Love in the Bible

What does it mean to love?

When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment in the Torah was, he famously responded by citing two verses that mention love. Indeed, love is the core idea underlying so many of the Bible’s teachings. But what does it mean to love in the Bible? Is it simply affection or strong friendship? To answer this question, we need to examine the word love in the original language of Scripture: Hebrew. 

Three Humble Hebrew Letters

The Hebrew word for love is ahav (אהב), comprised of three letters: AHB. The first letter aleph (א) means “chief” and the final letter bet (ב) means “house.” Together they spell AB אב, meaning “father.” Jesus called out to his heavenly father, saying abba – the Aramaic equivalent of ab. Holding these two letters together is the letter heh (ה), symbolizing the Spirit of God with its soft breathy sound. The full name of the Lord is YHWH (יהוה) – containing two Hs.

Discover the essence of God’s Word

The Hebrew word for love (AHB אהב) shows us that the essence of love is God. The first letter of John says, “God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them." (1 John 4:16). Hebrew teaches us that love is how God manifests Himself in the world. Enroll in our live online courses to read the Bible in Hebrew and get to the essence of God’s word.