ἀγαπᾷ
agapáō
loves
To value, cherish, or have deep regard for; to demonstrate loyal concern or commitment to another's wellbeing. In general usage, ἀγαπάω indicates a deliberate, active kind of love, often characterized by goodwill, preference, or esteem, rather than affection or emotion alone. In some contexts, especially in Hellenistic and Koine Greek literature, it denotes a love marked by choice or action as opposed to spontaneous feeling. The word can refer to love within relationships (familial, friendly, marital), to respect for the divine, or to concern for others more broadly.
John 14:23 · Word #8
Lexicon G25
| Lemma | ἀγαπάω |
| Transliteration | agapáō |
| Strong's | G25 |
| Definition | To value, cherish, or have deep regard for; to demonstrate loyal concern or commitment to another's wellbeing. In general usage, ἀγαπάω indicates a deliberate, active kind of love, often characterized by goodwill, preference, or esteem, rather than affection or emotion alone. In some contexts, especially in Hellenistic and Koine Greek literature, it denotes a love marked by choice or action as opposed to spontaneous feeling. The word can refer to love within relationships (familial, friendly, marital), to respect for the divine, or to concern for others more broadly. |
Morphology V PRS ACT SUBJ 3P SG
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | V — Verb — An action or state of being |
| Tense | PRS — Present — Ongoing or repeated action |
| Voice | ACT — Active — The subject performs the action |
| Mood | SUBJ — Subjunctive — Expresses possibility or purpose |
| Person | 3P — 3rd person — The one spoken about ("he/she/it/they") |
| Number | SG — Singular — One |
Common Translation
| Phrase | loves |
| Literal | loves |
Lexical Info
| Lemma | ἀγαπάω |
| Strong's | G25 |
SIBI-P1 Translation G25-01
he/she values
| Morphological Notes | Verb; present tense (ongoing action), active voice, indicative mood, third person singular. |
| Rendering Rationale | "Values" captures the deliberate, esteem-based and choice-driven nature of ἀγαπάω as active regard or loyal concern rather than mere emotion. The present active indicative, third person singular, is reflected in the simple present form "he/she values," indicating ongoing action by one subject. |
View full lexicon entry for G25 →
SILEX v2
SIBI-P2 (Context-Aware)
loves
| Same as P1 | No — adjusted for context |
| Rationale | Changed from 'he/she values' to 'loves' because the context is about loyalty and deep regard, and 'loves' is the most accepted English equivalent in this context (and matches SILEX priority for this word in the context of personal relationships with Iesous). |