Definition of G26: Agapē
Agapē describes a deliberate, self-giving love that acts for another’s highest good regardless of circumstances or feelings. Unlike emotional attraction or brotherly affection, this is the love that chooses to give when nothing is owed, to serve when it costs everything, and to remain faithful when all else fades—the very love God demonstrates toward humanity and calls believers to practice toward others.
What This Word Actually Means
Here’s the thing about agapē that’ll blow your mind: when the New Testament writers needed a word for God’s kind of love, they didn’t grab the obvious choices. Greek already had perfectly good words—eros for romantic love, philia for friendship, storge for family affection. But they needed something different. Something bigger.
So they took this relatively obscure word agapē and transformed it into the theological heavyweight we know today. In classical Greek, agapē was the background player—occasionally used for affection or preference, but nothing particularly profound. Then Christianity got hold of it.
What makes agapē revolutionary is its volitional nature. This isn’t love that happens to you like catching a cold. This is love you choose to do, like deciding to climb a mountain. It’s not driven by the attractiveness of its object but by the character of the one loving.
When Jesus uses this word in John 13:34-35, commanding His disciples to love one another, He’s not saying “Feel warm fuzzies toward each other.” He’s saying “Make a conscious decision to seek each other’s highest good, even when it’s costly, inconvenient, or unreturned.”
Cultural Context
First-century Greeks hearing agapē wouldn’t have immediately thought “divine love.” That association was uniquely Christian. The early church essentially baptized this word, filling it with new meaning drawn from God’s character and Christ’s sacrifice. This is theological poetry in action—taking ordinary language and making it sing extraordinary truth.
The Word Behind the Word
Agapē comes from the verb agapaō (G25), meaning “to love” or “to show love.” But here’s where etymology gets fascinating: some scholars suggest a possible connection to agan (much, very) or even agamai (to admire, wonder at). Though the exact root is debated, what’s crystal clear is how the New Testament writers shaped its meaning.
Before Christianity transformed it, agapē appears sporadically in classical literature—Plutarch uses it for Caesar’s affection squandered on animals, and it occasionally describes friendship between equals. Nothing earth-shattering. The Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) used it more frequently, beginning to load it with theological freight as translators rendered Hebrew words like ahavah (H160) into Greek.
But the New Testament? That’s where agapē becomes the star of the show. It appears 116 times across the New Testament, becoming the primary word to describe God’s love for humanity and the love believers should have for God and each other.
Etymology Alert
The genius of using agapē was its semantic flexibility. Unlike philia (which carried centuries of philosophical baggage) or eros (loaded with romantic and sexual connotations), agapē was a relatively blank slate. The apostles could pour into it the full meaning of divine love without fighting preconceived notions. It’s like being handed a fresh canvas instead of trying to paint over someone else’s masterpiece.
How Scripture Uses It
The New Testament’s use of agapē falls into three powerful categories:
- God’s Love for Humanity: This is the bedrock. John 3:16 might be Christianity’s most famous verse: “For God so loved (ēgapēsen, the verb form) the world that he gave his only Son.” Here’s divine love in action—costly, sacrificial, initiated not by human merit but by God’s character.
- Believers’ Love for God: Jesus identifies this as the greatest commandment in Matthew 22:37-38. Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind. This isn’t casual admiration—it’s total devotion expressed through obedience. As Jesus puts it in John 14:15, “If you love (agapaō) me, you will keep my commandments.”
- Believers’ Love for One Another: The new commandment of John 13:34-35 makes agapē the mark of authentic discipleship. “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love (agapē) for one another.” First Corinthians 13, Paul’s famous “love chapter,” defines what this looks like practically—patient, kind, not envious or boastful.
The haunting warning in Matthew 24:12—where this word first appears in the New Testament—shows what happens when lawlessness increases: “The love (agapē) of many will grow cold.” Even selfless, sacrificial love can freeze when sin proliferates and people turn inward.
“Agapē isn’t something you fall into—it’s something you climb toward. It’s not a feeling that overtakes you but a decision you make repeatedly, especially when everything in you wants to quit.”
Why Translators Struggle With This Word
Here’s the translation challenge: English has basically one word—“love”—to cover what Greek expresses with four distinct terms. So how do you differentiate agapē from philia or storge when they all become “love” in English?
