ἀγαπάω

ἀγαπάω impf. ἠγάπων; fut. ἀγαπήσω; 1 aor. ἠγάπησα; pf. ἠγάπηκα, ptc. ἠγαπηκώς; plpf. 3 sg. ἠγαπήκει Is. 2:25. Pass.: 1 fut. ἀγαπηθήσομαι; 1 aor. 2 sg. ἠγαπήθης Sir 47:16; pf. ptc. ἠγαπημένος (in var. mngs. Hom.+.—STromp de Ruiter, Gebruik en beteekenis van ἀγαπᾶν in de Grieksche Litteratuur 1930; CRichardson, Love: Gk. and Christian, JR 23, ’43,173–85).

① to have a warm regard for and interest in another, cherish, have affection for, love

ⓐ by human beings (Pind., Pla. et al.)

α. to a broad range of persons, apart from recipients of special devotion, for which see β; w. obj. given γυναῖκας Eph 5:25, 28, 33 (on proper attitude of the husband cp. Plut., Mor. 142e); Col 3:19; ὡς ἀδελφήν Hv 1, 1, 1. τὸν πλησίον Mt 5:43; 19:19; 22:39; Mk 12:31, 33 (on 33b s. Aristaen., Ep. 2, 13, end φιλῶ σε ὡς ἐμαυτήν); Ro 13:9; Gal 5:14; Js 2:8; B 19:5 (all quots. fr. Lev 19:18); s. πλησίον 2; τὸν ἕτερον Ro 13:8. τὸν ἀδελφόν 1J 2:10; 3:10; 4:20f. τοὺς ἀδελφούς 3:14. τὰ τέκνα τοῦ θεοῦ 5:2. ἀλλήλους J 13:34; 15:12, 17; 1J 3:11, 23; 4:7, 11f; 2J 5; Ro 13:8; 1 Th 4:9. τοὺς ἀγαπῶντας Mt 5:46; Lk 6:32. τὸ ἔθνος ἡμῶν 7:5. τοὺς ἐχθρούς Mt 5:44; Lk 6:27, 35; s. WvanUnnik, NovT 8, ’66, 284–300, and s. ἐχθρός 2bβ; ἀ. τινα ὑπὲρ τὴν ψυχήν love someone more than one’s own life B 1:4; 4:6; 19:5; D 2:7 (cp. Philo, Rer. Div. Her. 42 ὑπερφυῶς ἀ.; Kaibel 716, 5 φίλους ὑπὲρ ἁτὸν [=αὑτὸν] ἐτίμα). εἰ περισσοτέρως ὑμᾶς ἀγαπῶ, ἧσσον ἀγαπῶμαι; if I love you the more, am I to be loved less? 2 Cor 12:15; ἀ. πολύ, ὀλίγον show much or little affection Lk 7:47; cp. πλεῖον ἀγαπήσει αὐτόν will love him more vs. 42 (on the love-hate pair s. AFridrichsen, Svensk Exegetisk Årsbok 5, ’40, 152–62.—The meaning be grateful is suggested for Lk 7:42 by HWood, ET 66, ’55, 319, after JJeremias. See Jos., Bell. 1, 392 and Ps 114:1 LXX). Abs. ἡμεῖς ἀγαπῶμεν 1J 4:19. πᾶς ὁ ἀγαπῶν vs. 7. ὁ μὴ ἀγαπῶν vs. 8. W. indication of the kind of affection: ἀ. ἐν Ἰησοῦ Χρ. I Mg 6:2. Opp. μισεῖν (Dt 21:15–17) Mt 6:24; Lk 16:13.

