To the beloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth:
Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, To those who are called, loved by God the Father, and kept in Jesus Christ:
and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us and has released us from our sins by His blood,
Look at those who belong to the synagogue of Satan, who claim to be Jews but are liars instead. I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and they will know that I love you.
They have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony. And they did not love their lives so as to shy away from death.
And they marched across the broad expanse of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. But fire came down from heaven and consumed them.
Text, tags and lexicon: STEPBible.org (Tyndale House), CC BY 4.0.