18 He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth
(H157) the stranger, in giving him food and raiment. 19 Love (H157) ye
therefore the stranger: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.
Loveth – OT = 38 (34 verses). Hebrew words for ‘love’ – H157, H158, H160
First occurrence:
Gen_27:9 Go now to the flock, and fetch me
from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savoury meat for
thy father, such as he loveth:
Middle (or what I’m calling ‘middle’):
Psa_11:5 The LORD trieth the righteous: but
the wicked and him that loveth
violence his soul hateth.
Last:
Hos_12:7 He is a merchant, the
balances of deceit are in his hand: he loveth to oppress.
Each reference above uses:
H157 - Love - A
primitive root; to have affection for (sexually or otherwise).
Used: 212 x in 199 verses. My…translated as love, loved, loveth,
beloved, lovely, lovest, lover, friends, liketh.
The first usage is Genesis 22:2 – Abraham loving
Isaac.
Deuteronomy 11:1 – Our instruction to ‘love’ the
Lord our God.
1 Kings 5:1 – Hiram was a ‘lover’ of David…not in
a sexual sense.
2 Samuel 13:4 – Amnon ‘loved’ his sister, Tamar
(until he ‘hated’ her a few short verses later in 15).
Esther 5:10 – Haman called his ‘friends’ and his
wife (interesting, she as counted as a ‘friend’?).
Psalm 88:18 – ‘Lover’ and friend (H7453) has thou
put far from me, and mine acquaintance (H3045) into darkness. (Word usage in Psalms - 39x)
Interesting lover,
friend and acquaintance used all in this verse.
First usage in Proverbs:
Pro 1:22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye
love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate
knowledge?
Only usage where H157 is translated ‘liketh’ (the
word is only translated ‘liketh 3x in the OT):
Amo 4:5 And offer a sacrifice of thanksgiving
with leaven, and proclaim and publish the free offerings: for this
liketh you, O ye children of Israel, saith the Lord GOD.
Loveth in the NT – 27 matches (23
verses):
G5368 – Phileo - From G5384;
to be a friend to (fond of [an
individual or an object]), that is, have affection for (denoting personal
attachment, as a matter of sentiment or feeling; while G25 is wider, embracing especially the judgment
and the deliberate assent of the will as a matter of principle, duty and
propriety: the two thus stand related very much as G2309
and G1014, or as G2372 and G3563
respectively; the former being chiefly of the heart and the latter of
the head); specifically to kiss (as a mark of tenderness). 25 matches (21 verses).
First usage is Matthew 6:5; I thought this one appropriate:
Mat 10:37 He that loveth (G5368) father or mother more
than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth (G5368) son or daughter more
than me is not worthy of me.
Interesting:
Mat 26:48 Now he that
betrayed him gave them a sign, saying, Whomsoever I shall kiss (G5368), that
same is he: hold him fast.
Joh 5:20 For the Father
loveth (G5368) the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he
will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.
G25 – Agapao - Perhaps
from ἄγαν agan (much; or compare [H5689]);
to love (in a social or moral sense.
142 matches (109 verses).
Mar 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with
all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the
first commandment.
This
study took a while for me to compile (since I’m now in 2 Samuel…that says it
all!). I simply amazed at the
differences and usages between PHILEO
and AGAPAO.
When
you read the word of God and see the word ‘love’ translated do you pause and
consider, which word is this really?
And
how much do we L-O-V-E? Enough to speak
up? Challenge current thought, patterns,
behavior?
Postscript:
Here
are a couple of links I found while browsing for Hebrew and Greek ‘love’ words. Note, I have NOT vetted any of these sites
and this reference is not necessarily an endorsement of such.
Greek
Words For Love in Context – I didn’t fully browse this one, and want to go
back and review it more.