β. to transcendent recipients of special devotion: to Jesus 1 Pt 1:8. Esp. in J: 8:42; 14:15, 21, 23f; 21:15f (always spoken by Jesus).—On the last passage s. AFridrichsen, SymbOsl 14, ’35, 46–49; EMcDowell, RevExp 32, ’35, 422–41; Goodsp., Probs. 116–18; JScott, ClW 39, ’45–’46, 71f; 40, ’46–’47, 60f; M-EBoismard, RB 54, ’47, 486f.—ἀ. and φιλέω may be used interchangeably here (cp. the freq. interchange of synonyms elsewh. in the same chapter [βόσκειν–ποιμαίνειν, ἀρνία–προβάτια, ἑλκύειν–σύρειν], but s. KMcKay, NovT 27, ’85, 319–33; also φιλέω).—To God (Dio Chrys. 11 [12], 61; Sextus 442; 444; ParJer 6:6; LXX; Philo, Post. Caini 69; Jos., Ant. 7, 269; TestBenj 3:1; 4:5) Mt 22:37; Mk 12:30, 33; Lk 10:27 (all Dt 6:5); Ro 8:28; 1 Cor 2:9; 8:3. Of affection for the Creator B 19:2.

ⓑ of the affection of transcendent beings

α. for ordinary human beings (Dio Chrys. 3, 60 ἀγαπώμενος ὑπὸ θεῶν; 79 [28], 13; CIG 5159 Βρουτταρᾶτος, ὸ̔ν ἀγαπᾷ ἡ Φαρία ῏Ισις; Norden, Agn. Th. 225 ὸ̔ν Ἄμμων ἀγαπᾷ; 226 [= OGI 90, 4]; s. β below; LXX; Jos., Ant. 8, 173; 314; TestNapht 8:4, 10) Ro 8:37; 9:13 (Mal 1:2); 2 Th 2:16; Hb 12:6 (Pr 3:12); J 14:21 (τηρηθήσεται P⁷⁵); 1J 4:10, 19; 1 Cl 56:4 (Pr 3:12). ἱλαρὸν δότην 2 Cor 9:7.—Jesus’ affection for people Ἰ. ἠγάπησεν αὐτον J. liked him or was fond of him Mk 10:21 (displayed affection, caressed him has also been suggested; cp. X., Cyr. 7, 5, 50; Plut., Pericl. 152 [1, 1] al.).—Gal 2:20; Eph 5:2; J 11:5; 15:9; B 1:1. Of the beloved disciple J 13:23; 19:26; 21:7, 20; s. Hdb.³ on J 13:23, also JMaynard, JSOR 13, 1929, 155–59; Bultmann ad loc. et al.; AKragerud, Der Lieblingsjünger im Johannesevangelium, ’59; LJohnson, ET 77, ’66, 157f; see also μαθητής 2bα.—W. pf. pass. ptc. (cp. β) ἀδελφοὶ ἠ. ὑπὸ τ. θεοῦ (cp. Sir 45:1; 46:13) 1 Th 1:4; 2 Th 2:13; ἅγιοι καὶ ἠ. Col 3:12; τοῖς ἐν θεῷ πατρὶ ἠγαπημένοις Jd 1; ἐκκλησία ἠ. ITr ins; IRo ins.—Ro 9:25 (Hos 2:25 v.l.).

β. for other transcendent beings: God’s love for Jesus J 3:35; 10:17; 17:26, from before creation 17:24. Here belongs also the pf. pass. ptc. the one loved by God (cp. Dt 32:15; 33:5, 26; Is 44:2) as designation of Jesus (cp. ParJer 3:11; AscIs 3:4; TestAbr A 1 p. 78, 6 [Stone p. 4] Ἀβραὰμ τὸν ἠ. μου φίλον; OGI 90, 4 [II B.C.] an Egyptian king is ἠγαπημένος ὑπό τοῦ Φθᾶ; Mitt-Wilck. I/2, 109, 12 [III B.C.] a king ἠγαπημένος ὑπὸ τ. Ἴσιδος) Eph 1:6; B 3:6; 4:3, 8. ἠγαπημένος παῖς αὐτοῦ 1 Cl 59:2f; υἱὸς ἠ. Hs 9, 12, 5. Of Jerusalem τὴν πόλιν τὴν ἠ. (Sir 24:11) Rv 20:9.—S. the lit. on φιλέω 1a.—Jesus’ love for God J 14:31.

