{"id":90510,"date":"2026-07-14T08:37:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T12:37:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bgodinspired.com\/?p=90510"},"modified":"2026-07-14T09:41:03","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T13:41:03","slug":"greek-word-for-love","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bgodinspired.com\/index.php\/bible-resources\/bible-stories\/greek-word-for-love\/","title":{"rendered":"Greek Word for Love: What Does “Agape” Really Mean?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n \t<\/i> Read Time:<\/span>4 Minute, 36 Second <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n

Greek Word for Love: What Does “Agape” Really Mean?<\/h1>\n\n\n\n

Quick answer:<\/strong> The Greek word most often translated “love” in the New Testament is \u1f00\u03b3\u03ac\u03c0\u03b7 (agap\u0113)<\/strong>, pronounced ah-GAH-pay<\/em> \u2014 Strong’s G26<\/strong>. Unlike English “love,” which covers everything from pizza to marriage, agape describes a deliberate, self-giving love \u2014 a commitment to someone’s good, not just a feeling toward them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Word Study: Where “Agape” Comes From<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Here’s what surprises most people: agape wasn’t a rich, meaningful word before the New Testament. In classical Greek writing, it barely shows up \u2014 when it does, it’s a flat, almost unremarkable word for general goodwill.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The New Testament writers took a nearly-empty word and filled it. They needed a term for a kind of love ordinary Greek didn’t have a word for \u2014 love that gives without needing anything back \u2014 and agape was available precisely because it wasn’t already loaded with other meanings (unlike eros<\/em>, which was tied to romantic and physical desire).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So the meaning of agape isn’t really etymological \u2014 it’s earned by usage. The New Testament defines it by showing<\/em> it, most famously in 1 Corinthians 13.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where “Agape” Appears in the Bible<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Agape (and its verb form, \u1f00\u03b3\u03b1\u03c0\u03ac\u03c9 \/ agapa\u014d<\/em>, G25) appears over 250 times combined across the New Testament. A few of the most important occurrences:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reference<\/th>Text (KJV)<\/th>What’s happening<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
John 3:16<\/td>“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son…”<\/td>Agape defined by an action \u2014 giving<\/td><\/tr>
1 Corinthians 13:4\u20138<\/td>“Love suffers long, and is kind; love envieth not…”<\/td>Agape defined by a list of behaviors, not a feeling<\/td><\/tr>
1 John 4:8<\/td>“God is love”<\/td>Agape as God’s nature, not just something God does<\/td><\/tr>
John 21:15\u201317<\/td>Jesus and Peter’s exchange (see below)<\/td>Agape distinguished from phileo in real dialogue<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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