ἀγάπη

agapēNoun (Feminine)G0026

love

From: from G25 (ἀγαπάω);

Short Definition

love, i.e. affection or benevolence; specially (plural) a love-feast

Full Lexicon Entry

love, goodwill, esteem. Outside of bibl. and eccl. books, there is no clear instance . In NT, like ἀγαπάω, -ῶ
1.Of men's love
bto God
2.Of divine love
aGod's love
bChrist's love to men
3.In pl., love feasts.
Synonyms
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 ( 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.
LXX Usage: for אַהֲבָה, which is also rendered by ἀγάπησις and φιλία

Grammar

Part of Speech Noun (Feminine)

Morphology G:N-F

DescriptionGreek Noun, Feminine

Occurrences

104 times

Appears 104 times in the New Testament. Top books include:

1 John
14
1 Corinthians
11
Ephesians
10
2 Corinthians
8
Romans
8

Key Passages

  • 1 Corinthians 13:1
  • 1 John 4:12
  • 2 Corinthians 5:14
  • Colossians 3:14
  • John 17:26

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Lexicon data from STEPBible.org (Tyndale House, Cambridge) under CC BY 4.0 license.