The KJV made an interesting choice: it translated agapē as “charity” 28 times (out of 117 occurrences), especially in 1 Corinthians 13. This worked in 1611 when “charity” carried the broader meaning of selfless love, but modern English has narrowed “charity” to mean giving to the needy. So contemporary translations overwhelmingly use “love.”
Modern versions unanimously choose “love”, but they face a different problem: how do readers distinguish God’s self-giving agapē from romantic love or casual affection? Some study Bibles add marginal notes. Some pastors call it “God’s love” or “divine love.” But the word itself? It’s just “love.”
The plural form (agapai) adds another wrinkle. It sometimes refers to love feasts—communal meals the early church shared, often connected to communion. Jude 12 mentions these, warning about those who corrupt them. Do you translate this as “love feasts” (literal but possibly confusing to modern readers) or “fellowship meals” (clear but missing the connection to agapē)? Translators must choose.
Translation Challenge
The ESV, NIV, and NASB all render agapē consistently as “love,” relying on context to show whether it’s God’s love, Christian love, or general affection. This maintains verbal consistency but requires readers to think carefully about context. The alternative—using different English words for different uses—would make English more precise but break the beautiful thread running through Greek texts where the same word describes God loving us and us loving others.
Where You’ll Find This Word
Primary passages where this word appears:
- Matthew 24:12 – First NT occurrence: “The love of many will grow cold” due to increasing lawlessness
- John 13:34-35 – Jesus’ new commandment: “Love one another as I have loved you”
- Romans 5:5-8 – God’s love poured into hearts; Christ died for us while we were still sinners
- 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 – Paul’s “love chapter” defining agapē practically
- 1 John 4:7-21 – “God is love” and we love because He first loved us
- Galatians 5:22 – Love as the first fruit of the Spirit
- Ephesians 3:17-19 – Paul’s prayer to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge
- Jude 12 – Reference to love feasts (plural form agapai)
Notable translations across versions:
- ESV: Consistently uses “love” with occasional “love feast” in plural contexts
- NIV: Uses “love” throughout; renders Jude 12 as “fellowship meals”
- NASB: “Love” with literal “love feasts” preserved in plural contexts
Other translation options: divine love, selfless love, sacrificial love, unconditional love, covenant love
Words in the Same Family
Root family:
- G25 – agapaō – The verb form “to love” (appears 143 times in NT)
- G27 – agapētos – Adjective meaning “beloved, dearly loved” (61 times in NT)
Synonyms and near-synonyms:
- G5360 – philadelphia – Brotherly love, affection between believers (6 times in NT)
- G5368 – phileō – To have affection for, to kiss; friendly love (25 times in NT)
- G2133 – eunoia – Goodwill, kindness (1 time in NT)
- G1656 – eleos – Mercy, compassion (27 times in NT)
The distinction between agapē and phileō is famously debated in John 21:15-17, where Jesus asks Peter “Do you love (agapaō) me?” and Peter responds “You know I love (phileō) you.” Some scholars see theological significance; others argue John simply varies his vocabulary stylistically.
Key Takeaway
Understanding agapē transforms how we read Scripture. This isn’t the love of Hallmark cards or romantic comedies. It’s the love that kept Christ on the cross when He could have called legions of angels. It’s the love God commands—and then equips us through His Spirit to actually practice. When you see “love” in your English Bible, especially in the New Testament, you’re almost certainly looking at agapē—and that means you’re looking at a decision, not just an emotion. God chose to love you. Now He’s inviting you to choose that same radical, self-giving love toward Him and others.
Dig Deeper
Internal Resources:
- G25 – Agapaō – The verb form “to love” and its usage patterns
- G27 – Agapētos – Understanding “beloved” in Scripture
- John 3:16 Analysis – Exploring God’s love for the world
- 1 Corinthians 13 Analysis – Paul’s practical definition of love
External Scholarly Resources:
- Blue Letter Bible G26 Entry – Comprehensive lexical data with usage statistics
- Bible Hub Concordance G26 – Detailed concordance showing every occurrence
- Perseus Digital Library – Classical Greek usage and comparative texts
- BDAG Lexicon Entry – Authoritative scholarly Greek lexicon
- Kittel’s Theological Dictionary of the New Testament – Extended theological treatment of agape
- New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology – Comprehensive theological and exegetical analysis
All external links open in new windows for continued study
