This compound adjective appears in Paul's instruction to older women teaching younger wives. Classical Greek usage included darker meanings (mannish habits, lewdness), but the New Testament sense is unambiguous: genuine affection and devotion toward one's husband. Titus 2:4 situates it alongside φιλότεκνος (loving children) in household instruction, suggesting that marital love, like all virtues, can be cultivated and taught. The multilingual evidence (Spanish 'amantes-de-esposos,' German 'den-Mann-liebend') preserves the compound's directness: this is not mere duty but warm, chosen affection.