Lover

LOVER luv'-er ('ohebh, 'ahebh):

In the Old Testament 'ohebh, from 'ahebh, "to love," is sometimes "lover" in the sense of "friend," in the older English sense of the word (1 Kings 5:1, "Hiram was ever a lover of David"; Psalms 38:11; 88:18; Lamentations 1:2); more frequently it has the meaning of "lover" in the special sense, sometimes in the evil sense of the word (Jeremiah 22:20,22; 30:14; Ezekiel 16:33,36, etc.; Hosea 2:5,7,10, etc.); `aghabh, "to love" (Jeremiah 4:30), rea`, "companion" (Jeremiah 3:1), and ahabhim, "loves" (Hosea 8:9), are also translated "lovers" in this sense.

In the New Testament the simple word "lover" does not occur, but we have various compound words, philotheos "lover of God" (2 Timothy 3:4); philagathos, "lover of good," and philoxenos, "lover of hospitality" (Titus 1:8); philautos, "lover of self" (2 Timothy 3:2); philedonos, "lover of pleasure" (2 Timothy 3:4).

In the Revised Version (British and American) we have, for "a lover of hospitality" (Titus 1:8), "given to"; for "covetous" (Luke 16:14; 2 Timothy 3:2), "lovers of money"; for "not covetous" (1 Timothy 3:3), "no lover of money"; for "despisers of them that are good" (2 Timothy 3:3), "no lovers of good."

W. L. Walker

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Bibliography Information

Orr, James, M.A., D.D. General Editor. "Entry for 'LOVER'".  "International Standard Bible Encyclopedia".  1915.