② to have high esteem for or satisfaction with someth., take pleasure in (Aesop, Fab. 156 P.)—Appian, Mithrid. 57 §230 τὰ προτεινόμενα=the proffered terms. PsSol 14:6 ἡμέραν ἐν μετοχῇ ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν day of partnership in their sin. Also striving after someth. (Theopomp. [IV B.C.]: 115 Fgm. 124 Jac. τιμήν; Diod. S 11, 46, 2 τ. πλοῦτον; Appian, Bell. Civ. 1, 49 §215 citizenship; SIG 1268 I, 9 [III B.C.] φιλίαν ἀγάπα=‘value friendship’; pap of early Ptolemaic times in WCrönert, NGG 1922, 31; Ps 39:17; Sir 3:26) τὴν πρωτοκαθεδρίαν καὶ τοὺς ἀσπασμούς Lk 11:43. μισθὸν ἀδικίας 2 Pt 2:15. τὸν κόσμον 1J 2:15. τὸν νῦν αἰῶνα 2 Ti 4:10; Pol 9:2. δικαιοσύνην (Wsd 1:1; Orig., C. Cels. 6, 79, 22) Hb 1:9 (Ps 44:8). σεμνότητα Hm 5, 2, 8. τὴν ἀλήθειαν (Jos., C. Ap. 2, 296; TestReub 3:9) 1 Cl 18:6 (Ps 50:8); Hm 3:1. Opp. ἀ. ψεύδη B 20:2. ὅρκον ψευδῆ 2:8 (Zech 8:17). μᾶλλον τὸ σκότος ἢ τὸ φῶς J 3:19 (on ἀγ. μᾶλλον w. acc. cp. Jos., Ant. 5, 350 and see μᾶλλον 3c); ἀ. τὴν δόξαν τ. ἀνθρώπων μᾶλλον ἤπερ τ. δ. τοῦ θεοῦ value the approval of human beings more highly than that of God 12:43 (cp. Pla. Phdr. 257e). ζωήν enjoy life (Sir 4:12) 1 Pt 3:10; also τὴν ψυχήν (Sir 30:23 v.l.) Rv 12:11.—Hence long for τὶ someth. (Ps 39:17) τὴν ἐπιφάνειαν αὐτοῦ his appearing 2 Ti 4:8. W. inf. fol. wish (Anton. Lib. 40, 1 ἠγάπησεν ἀεὶ παρθένος εἶναι) ἀ. ἡμέρας ἱδεῖν ἀγαθάς to see good days 1 Cl 22:2 (Ps 33:13). τὸ παθεῖν wish for martyrdom ITr 4:2.—ἀγάπην ἀ. (2 Km 13:15) show love J 17:26; Eph 2:4; show one’s admiration τὰ δεσμά for my bonds i.e. they were not embarrassed by them IPol 2:3 (not kiss; there is so far no evidence for that mng. of ἀ.).—ISm 7:1 the context seems to require for ἀ. the sense ἀγάπην ποιεῖν (8:2)=hold a love-feast, but so far this mng. cannot be confirmed lexically. But since the noun ἀγάπη is used absolutely in 6:2 in the sense ‘concern for’ someone, it may be that ἀγαπᾶν in 7:1 refers to acts of kindness.

③ to practice/express love, prove one’s love J 13:1, 34 (perh. an allusion to the agape or love-feast, s. ἀγάπη 2). Abs. w. indication of the means μὴ ἀγαπῶμεν λόγῳ μηδὲ τῇ γλώσσῃ ἀλλὰ ἐν ἔργῳ let us show our love with deeds as well as w. word or tongue (TestGad 6:1 ἀγαπήσατε ἀλλήλους ἐν ἔργῳ) 1J 3:18; cp. ἀ. τῷ στόματι love w. the mouth 1 Cl 15:4 (Ps 77:36 Swete; ed. Rahlfs ’31 v.l.).—RJoly, Le vocabulaire chretien de l’amour est-il original? ’68.—B. 1110. DELG. M-M. TW. Spicq. Sv.