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“Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.”
― Lao Tzu
(1)
INTRODUCTION
Love is an emotion and feeling we all wish and dream to experience. In general, 94% of people believe in genuine love even if they may not have experienced it. There are five love languages: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Physical Touch, Acts of Service, and Receiving Gifts. Several words in Hebrew express love, among them is also ahavah. It is rooted in the verb ahav, meaning ‘to love’ and depicts a love that calls us to take action.
FIVE LOVE LANGUAGES
Love. An emotion we all crave to feel and wish to express. They say that 94% of women and 88% of men believe in true love. It is also believed that men say “I Love You” before women do. In general, 94% of people believe in genuine love even if they may have not experienced it. (2)
There are eight types of love. They include:
Eros (passionate love)
Pragma (Enduring love)
Ludus (Playful love)
Agape (Universal love)
Philia (Deep friendship)
Philautia (Self-love),
Storge (Familial love)
Mania (Obsessive love) (2)
Also experts claim that there are five love languages:
Words of Affirmation,
Quality Time,
Physical Touch,
Acts of Service, and
Receiving Gifts. (3)
We all have a primary love language that predominates over others. (3)
HEBREW WORDS FOR LOVE
Hebrew is considered as a poetic language. A language of love and unity. There is no surprise then that several words can be found in Hebrew that express love in various degrees. Here are some of them:
Chav means love
Racham speaks of tender mercies
Dod, Dodi means beloved, especially in the context of a spousal love
Ra’a depicts brotherly love
Ahavah means love
Hesed describes steadfast love, mercy, lovingkindness, and goodness. (4, 5, 6)
AHAVAH AND ETYMOLOGY
The Hebrew word ahavah (אהבה) means "love" and covers a broad spectrum of concepts of love:
it is the love that a man has for a woman, such as in Genesis 29:20;
It is the love a woman has for a man, such as in Song of Song 3:5
It is the love shown by a man for another man, such as in 1 Samuel 20:17
It is also the kind of love that God is said to show for his people (7)
It comes from the verb ahev (אָהַב) and its roots hide a marvelous secret. One of the roots is hav, which means to offer or to give, the other root is ahav, which means to nurture or to devote completely to another as a lover would (see Proverbs 5: 19). (8)
GOD’S UNCONDITIONAL LOVE
Ahavah also describes God’s unconditional love for His people, a genuine feeling, an affection. It is one of the strongest feelings God experiences. In Deuteronomy, Moses told the Israelites: “God showed affection for you, He chose you … because of his ahavah for you.” (9)
It is not an earned-based love we are speaking of. It is a love that originates from God’s own character. He loves because he loves. This is why Jeremiah can say that God’s love is “everlasting”, for it has no end or beginning. God’s love just is, an eternal fact of the universe. (9)
It is not just a feeling it is an action. God chooses to love. (9)
LOVE IN ACTION
So the word ahavah describes a love that speaks of taking action. As God chooses to love us and takes action to show His love for us, so we are to love God back by taking action. I show my love for God by how I treat the people around me. So the people are to imitate God’s ahavah, by showing ahavah for others. (9)
In general as can be seen from the roots of the word, in Judaism love is heavily connected and rooted in giving and not just considered as an emotion, but rather an action (10)
It focuses on the strength of relationships. When we ahev, we profoundly love with the will, not with simple or fleeting romantic emotions. In other words, it is the commitment involved in making a relationship work. (8)
The best example is that of a husband and wife. Both are givers and receivers and if their relationship is properly nurtured it continues to grow steadily over time. (8) And God loves His people in such a way.
CONCLUSION
Love is a feeling we all yearn for. In Hebrew, several words depict love, the most common among them is ahavah. It means "love" and covers a broad spectrum of concepts of love. Among them also the love God has for His people. An everlasting love, that is not duty-driven. God is love. The word ahavah comes from the verb ahev (אָהַב) and its roots hide a marvelous secret. One of the roots is hav, which means to offer or to give, the other root is ahav, which means to nurture or to devote completely to another. In Judaism, love is considered more than just an emotion. It is considered as an action of free will. A choice we make to work on our relationship.
Application
Choose to intentionally show ahavah love to God this upcoming week at least once. Let Him speak to you how you can do so.
SOURCES
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Valentine Okoronkwo. 70 Exciting Love Statistics And Facts (True Love, Intimacy, Marriage, Dating & Relationships). Passive Secrets, February 9 2024. Available at https://passivesecrets.com/love-statistics/
Gary Chapman. The Five Love Languages: The Secret to Love That Lasts. Available at https://www.amazon.com/Love-Languages-Secret-that-Lasts/dp/080241270X
Ruchama Benhamou. Hebrew: The Language of Love and Unity. The Yeshiva University Observer; October 12, 2023. Available at https://yuobserver.org/2023/10/hebrew-the-language-of-love-and-unity/
Chaim Bentorah. Hebrew Word Study: Revealing the Heart of God. Hardcover – June 21, 2016. Available at https://shorturl.at/iiayL
Ester Wieja. Hebrew Word for Love: 4 Biblical & Modern Words to Know. Fellowship of Israel-related Ministries. December 27, 2023. Available at https://firmisrael.org/learn/hebrew-word-for-love-4-biblical-and-modern-hebrew-words-to-know/
Robert R. Cargill, PhD. RTL Words: ʾAHAV (Hebrew: אהב). Bible & Archaeology (University of Iowa). Thursday, February 16, 2023. Available at https://bam.sites.uiowa.edu/RTL/ahav
The Messianic Prophecy Bible Project. The Life-Changing Hebrew Roots of Love. Available at https://messianicbible.com/feature/life-changing-hebrew-roots-love/
Bible Project. Word Studies: Ahavah / Love. Jul 20, 2017. Available at https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/ahavah-love/
Mendel Kalmenson and Zalman Abraham. Love: Ahavah (אַהֲבָה). Chabad.org. Available at https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/5783136/jewish/Love-Ahavah.htm
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