אַהֲבָה
𐤀𐤄𐤁𐤄
ʼahăbâh
H160 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Affection, attachment, or love; denotes deep emotional connection such as love between individuals (romantic, familial, or social), as well as the devotion or loyalty directed toward God, objects, or ideals. The term encompasses desire, pleasure, and a willful inclination toward someone or something, expressing both human and divine love in various contexts.
Semantic Range
affection, love (romantic, familial, or platonic), loyalty, devotion, desire, delight, attachment
Root / Etymology
From the Semitic root אהב (ʼ-h-b), meaning 'to love, have affection for.' The noun is a feminine derivative of the verb, and its root carries the fundamental notion of emotional attachment or affectionate inclination. The root is common in Northwest Semitic languages.
Historical & Contextual Notes
אַהֲבָה occurs in a range of biblical texts, from the earliest narrative literature to post-exilic writings. In narrative contexts, it denotes emotional bonds—such as between parents and children (Genesis 22:2, Deuteronomy 21:15-17), between companions (1 Samuel 18:1), romantic attachment (Song of Songs), and love between a deity and people (Deuteronomy 7:8; Hosea 11:4). It can describe both human-to-human and human-to-deity relationships, sometimes with covenantal or loyal connotations. In wisdom literature, it is often contrasted with hatred. Over time, especially in post-exilic and Second Temple periods, its use to describe devotion to God or the Torah becomes more pronounced. The term does not inherently distinguish between sexual, platonic, or familial love—rather, the context specifies the nuance. Later English translations may narrowly render it as 'love,' though the ancient sense is broader and contextually flexible.
Translation Consistency
ʼAhavah denotes affection, attachment, and devotion across familial, romantic, social, and divine relationships. "Love" is the natural, common English equivalent (used in the majority of P2 renderings), captures both emotional and loyal/ devotional senses, and will give consistent, idiomatic translations better than the more clinical "affection."
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
feminine of אַהַב and meaning the same; {affection (in a good or a bad sense)}; love.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.
Root Family
אהב (ʼâhab) — to love, to have affection, to desire
Word Forms
16 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H160-01 |
אַהֲבָ֣ה | ahavah | HNcfsa |
love | affectionate love | affectionate love | 11 |
H160-09 |
בְּ/אַהֲבָת֥/וֹ | beahavato | HR/Ncfsc/Sp3ms |
because of his love | in his love | in his love | 4 |
H160-10 |
הָ/אַהֲבָ֖ה | haahavah | HTd/Ncfsa |
love | the love | the love | 4 |
H160-07 |
בְּ/אַהֲבַ֨ת | beahavat | HR/Vqc |
because of the love of | in love of | in love of | 3 |
H160-02 |
אַהֲבַ֥ת | ahavat | HNcfsc |
love | love-of | love-of | 2 |
H160-03 |
אַהֲבָתָ֧/ם | ahavatam | HNcfsc/Sp3mp |
love them | to love them | to love them | 2 |
H160-05 |
אַהֲבָתִ֥/י | ahavati | HNcfsc/Sp1cs |
my love | my love | my love | 2 |
H160-13 |
מֵ/אַהֲבָ֖ה | meahavah | HR/Ncfsa |
than love | from love | than love | 2 |
H160-14 |
מֵ/אַהֲבַ֖ת | meahavat | HR/Ncfsc |
love-of | from loving | from loving | 2 |
H160-16 |
וְ/אַהֲבַ֤ת | veahavat | HC/Ncfsc |
and love | and love-of | and love-of | 2 |
Occurrences in Scripture
40 occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | SIBI-P2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H160-14 |
Deuteronomy 7:8 | מֵֽ/אַהֲבַ֨ת | meahavat | HR/Vqc |
love-of | from loving | from loving |
H160-09 |
1 Samuel 18:3 | בְּ/אַהֲבָת֥/וֹ | beahavato | HR/Ncfsc/Sp3ms |
because of his love | in his love | in his love |
H160-09 |
1 Samuel 20:17 | בְּ/אַהֲבָת֖/וֹ | beahavato | HR/Ncfsc/Sp3ms |
