Word study · Greek
ἀγάπη
agapēG0026love
Used 116 times in the tagged text.
What it means
- Of men's love:
- Of divine love;
- In pl., love feasts
Full dictionary entry (technical)
- ἀγάπη, -ης, ἡ
- [in LXX for אַהֲבָה, which is also rendered by ἀγάπησις and φιλία ;]
- love, goodwill, esteem. Outside of bibl. and eccl. books, there is no clear instance (with Deiss., LAE, 18:4, 70:2, cf. the same writer in Constr. Quar., ii, 4; and with MM, VGT, see word, cf. Dr. Moulton in Exp. Times, xxvi, 3, 139). In NT, like ἀγαπάω, -ῶ,
- 1. Of men's love:
- (a) to one another, Jhn.13:35;
- (b) to God, 1Jn.2:5.
- 2. Of divine love;
- (a) God's love: to men, Rom.5:8; to Christ, Jhn.17:26;
- (b) Christ's love to men: Rom.8:35.
- 3. In pl., love feasts: Ju 12 (DB, iii, 157).
- SYN.: φιλία. ἀ., signifying properly (see: ἀγαπάω) love which chooses its object, is taken over from LXX, where its connotation is more general, into NT, and there used exclusively to express that spiritual bond of love between God and man and between man and man, in Christ, which is characteristic of Christianity. It is thusdistinct from φιλία, friendship (Jas.4:4 only), στοργή, natural affection (in NT only in compounds, see: ἄστοργος) and ἔρως, sexual love, which is not used in NT, its place being taken by ἐπιθυμία. (Cf. ἀγαπάω; and see Abbott, Essays, 70f.; DB, vol. i., 555; Cremer, 13, 593; 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
- Matthew1
- Luke1
- John7
- Romans9
- 1 Corinthians14
- 2 Corinthians9
- Galatians3
- Ephesians10
- Philippians4
- Colossians5
- 1 Thessalonians5
- 2 Thessalonians3
- 1 Timothy5
- 2 Timothy4
- Titus1
- Philemon3
- Hebrews2
- 1 Peter3
- 2 Peter1
- 1 John18
- 2 John2
- 3 John1
- Jude3
- Revelation2
Every use · 1–50 of 116 · BSB
Because of the multiplication of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold.
Woe to you Pharisees! You pay tithes of mint, rue, and every herb, but you disregard justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without neglecting the former.
but I know you, that you do not have the love of God within you.
By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.”
As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Remain in My love.
If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love.
If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love.
Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
And I have made Your name known to them and will continue to make it known, so that the love You have for Me may be in them, and I in them.”
And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.
But God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or distress or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Love must be sincere. Detest what is evil; cling to what is good.
Love does no wrong to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
Love does no wrong to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
If your brother is distressed by what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy your brother, for whom Christ died.
Now I urge you, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit, to join me in my struggle by praying to God for me.
Which do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and with a gentle spirit?
Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a ringing gong or a clanging cymbal.
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have absolute faith so as to move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
If I give all I possess to the poor and exult in the surrender of my body, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be restrained; where there is knowledge, it will be dismissed.
And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love.
And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love.
Earnestly pursue love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.
Do everything in love.
My love be with all of you in Christ Jesus. Amen.
For through many tears I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart, not to grieve you but to let you know how much I love you.
Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love for him.
For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that One died for all, therefore all died.
in purity, knowledge, patience, and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love;
But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness, and in the love we inspired in you—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.
I am not making a demand, but I am testing the sincerity of your love in comparison to the earnestness of others.
In full view of the churches, then, show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our boasting about you.
Finally, brothers, rejoice! Aim for perfect harmony, encourage one another, be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.
All the saints send you greetings.
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. All that matters is faith, expressed through love.
For you, brothers, were called to freedom; but do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. Rather, serve one another in love.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love
For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints,
But because of His great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy,
so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. Then you, being rooted and grounded in love,
of the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love,
Text, tags and lexicon: STEPBible.org (Tyndale House), CC BY 4.0.