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G865 · Greek · New Testament
ἀφιλάγαθος
Aphilagathos
Adjective
Not loving good, devoid of goodness

Definition

The Greek compound adjective aphilagathos combines the negative particle a-, philos (loving), and agathos (good), meaning "not loving what is good" or "without love for good." It appears only once in the New Testament (2 Timothy 3:3), in Paul's catalogue of vices characterizing people in the "last days."

Usage & Theological Significance

Paul's vice list in 2 Timothy 3:1–5 reads as a diagnosis of cultural and moral collapse. Aphilagathos — "not loving the good" — may be the most fundamental of all these vices, since all virtue flows from loving what is truly good. When people stop loving what is genuinely good (God, truth, neighbor), all other virtues erode. Augustine identified this as the root of sin: disordered loves. Salvation is the reordering of love — learning to love God first, and all things rightly ordered to Him.

Key Bible Verses

2 Timothy 3:3 without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good.
2 Timothy 3:1 But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.
2 Timothy 3:5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.
Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.
Romans 12:9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.

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