because of his love | in his love | in his love |
H160-02 |
1 Samuel 20:17 | אַהֲבַ֥ת | ahavat | HNcfsc |
love | love-of | love-of |
H160-04 |
2 Samuel 1:26 | אַהֲבָֽתְ/ךָ֙ | ahavatekha | HNcfsc/Sp2ms |
your love | your love | your love |
H160-14 |
2 Samuel 1:26 | מֵ/אַהֲבַ֖ת | meahavat | HR/Ncfsc |
than the love | from loving | than the love |
H160-13 |
2 Samuel 13:15 | מֵ/אַהֲבָ֖ה | meahavah | HR/Ncfsa |
than love | from love | than love |
H160-07 |
1 Kings 10:9 | בְּ/אַהֲבַ֨ת | beahavat | HR/Vqc |
Because of the love of | in love of | in love of |
H160-12 |
1 Kings 11:2 | לְ/אַהֲבָֽה | leahavah | HR/Vqc |
in love | to love | for love |
H160-09 |
Isaiah 63:9 | בְּ/אַהֲבָת֥/וֹ | beahavato | HR/Ncfsc/Sp3ms |
in his love | in his love | in his love |
H160-02 |
Jeremiah 2:2 | אַהֲבַ֖ת | ahavat | HNcfsc |
love | love-of | love-of |
H160-01 |
Jeremiah 2:33 | אַהֲבָ֑ה | ahavah | HNcfsa |
love | affectionate love | affectionate love |
H160-16 |
Jeremiah 31:3 | וְ/אַהֲבַ֤ת | veahavat | HC/Ncfsc |
and love | and love-of | and love-of |
H160-11 |
Hosea 3:1 | כְּ/אַהֲבַ֤ת | keahavat | HR/Vqc |
as the love of | as love of | as the love of |
H160-03 |
Hosea 9:15 | אַהֲבָתָ֔/ם | ahavatam | HVqc/Sp3mp |
love them | to love them | to love them |
H160-01 |
Hosea 11:4 | אַהֲבָ֔ה | ahavah | HNcfsa |
love | affectionate love | affectionate love |
H160-16 |
Micah 6:8 | וְ/אַ֣הֲבַת | veahavat | HC/Ncfsc |
to love | and love-of | and love-of |
H160-09 |
Zephaniah 3:17 | בְּ/אַ֣הֲבָת֔/וֹ | beahavato | HR/Ncfsc/Sp3ms |
in his love | in his love | in his love |
H160-05 |
Psalms 109:4 | אַהֲבָתִ֥/י | ahavati | HNcfsc/Sp1cs |
my love | my love | my love |
H160-05 |
Psalms 109:5 | אַהֲבָתִֽ/י | ahavati | HNcfsc/Sp1cs |
my love | my love | my love |
H160-08 |
Proverbs 5:19 | בְּ֝/אַהֲבָתָ֗/הּ | beahavatah | HR/Ncfsc/Sp3fs |
with her love | in her love | in her love |
H160-01 |
Proverbs 10:12 | אַהֲבָֽה | ahavah | HNcfsa |
love | affectionate love | affectionate love |
H160-15 |
Proverbs 15:17 | וְ/אַהֲבָה | veahavah | HC/Ncfsa |
and love | and affection | and love |
H160-01 |
Proverbs 17:9 | אַהֲבָ֑ה | ahavah | HNcfsa |
love | affectionate love | affectionate love |
H160-13 |
Proverbs 27:5 | מֵֽ/אַהֲבָ֥ה | meahavah | HR/Ncfsa |
than love | from love | than love |
H160-01 |
Song of Songs 2:4 | אַהֲבָֽה | ahavah | HNcfsa |
love | affectionate love | affectionate love |
H160-01 |
Song of Songs 2:5 | אַהֲבָ֖ה | ahavah | HNcfsa |
of love | affectionate love | affectionate love |
H160-10 |
Song of Songs 2:7 | הָ/אַהֲבָ֖ה | haahavah | HTd/Ncfsa |
love | the love | the love |
H160-10 |
Song of Songs 3:5 | הָ/אַהֲבָ֖ה | haahavah | HTd/Ncfsa |
love | the love | the love |
H160-01 |
Song of Songs 3:10 | אַהֲבָ֔ה | ahavah | HNcfsa |
with love | affectionate love | affectionate love |
H160-01 |
Song of Songs 5:8 | אַהֲבָ֖ה | ahavah | HNcfsa |
of love | affectionate love | affectionate love |
H160-01 |
Song of Songs 7:7 | אַהֲבָ֖ה | ahavah | HNcfsa |
love | affectionate love | affectionate love |
H160-10 |
Song of Songs 8:4 | הָ/אַהֲבָ֖ה | haahavah | HTd/Ncfsa |
love | the love | the love |
H160-01 |
Song of Songs 8:6 | אַהֲבָ֔ה | ahavah | HNcfsa |
love | affectionate love | affectionate love |
H160-10 |
Song of Songs 8:7 | הָֽ/אַהֲבָ֔ה | haahavah | HTd/Ncfsa |
the love | the love | the love |
H160-06 |
Song of Songs 8:7 | בָּ/אַהֲבָ֔ה | baahavah | HRd/Ncfsa |
for love | in love | in love |
H160-01 |
Ecclesiastes 9:1 | אַהֲבָ֣ה | ahavah | HNcfsa |
affectionate love | affectionate love | |
H160-03 |
Ecclesiastes 9:6 | אַהֲבָתָ֧/ם | ahavatam | HNcfsc/Sp3mp |
their love | to love them | their love |
H160-07 |
2 Chronicles 2:10 | בְּ/אַהֲבַ֤ת | beahavat | HR/Ncfsc |
because of the love of | in love of | in love of |
H160-07 |
2 Chronicles 9:8 | בְּ/אַהֲבַ֨ת | beahavat | HR/Vqc |
because of the love of | in love of | in love of |