Greek · Divine Love · Self-giving
ἀγάπη
agape
Often translated as: Love
Not merely affection or romance, but self-giving, faithful, intentional love.
Translation range
love · charity · devoted care
Beneath the translation
Distinct from eros (desire) and philia (friendship). Agape is love as decision and action — love that moves toward the other regardless of return.
Why this matters
It reframes love as a posture of the will, not only a current of the heart.
Reflection
What if love is less about feeling and more about giving?
For contemplation
English collapses four Greek words into one — love. Agape is the love that decides. It does not wait for warmth to arrive; it moves toward the other anyway. It is closer to a covenant than a feeling.
Questions to sit with
- 01
Whom do you love by decision, even when feeling is absent?
- 02
If love is action more than emotion, where does that change how you live this week?
- 03
What does it mean to be loved by a love that does not depend on you?
Related words