What the Bible Says About Love
In the King James Bible, 1 Corinthians 13 doesn't say love. It says charity, nine times in thirteen verses. The Greek word behind each one is agapē, the same noun the KJV translates love in "Greater love hath no man" (John 15:13) and "God is love" (1 John 4:8).
"Love" appears 310 times in the King James Bible, 131 in the Old Testament and 179 in the New. "Charity" appears 28 times, all in the New Testament. Below are passages on love, each quoted word for word with its reference. Short notes give the Hebrew and Greek words behind the English. One table lists every verse where the King James text says charity, and another near the end counts the Hebrew and Greek words most often behind love.
Charity suffereth long (1 Corinthians 13)
This chapter is in a letter that opens "Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ" and is addressed "Unto the church of God which is at Corinth" (1 Corinthians 1:1 and 2).
1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing. 3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing. 4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; 7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. 8 Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. 9 For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away. 11 When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. 12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. 13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. (1 Corinthians 13:1-13)
"Charity" is agapē all nine times. Strong's Concordance defines it as "love, i.e. affection or benevolence."
"Is kind" in verse 4 is chrēsteuomai, and "vaunteth" is perpereuomai. Neither appears anywhere else in the New Testament. Strong's defines the first as "to show oneself useful, i.e. act benevolently" and the second as "to boast."
"Beareth" in verse 7 is stegō, which Strong's defines as "to roof over, i.e. (figuratively) to cover with silence (endure patiently)." It appears three more times in the New Testament, as "suffer all things" in 1 Corinthians 9:12 and "could no longer forbear" in 1 Thessalonians 3:1 and 5.
In "through a glass, darkly" in verse 12, "glass" is esoptron, "a mirror (for looking into)" in Strong's. Its only other appearance is James 1:23, where a man beholds "his natural face in a glass." "Darkly" is ainigma, which appears only here. Strong's defines it as "an obscure saying ('enigma'), i.e. (abstractly) obscureness."
Every place the KJV says charity
"Charity" appears 28 times in the King James Bible, in 24 verses. Twelve are in 1 Corinthians, nine of them in chapter 13. In every one the Greek word is agapē.
In the Textus Receptus agapē appears 116 times. The KJV renders it love 86 times and charity 28 times. The other two are "charitably" in Romans 14:15 and "dear" in "his dear Son" (Colossians 1:13).
| Reference | King James wording |
|---|---|
| 1 Corinthians 8:1 | Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth |
| 1 Corinthians 13:1, 2, 3, 4, 8 and 13 | nine times, in the chapter quoted above |
| 1 Corinthians 14:1 | Follow after charity |
| 1 Corinthians 16:14 | Let all your things be done with charity |
| Colossians 3:14 | And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness |
| 1 Thessalonians 3:6 | good tidings of your faith and charity |
| 2 Thessalonians 1:3 | the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth |
| 1 Timothy 1:5 | the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart |
| 1 Timothy 2:15 | if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety |
| 1 Timothy 4:12 | in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity |
| 2 Timothy 2:22 | follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace |
| 2 Timothy 3:10 | faith, longsuffering, charity, patience |
| Titus 2:2 | sound in faith, in charity, in patience |
| 1 Peter 4:8 (twice) | have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins |
| 1 Peter 5:14 | Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity |
| 2 Peter 1:7 | and to brotherly kindness charity |
| 3 John 1:6 | Which have borne witness of thy charity before the church |
| Jude 1:12 | These are spots in your feasts of charity |
| Revelation 2:19 | I know thy works, and charity, and service |
God is love (1 John 4:7 to 11, 16 and 19)
7 Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. 8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. 9 In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. 10 Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another. (1 John 4:7-11)
And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. (1 John 4:16)
We love him, because he first loved us. (1 John 4:19)
"God is love" appears twice in the King James Bible, in verses 8 and 16. Both times "love" is agapē.
From verse 7 to verse 21 the KJV says love, loved or loveth 27 times. Every one is agapē or the verb agapaō, which Strong's defines as "to love (in a social or moral sense)." Verse 18 is on the fear page.
For God so loved the world (John 3:16)
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
"Loved" is agapaō. Strong's derives the noun agapē from it.
Love one another (John 13:34 and 35, and 15:12 and 13)
34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. (John 13:34-35)
12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. 13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. (John 15:12-13)
The words "love one another" come 13 times in the KJV, in 12 verses. Besides John 13:34, where they come twice, and John 15:12, they're in John 15:17, Romans 13:8, 1 Thessalonians 4:9, 1 Peter 1:22, 1 John 3:11, 3:23, 4:7, 4:11 and 4:12, and 2 John 1:5.
"Greater love" in John 15:13 is agapē.
Lovest thou me? (John 21:15 to 17)
15 So when they had dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my lambs. 16 He saith to him again the second time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. 17 He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep. (John 21:15-17)
The KJV renders two Greek verbs as love here. In the first two questions the verb is agapaō, and in the third it's phileō. All three of Peter's answers use phileō.
Phileō appears 25 times in the New Testament. The KJV renders it love, loved, loveth or lovest 22 times and kiss three times, in Matthew 26:48, Mark 14:44 and Luke 22:47.
Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself (Leviticus 19:18 and Matthew 22:37 to 40)
Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself: I am the LORD. (Leviticus 19:18)
37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. (Matthew 22:37-40)
"Love" in Leviticus 19:18 is ahav, which Strong's defines as "to have affection for (sexually or otherwise)." "Neighbour" is rea, "an associate (more or less close)." In Matthew 22:37 and 39 "love" is agapaō.
