Lexicon :: Strong's G25 - agapaō

ἀγαπάω, -ῶ; [imperfect ἠγάπων]; future ἀγαπήσω; 1 aorist ἠγάπησα; perfect active [1 person plural ἠγαπήκαμεν, 1 John 4:10 WH text], participle ἠγαπηκώς (2 Timothy 4:8); passive [present ἀγαπῶμαι]; perfect participle ἠγαπημένος; 1 future ἀγαπηθήσομαι; (akin to ἄγαμαι [Fick, Part 4:12; see ἀγαθός, at the beginning]); to love, to be full of good-will and exhibit the same: Luke 7:47; 1 John 4:7f; with the accusative of the person, to have a preference for, wish well to, regard the welfare of: Matthew 5:43ff; Matthew 19:19; Luke 7:5; John 11:5; Romans 13:8; 2 Corinthians 11:11; 2 Corinthians 12:15; Galatians 5:14; Ephesians 5:25, 28; 1 Peter 1:22, and elsewhere; used often in the First Epistle of John of the love of Christians toward one another; of the benevolence which God, in providing salvation for men, has exhibited by sending his Son to them and giving him up to death, John 3:16; Romans 8:37; 2 Thessalonians 2:16; 1 John 4:11, 19; [noteworthy is Jude 1:1 L T Tr WH τοῖς ἐν Θεῷ πατρί ἠγαπημένοις; see ἐν, I. 4, and cf. Bp. Lightfoot on Colossians 3:12]; of the love which led Christ, in procuring human salvation, to undergo sufferings and death, Galatians 2:20; Ephesians 5:2; of the love with which God regards Christ, John 3:35; [John 3:20 L marginal reading]; John 10:17; 15:9; Ephesians 1:6. When used of love to a master, God or Christ, the word involves the idea of affectionate reverence, prompt obedience, grateful recognition of benefits received: Matthew 6:24; Matthew 22:37; Romans 8:28; 1 Corinthians 2:9; 1 Corinthians 8:3; James 1:12; 1 Peter 1:8; 1 John 4:10, 20, and elsewhere. With an accusative of the thing ἀγαπάω denotes to take pleasure in the thing, prize it above other things, be unwilling to abandon it or do without it: δικαιοσύνην, Hebrews 1:9 (i. e. steadfastly to cleave to); τήν δόξαν, John 12:43; τήν πρωτοκαθεδρίαν, Luke 11:43; τό σκότος; and τό φῶς, John 3:19; τόν κόσμον. 1 John 2:15; τόν νῦν αἰῶνα, 2 Timothy 4:10, — both which last phrases signify to set the heart on earthly advantages and joys; τήν ψυχήν αὐτῶν, Revelation 12:11; ζωήν, 1 Peter 3:10 (to derive pleasure from life, render it agreeable to himself); to welcome with desire, long for: τήν ἐπιφάνειαν αὐτοῦ, 2 Timothy 4:8 (Wis. 1:1 Wis. 6:13; Sir. 4:12, etc.; so of a person: ἠγαπήθη, Wis. 4:10, cf. Grimm at the passage). Concerning the unique proof of love which Jesus gave the apostles by washing their feet, it is said ἠγάπησεν αὐτούς, John 13:1, cf. Lücke or Meyer at the passage (but others take ήγάπ. here more comprehensively, see Weiss's Meyer, Godet, Westcott, Keil]. The combination ἀγάπην ἀγαπᾶν τινα occurs, when a relative intervenes, in John 17:26; Ephesians 2:4 (2 Samuel 13:15 where τό μῖσος ὁ ἐμίσησεν αὐτήν is contrasted; cf. Genesis 49:25 εὐλόγησε σε εὐλογίαν; Psalms of Solomon 17:35 [in manuscript Pseudepig. Vet. Test. edition Fabric. i., p. 966; Libri Apocr. etc., edition Fritzsche, p. 588] δόξαν ἥν ἐδόξασεν αὐτήν); cf. Winers Grammar, § 32, 2; [Buttmann, 148f (129)]; Grimm on 1 Macc. 2:54.
On the difference between ἀγαπάω and φιλέω, see φιλέω. Cf. ἀγάπη, 1 at the end.

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