H0160 H0160
Love, affection, devotion — as abstract noun or verbal infinitive expressing the act and attitude of loving.
Derived from the verb 'ahav (to love), this noun carries the full weight of love in the Hebrew Bible — from covenantal devotion between God and Israel to the fierce romantic passion of the Song of Songs. Spanish 'amor' and French 'amour' render it uniformly, but the German tradition sometimes shifts to 'der Liebe' (genitive) to capture the construct chains that reveal love's object: love of God, love of a friend, love of wisdom. The word appears most densely in Wisdom literature and the Song, where it is even personified as a force as strong as death (Song 8:6).
Senses
1. love (abstract noun) — The abstract emotion or disposition of love — covering covenant faithfulness (Deut 7:8), deep friendship (1 Sam 20:17; 2 Sam 1:26 'your love was more wonderful than the love of women'), romantic desire (Song 2:4-5; 8:6-7), and everyday human affection (Prov 10:12 'love covers all offenses'). Translations across languages converge on a single core term (amor, amour, Liebe), confirming this is one unified semantic field. Construct forms with pronominal suffixes (אַהֲבָתוֹ, אַהֲבָתִי) point to love as a relational quality belonging to someone. 33×
AR["أَهَبَه", "المَحَبَّةِ", "الْمَحَبَّةَ", "الْمَحَبَّةُ", "بِ-مَحَبَّتِهِ", "بِـ-مَحَبَّتِهِ", "فِي-مَحَبَّتِهِ", "مَحَبَّةً", "مَحَبَّةٍ", "مَحَبَّتي", "هَ-أَهَبَه", "يَا-مَحَبَّةُ"]·ben["-প্রেমকে", "-প্রেমে", "আমার-প্রেমের", "তাঁর-প্রেমে", "তার-ভালোবাসায়", "প্রেম", "প্রেম।", "ভালোবাসা", "ভালোবাসার", "হে-প্রেম"]·DE["Liebe", "[באהבתו]", "der-Liebe", "in-Liebe-sein", "mein-lieben"]·EN["in-His-love", "in-his-love", "in-love-his", "love", "my-love", "the-love"]·FR["[אהבה]", "[באהבתו]", "amour", "amour,", "amour.", "d'amour", "dans-aime-son", "l'amour", "l'amour,"]·heb["אהבה", "אהבתי", "ב-אהבת-ו", "ב-אהבתו", "ה-אהבה"]·HI["अपने-प्यअर-से", "अपने-प्रेम-में", "जैसे-मृत्यु", "प्रेम", "प्रेम-अपने-में", "प्रेम-को", "प्रेम-से", "मेरे-प्रेम-के"]·ID["-cinta", "cinta", "dalam-kasih-Nya", "dengan-cinta", "dengan-cintanya", "hai-cinta", "karena-cinta", "karena-cintanya", "kasih", "kasih-ku"]·IT["[אהבה]", "[באהבתו]", "amore", "il-amore", "in-amore-suo"]·jav["Ing-sih-katresnan-ipun", "ing-sihipun", "ing-tresna-nipun", "ing-tresnanipun", "katresnan", "katresnan-kula"]·KO["그-사랑-을", "그의-사랑으로", "그의-사랑으로-", "나-의-사랑-을", "사랑", "사랑-으로", "사랑-을", "사랑-이", "사랑-이라", "사랑-이여", "사랑을", "사랑의", "에-사랑-그의"]·PT["amor", "do-meu-amor", "em-amor-seu", "em-seu-amor", "o-amor", "por-seu-amor", "ó-amor"]·RU["в-любви-Своей", "любви", "любви-моей", "любовь", "любовь,", "любовь.", "любовью", "любовью-его", "от-любви", "по-любви-его"]·ES["amor", "amor!", "el-amor", "en-su-amor", "es-el-amor", "mi-amor", "por-amor-suyo"]·SW["katika-upendo-wake", "kwa-upendo", "kwa-upendo-wake", "ni-upendo", "upendo", "upendo-wangu", "wa-upendo"]·TR["aşk", "sevgi", "sevgimin", "sevginin", "sevgisinde", "sevgisinde-", "sevgisinden", "sevgiyi"]·urd["اپنی-محبت-سے", "اپنی-محبت-میں", "اپنی-محبّت-میں", "اے-محبوب", "محبت", "محبت-سے", "محبت-کو", "محبت-کی", "میری-محبت-کے", "پیار"]
