📖 Biblical Definition
Principal Old Testament Hebrew noun for love. 'Ahavah covers the full biblical range: God's covenant love for His people (Deuteronomy 7:7-8, The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people... But because the LORD loved you); the love commanded toward the LORD (Deuteronomy 6:5, And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might); the love commanded toward the neighbor (Leviticus 19:18, thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself); the love of husband for wife (Genesis 29:20, Jacob's seven years for Rachel seeming but a few days for the love he had to her); the love of friend for friend (1 Samuel 18:3, David and Jonathan); and the love celebrated in the Song of Songs (I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine, Song 6:3). The patriarchal-Reformed reader notes that 'ahavah in Scripture is consistently covenantal-loyal in shape, not sentimental-affective. The LORD's love is His electing-saving commitment to His people; the believer's love for the LORD is covenant-loyal devotion expressed in obedience (Deuteronomy 7:9, he is the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments); the husband's love for the wife is sacrificial-protective commitment (the OT shadow of Ephesians 5:25). 'Ahavah resists the modern reduction of love to mere feeling.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
Hebrew 'ahavah (H160), love; the principal OT noun, covering God's covenant love, love commanded toward Him, love of neighbor, conjugal love; consistently covenantal-loyal in shape.
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AHAVAH, Hebrew noun (H160; love) Principal Old Testament noun for love. Covers God's covenant love for His people (Deuteronomy 7:7-8); the love commanded toward the LORD (Deuteronomy 6:5); the love commanded toward neighbor (Leviticus 19:18); conjugal love (Genesis 29:20, Jacob and Rachel); friendship-love (1 Samuel 18:3, David and Jonathan); the love of the Song of Songs. Consistently covenantal-loyal in shape, not sentimental-affective. The LORD's 'ahavah is His electing-saving commitment; the believer's 'ahavah for the LORD is covenant-loyal devotion expressed in obedience (Deuteronomy 7:9).
📖 Key Scripture
Deuteronomy 6:5 — "And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might."
Deuteronomy 7:7-8 — "The LORD did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people... But because the LORD loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers."
Leviticus 19:18 — "Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD."
Song of Solomon 8:7 — "Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Modern Christian usage commonly reduces biblical 'ahavah to sentimental affection, losing its covenantal-loyal substance.
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The principal modern corruption of biblical love is its reduction from covenantal-loyal commitment to sentimental affective feeling. The 'ahavah the LORD requires of His people is the love that keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments (Deuteronomy 7:9); it is faithful, obedient, committed, sacrificial love. The contemporary evangelical mainstream often reduces this to a feeling of warm affection toward God, the church, and one's neighbor, severable from the question of obedience and commitment. The patriarchal-Reformed reader recovers the biblical substance: love is loyalty, commitment, sacrificial obedience — with feeling appropriately attending but not constituting it.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
H160; from aheb (H157, to love); OT principal noun for love; covenantal-loyal in shape.
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['Hebrew', 'H160', "'ahavah", 'love']
['Hebrew', 'H157', 'aheb', 'to love (verbal root)']
['Greek', 'G26', 'agape', 'the NT equivalent in covenantal-loyal sense']
Usage
"'Ahavah is the principal OT noun for love."
"Covenantal-loyal in shape; not reducible to sentimental affection."
"The LORD's love is electing-saving; the believer's love is obedient devotion."