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Greek · G5368 · unreviewed

φιλέω

To love

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φιλέω G5368
Pronunciation philéō

What does φιλέω (philéō) mean in the Bible?

φιλέω (philéō) is a Greek word meaning "to love". φιλέω, -ῶ (φίλος), [in LXX: Gen.

Full entry for φιλέω (G5368) · Browse the biblical lexicon

Meaning

to love
Extended definition

Emotional, affectionate love of friendship and preference, contrasting ἀγαπάω's love of duty and respect

(φίλος), [in LXX: Gen.27:4, 9, al. (אָהַב), Gen.27:27, al. (נָשַׁק), La 1:2 (רֵעַ) Wis.8:2, al. ;]

1to love (with the love of emotion and friendship, Lat, amare; v, SYN.): with accusative of person(s), Mat.10:37, Jhn.5:20; Jhn.11:3, 36 15:19 16:27 20:2 21:15-17, 1Co.16:22, Rev.3:19; ἐν πίστει, Tit.3:15; with accusative of thing(s), Mat.23:6, Luk.20:46, Jhn.12:25, Rev.22:15; with inf. (Isa.56:10; cf. Bl., § 69, 4), Mat.6:5.
2to kiss: with accusative of person(s), Mat.26:48, Mrk.14:44, Luk.22:47 (cf. κατα-φιλέω).
Synonymsἀγαπάω ω (which see), the love of duty and respect
Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith
Grammatical Forms

How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.

Tenses
Present Imperfect Aorist Perfect
Voices
Active
Participle verbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality 6×
Present Active Matt 10:37 · John 12:25 · Rev 22:15 · Luke 20:46 · Titus 3:15 6×
Indicative states a fact or reality 15×
Present Active John 5:20 · John 16:27 · 1 Cor 16:22 · John 11:3 · John 21:17 · John 21:15 · John 21:16 · Matt 6:5 · Matt 23:6 11×
Imperfect Active John 11:36 · John 15:19 · John 20:2 3×
Perfect Active John 16:27 1×
Subjunctive possibility, probability, or purpose 3×
Aorist Active Matt 26:48 · Mark 14:44 2×
Present Active Rev 3:19 1×
Infinitive verbal noun — the action in abstract 1×
Aorist Active Luke 22:47 1×
25 total occurrences across all forms in the biblical text Morphology: MorphGNT SBLGNT — CC BY-SA 3.0
Discourse Aspect

How this verb appears across 24 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).

Aspect
ongoing 11 resultant 1 background 3 subjunctive 3 infinitive 1 participle 5
Tense
present 17 imperfect 3 aorist 3 perfect 1
Voice
active 24
Mood
indicative 15 participle 5 subjunctive 3 infinitive 1
NT Occurrences
Matthew 6:5 φιλοῦσιν present active indicative ongoing Matthew 10:37 φιλῶν present active participle participle Matthew 10:37 φιλῶν present active participle participle Matthew 23:6 φιλοῦσι present active indicative ongoing Matthew 26:48 φιλήσω aorist active subjunctive subjunctive Mark 14:44 φιλήσω aorist active subjunctive subjunctive Luke 20:46 φιλούντων present active participle participle Luke 22:47 φιλῆσαι aorist active infinitive infinitive John 5:20 φιλεῖ present active indicative ongoing John 11:3 φιλεῖς present active indicative ongoing John 11:36 ἐφίλει imperfect active indicative background John 12:25 φιλῶν present active participle participle John 15:19 ἐφίλει imperfect active indicative background John 16:27 φιλεῖ present active indicative ongoing John 16:27 πεφιλήκατε perfect active indicative resultant John 20:2 ἐφίλει imperfect active indicative background John 21:15 φιλῶ present active indicative ongoing John 21:16 φιλῶ present active indicative ongoing John 21:17 φιλεῖς present active indicative ongoing John 21:17 Φιλεῖς present active indicative ongoing John 21:17 φιλῶ present active indicative ongoing 1 Corinthians 16:22 φιλεῖ present active indicative ongoing Titus 3:15 φιλοῦντας present active participle participle Revelation 3:19 φιλῶ present active subjunctive subjunctive

Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.

Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)

Biblical Occurrences

Each occurrence shows the passage reference, the original language term as it appears in that context, its transliteration, and the contextual sense.

Biblical Witnesses
1 Corinthians 16:21-24 love philéō Indicative · Present Active
Affectionate greeting expressing personal fondness and friendship toward believers
Proverbs 24:26 kiss philéō
Physical gesture of affection, specifically a kiss given as expression of regard
Appears In

Compound and idiomatic lexemes in which this word is a constituent. Follow a link to study the phrase and its other participating words.

ἀγαπάω · φιλέω G25, G5368
love, cherish, have affection
φιλέω · Ἰησοῦς G5368, G2424
the disciple whom Jesus loved
φιλέω · ἀγαπάω G5368, G25
love, affection, covenantal love
φιλέω · μισέω · ψυχή G5368, G3404, G5590
love life / hate life by comparison
φιλέω · ὑπέρ G5368, G5228
love more than me
Word Pictures (Robertson)

A.T. Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) discusses this term in the following chapters. Open any chapter and go to the Word Pictures tab to read his verse-by-verse commentary.

John 11 — The Resurrection and the Life, the Raising of Lazarus, and the Plot to Kill Jesus John 12 — The Anointed King, the Lifted-Up Son of Man, and the Hour of Glory John 16 — The Spirit’s Convicting Witness, the Disciples’ Sorrow Turned to Joy, and Christ’s Victory over the World John 20 — The Risen Lord: Empty Tomb, Eyewitness Faith, Peace, Mission, Spirit, Thomas, and the Purpose of the Gospel John 21 — The Risen Lord Restores, Commissions, Shepherds, and Testifies through His Witness Mark 14 — The Son of Man Handed Over: Anointing, Supper, Gethsemane, Betrayal, Trial, and Denial Matthew 10 — The Mission of the Twelve, Costly Witness, and Allegiance to Christ

A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) — public domain

Sources

MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain

Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0

Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0

STEPBible Data — CC BY 4.0

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