Deut 7:8, 1 Sam 18:3, 1 Sam 20:17, 1 Sam 20:17, 2 Sam 1:26, 2 Sam 1:26, 2 Sam 13:15, Ps 109:4, Ps 109:5, Prov 5:19, Prov 10:12, Prov 15:17 (+21 more)
2. loving (verbal noun / infinitive) — The verbal-infinitive use expressing the act of loving, often governed by prepositions indicating purpose or cause — 'because of [His] loving' (2 Chr 2:11; 9:8), 'to love' as infinitive of purpose (1 Kgs 10:9; Hos 3:1). The Spanish rendering 'amándolos' (loving them) and French 'et-amour' preserve the verbal force, distinguishing this from the purely abstract noun. In Hos 3:1 God commands Hosea to love a woman 'as the LORD loves' — where the infinitive carries the weight of divine action, not just feeling. 7×
AR["أُحِبُّهُم", "بِ-مَحَبَّةِ", "بِـ-مَحَبَّةِ", "بِمَحَبَّةِ", "كَمَحَبَّةِ", "لِ-يُحِبَّ", "وَتُحِبَّ"]·ben["-প্রেমের-জন্য", "-ভালোবাসায়", "এবং-ভালোবাসা-", "তাদের-ভালোবাসতে", "প্রেমের-মতো-", "ভালোবাসতে", "ভালোবাসায়"]·DE["Liebe", "[באהבת]", "und-Liebe", "weil-von-Liebe-von", "zu-Liebe"]·EN["and-to-love", "as-love-of", "because-of-love-of", "in-love-of", "in-the-love-of", "loving-them", "to-love"]·FR["[באהבת]", "amour", "et-amour", "parce-que-de-aime-de", "à-aime"]·heb["אהבתם", "ב-אהבת", "בְּ-אַהֲבַת", "ו-אהבת", "כ-אהבת", "ל-אהבה"]·HI["और-प्रेम-करने", "प्रेम-उनसे", "प्रेम-करने", "प्रेम-जैसे", "प्रेम-में", "प्रेम-से", "में-प्रेम"]·ID["dan-mencintai", "karena-kasih", "mengasihi-mereka", "seperti-cinta", "untuk-mengasihi"]·IT["[אהבתם]", "[ואהבת]", "[כאהבת]", "a-amore", "amore", "perché-di-amore-di"]·jav["Wonten-ing-sih-", "kados-katresnaning", "kanggé-tresna", "lan-nresnani", "srana-katresnan", "tresna-piyambakipun"]·KO["-에-사랑으로", "그리고-사랑하는-것", "사랑하기를-그들을", "사랑하려고", "사랑하심-으로", "에-사랑", "처럼-사랑"]·PT["amá-eles", "como-amor-de", "misericórdia", "no-amor-de", "para-amar", "pelo-amor-de"]·RU["в-любви", "и-любить", "как-любовь", "любить-их", "чтобы-любить"]·ES["Por-el-amor-de", "amándolos", "como-amor-de", "para-amar", "por-amor-de", "y-amar"]·SW["kama-upendo-wa", "kupenda", "kwa-upendo", "kwa-upendo-wa", "na-kupenda", "upendo-wao"]·TR["-de-sevgiyle", "sevgisi-gibi", "sevgisinde", "sevgisiyle", "sevmek-için", "sevmeye-onları", "ve-sevmek"]·urd["اور-محبت-کرنا", "جیسے-محبت", "محبت-اُن-سے", "محبت-سے", "محبت-میں"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† אַהֲבָה n.f. love (= Inf. of אהב q.v.)—abs. א׳ Pr 10:12 + 18 times; cstr. אַהֲבַת Je 2:2 + 3 times; sf. אַהֲבָתִי ψ 109:4, 5; אַהֲבָֽתְךָ 2 S 1:26; אַהֲבָתוֹ Is 63:9 Zp 3:17; אַהֲבָתָהּ Pr 5:19; אַהֲבָתָם Ec 9:6—love, especially WisdLt & late. 1. human (to human obj.) abs. Ec 9:1, 6 (both ‖ שִׂנְאָה) so Pr 10:12; 15:17 cf. 27:5; v. also 17:9; of man toward man ψ 109:4, 5; love for one’s self…