"Thy neighbour as thyself" stands in eight verses of the KJV. They're Leviticus 19:18, Matthew 19:19 and 22:39, Mark 12:31, Luke 10:27, Romans 13:9, Galatians 5:14 and James 2:8. Mark 12:33 has "his neighbour as himself."
Mark 12:30, Mark's wording of the first commandment, is on the strength page with Deuteronomy 6:5.
Love your enemies (Luke 6:27, 28 and 35)
27 But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, 28 Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. (Luke 6:27-28)
But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. (Luke 6:35)
"Love your enemies" comes twice in the KJV, in Luke 6:27 and Matthew 5:44. In Luke 6:27 and 35 "love" is agapaō. "Despitefully use" is epēreazō, which Strong's defines as "to insult, slander."
Love is the fulfilling of the law (Romans 13:8 to 10)
8 Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law. 9 For this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 10 Love worketh no ill to his neighbour: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law. (Romans 13:8-10)
In verses 8 and 9 "love" is the verb agapaō. In verse 10 it's the noun agapē.
Neither death, nor life (Romans 8:38 and 39)
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, 39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)
Verse 35 begins "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?" In verses 35 and 39 "love" is agapē.
In Proverbs (10:12, 15:17 and 17:17)
Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins. (Proverbs 10:12)
Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith. (Proverbs 15:17)
A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. (Proverbs 17:17)
"Love" in Proverbs 10:12 and 15:17 is ahavah, which Strong's traces back to ahav. "Loveth" in 17:17 is ahav.
Many waters cannot quench love (Song of Solomon 8:6 and 7)
6 Set me as a seal upon thine heart, as a seal upon thine arm: for love is strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave: the coals thereof are coals of fire, which hath a most vehement flame. 7 Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned. (Song of Solomon 8:6-7)
"Love" in both verses is ahavah, the noun in Proverbs 10:12 and 15:17 above.
Elsewhere in the Song of Solomon the KJV's "my love" is most often ra'yah, which Strong's defines as "a female associate." It's "my love" nine times in the book. The other three times the book says "my love," in "that ye stir not up, nor awake my love" (2:7, 3:5 and 8:4), the word is ahavah.
I have loved thee with an everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3)
The LORD hath appeared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee. (Jeremiah 31:3)
"Loved" is ahav, "love" is ahavah and "lovingkindness" is chesed. Strong's gives the sense of chesed first as "kindness."
"Lovingkindness" appears 30 times in the KJV, in 29 verses, all in the Old Testament. Chesed stands behind every one. The KJV renders chesed as mercy more often than as any other word.
- Psalms 17:7, 25:6, 26:3, 36:7, 36:10, 40:10, 40:11, 42:8, 48:9, 51:1, 63:3, 69:16, 88:11, 89:33, 89:49, 92:2, 103:4, 107:43, 119:88, 119:149, 119:159, 138:2, 143:8
- Isaiah 63:7 (twice)
- Jeremiah 9:24, 16:5, 31:3, 32:18
- Hosea 2:19
Psalm 25:6, Psalm 89:49 and Isaiah 63:7 have the plural, lovingkindnesses.
The words behind love
Outside the psalm headings, the KJV says love, loved, loveth, lovest, lovedst, loving, loves or love's 493 times. Counted by their Strong's numbers, these eight Hebrew and Greek words stand behind 474 of them. Other words stand behind 18 more, none more than three times. In Mark 12:38 the KJV supplies one "love" in italics.
| Word | Language | Strong's number | Times behind love | One place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ahav | Hebrew | H157 | 170 | Leviticus 19:18 |
| ahavah | Hebrew | H160 | 40 | Song of Solomon 8:7 |
| ra'yah | Hebrew | H7474 | 9 | Song of Solomon 2:10 |
| dod | Hebrew | H1730 | 8 | Song of Solomon 1:2 |
| agapaō | Greek | G25 | 135 | John 3:16 |
| agapē | Greek | G26 | 86 | 1 John 4:8 |
| phileō | Greek | G5368 | 22 | John 21:17 |
| philadelphia | Greek | G5360 | 4 | Hebrews 13:1 |
Fear, worry, grief and strength
Fear, worry, grief and strength have pages of their own. They're What the Bible Says About Fear, What the Bible Says About Worry, What the Bible Says About Grief and What the Bible Says About Strength. 1 John 4:18 is quoted on the fear page, and Mark 12:30 and Deuteronomy 6:5 on the strength page.
How this page was made
Every verse is quoted from the 1769 standard text of the King James Version and checked word for word against two more digital copies. The printed KJV sets supplied words in italics, which this page doesn't show. Verse numbers follow the KJV. Hebrew Bibles count some psalm headings as verses, so 12 of the psalm verses listed here are numbered one higher there, and Psalm 51:1 is 51:3.
Hebrew words were identified with the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible. Greek words were identified with STEPBible's tagged Greek New Testament. The counts of the words behind love come from the Strong's numbers in the CrossWire Bible Society's KJV, each checked against the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible or STEPBible's Greek. Greek counts follow the Textus Receptus as STEPBible gives it. Apart from 1 Corinthians 13:4, where Westcott and Hort's edition has agapē twice rather than three times, every Greek word the notes cite in a quoted verse stands in all eight Greek editions STEPBible compares. STEPBible is a Tyndale House Cambridge project, and its Greek lexicon draws on Abbott-Smith's. STEPBible's data and the Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible are both shared under CC BY 4.0. The definitions come from Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (1890). If you find a mistake, tell us through the support page.
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