27 AGAPÉTOS

STRONGS NT 27: ἀγαπητός ἀγαπητός, (ῆ, (ἀγαπάω), beloved, esteemed, dear, favorite; (opposed to ἐχθρός, Romans 11:28): ὁ υἱός μου (τοῦ Θεοῦ) ὁ ἀγαπητός, of Jesus, the Messiah, Matthew 3:17 (here WH marginal reading take ὁ ἀγαπητός absolutely, connecting it with what follows); Matthew 12:18; Matthew 17:5; Mark 1:11; Mark 9:7; Luke 3:22; Luke 9:35 (where L marginal reading T Tr WH ὁ ἐκλελεγμένος); 2 Peter 1:17, cf. Mark 12:6; Luke 20:13; (cf. Ascensio Isa. (edited by Dillmann) Luke 7:23; Luke 8:18, 25, etc.). ἀγαπητοί Θεοῦ (Winers Grammar, 194 (182f); B. 190 (165)) is applied to Christians as being reconciled to God and judged by him to be worthy of eternal life: Romans 1:7, cf. Romans 11:28; 1 Thessalonians 1:4; Colossians 3:12 (the Sept., Psalm 59:7 (); Psalm 107:7 (); Psalm 126:2 (), ἀγαπητοί σου and αὐτοῦ, of pious Israelites). But Christians, bound together by mutual love, are ἀγαπητοί also to one another (Philemon 1:16; 1 Timothy 6:2); hence, they are dignified with this epithet very often in tender address, both indirect (Romans 16:5, 8; Colossians 4:14; Ephesians 6:21, etc.) and direct (Romans 12:19; 1 Corinthians 4:14; (Philemon 1:2, Rec.); Hebrews 6:9; James 1:16; 1 Peter 2:11; 2 Peter 3:1; (1 John 2:7 G L T Tr WH, etc.). Generally followed by the genitive; once by the dative ἀγαπαπητοί ἡμῖν, 1 Thessalonians 2:8 (yet cf. Winers Grammar, § 31, 2; B. 190 (163)). ἀγαπητός ἐν κυρίῳ beloved in the fellowship of Christ, equivalent to dear fellow-Christian, Romans 16:8. (Not used in the Fourth Gospel or the Book of Revelation. In classical Greek from Homer, Iliad 6, 401 on; cf. Cope on Aristotle, rhet. 1, 7, 41.)