ἀγαπάω

(ῶ; (imperfect ἠγάπων); future ἀγαπήσω; 1 aorist ἠγάπησα; perfect active (1 person plural ἠγαπήκαμεν, 1 Jn 4:10 WH text), participle ἠγαπηκῶς (2 Tim 4:8); passive (present ἀγαπῶμαι); perfect participle ἠγαπημένος; 1 future ἀγαπηθήσομαι; (akin to ἄγαμαι (Fick, Part 4:12; see ἀγαθός, at the beginning)); to love, to be full of good-will and exhibit the same: Lk 7:47; 1 Jn 4:7f; with the accusative of the person, to have a preference for, wish well to, regard the welfare of: Mt 5:43ff; Mt 19:19; Lk 7:5; Jn 11:5; Rom 13:8; 2 Cor 11:11; 2 Cor 12:15; Gal 5:14; Eph 5:25, Eph 5:28; 1 Pet 1:22, and elsewhere; used often in the First Epistle of John of the love of Christians toward one another; of the benevolence which God, in providing salvation for men, has exhibited by sending his Son to them and giving him up to death, Jn 3:16; Rom 8:37; 2 Thess 2:16; 1 Jn 4:11, 1 Jn 4:19; (noteworthy is Jude 1:1 L T Tr WH τοῖς ἐν Θεῷ πατρί ἠγαπημένοις; see ἐν, I. 4, and cf. Lightfoot on Col 3:12); of the love which led Christ, in procuring human salvation, to undergo sufferings and death, Gal 2:20; Eph 5:2; of the love with which God regards Christ, Jn 3:35; (v. L marginal reading); Jn 10:17; ; Eph 1:6. When used of love to a master, God or Christ, the word involves the idea of affectionate reverence, prompt obedience, grateful recognition of benefits received: Mt 6:24; Mt 22:37; Rom 8:28; 1 Cor 2:9; 1 Cor 8:3; Jas 1:12; 1 Pet 1:8; 1 Jn 4:10, 1 Jn 4:20, and elsewhere. With an accusative of the thing ἀγαπάω denotes "to take pleasure in the thing, prize it above other things, be unwilling to abandon it or do without it": δικαιοσύνην, Heb 1:9 (i. e. steadfastly to cleave to); τήν δόξαν, Jn 12:43; τήν πρωτοκαθεδρίαν, Lk 11:43; τό σκότος; and τό φῶς, Jn 3:19; τόν κόσμον. 1 Jn 2:15; τόν νῦν αἰῶνα, 2 Tim 4:10, — both which last phrases signify to set the heart on earthly advantages and joys; τήν ψυχήν αὐτῶν, Rev 12:11; ζωήν, 1 Pet 3:10 (to derive pleasure from life, render it agreeable to himself); to welcome with desire, long for: τήν ἐπιφάνειαν αὐτοῦ, 2 Tim 4:8 (Wis. 1:1 Wis. 6:13; Sir. 4:12, etc.; so of a person: ἠγαπήθη, Wis. 4:10, cf. Grimm at the passage). Concerning the unique proof of love which Jesus gave the apostles by washing their feet, it is said ἠγάπησεν αὐτούς, Jn 13:1, cf. Lücke or Meyer at the passage (but others take ἀγαπήσας here more comprehensively, see Weiss's Meyer, Godet, Westcott, Keil). The combination ἀγάπην ἀγαπᾶν τινα occurs, when a relative intervenes, in Jn 17:26; Eph 2:4 (2 Sam 13:15 where τό μῖσος ὁ ἐμίσησεν αὐτήν is contrasted; cf. Gen 49:25 εὐλόγησε σε εὐλογίαν; Ps. Sal. Psalms of Solomon 17:35> (in manuscript Pseudepig. Vet. Test. edition Fabric. i., p. 966; Libri Apocr. etc., edition Fritzsche, p. 588) δόξαν ἥν ἐδόξασεν αὐτήν); cf. Winers Grammar, § 32, 2; (Buttmann, 148f (129)); Grimm on 1 Macc. 2:54. On the difference between ἀγαπάω and φιλέω, see φιλέω. Cf. ἀγάπη, 1 at the end