ahava · love

What it means

ahava (אַהֲבָה) is a Hebrew word of the Bible that means “love”.

The affection that joins one person to another; also the love of YHWH for his people.

How to say it

Approximate pronunciation. Vowels sound as in Spanish (a as in father, e as in bed, i as in machine, o as in note, u as in rule); the syllable in bold is stressed. The voice is your device's.

Its senses in the Bible

1. Love between people, or YHWH's love for his people.

From Brown-Driver-Briggs (1906)

How it is translated

The words this translation uses for it, most frequent first.

• love ×39
• he loved ×1

Related words

Words of the same family, by Strong’s numbering.

Where it appears

• Deuteronomy×1
• 1 Samuel×3
• 2 Samuel×3
• 1 Kings×2
• 2 Chronicles×2
• Psalms×2
• Proverbs×5
• Ecclesiastes×2
• Song of Songs×11
• Isaiah×1
• Jeremiah×3
• Hosea×3
• Micah×1
• Zephaniah×1

• Deuteronomy 7:8

  but because of YHWH’s love for you, and because he kept the oath that he swore to your fathers, YHWH brought you out with a strong hand and ransomed you from the house of slaves, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

• 1 Samuel 18:3

  Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul.

• 1 Samuel 20:17

  And Jonathan again made David swear by his love for him, for he loved him with the love of his soul.

• 2 Samuel 1:26

  I am in distress over you, my brother Jonathan; you were very pleasant to me; your love to me was more wonderful than the love of women.

• 2 Samuel 13:15

  Then Amnon hated her with a very great hatred, for the hatred with which he hated her was greater than the love with which he had loved her. Amnon said to her, “Get up, go.”

• 1 Kings 10:9

  May YHWH your Elohim be blessed, who took pleasure in you to set you on the throne of Israel; through the love of YHWH for Israel forever, he has set you as king, to do justice and righteousness.”

• 1 Kings 11:2

  from the nations of which YHWH had said to the sons of Israel, “You shall not go in among them, and they shall not go in among you; surely they will incline your heart after their gods.” To them Solomon clung in love.

• 2 Chronicles 2:11

  Huram, king of Tyre, said in writing, and sent it to Solomon: “Because of the love of YHWH for his people he has made you king over them.”

• 2 Chronicles 9:8

  Blessed be YHWH your Elohim, who delighted in you to set you on his throne as king for YHWH your Elohim! Because of the love of your Elohim for Israel, to keep it firm forever, he has set you over them as king, to do justice and righteousness.”

• Psalms 109:4

  In return for my love they accuse me; but I, prayer.

• Psalms 109:5

  And they have laid on me evil in return for good, and hatred in return for my love.

• Proverbs 5:19

  a loving doe and a graceful mountain goat; let her breasts satisfy you at all times; in her love may you be lost always.

• Proverbs 10:12

  Hatred stirs up quarrels, but all transgressions love covers.

• Proverbs 15:17

  Better is a ration of vegetables where there is love than a fattened ox and hatred with it.

• Proverbs 17:9

  Whoever covers a transgression seeks love, but whoever repeats a matter separates close friends.

• Proverbs 27:5

  Better is open reproof than hidden love.

• Ecclesiastes 9:1

  For all this I laid to my heart, even to make clear all this: that the righteous and the wise and their works are in the hand of Elohim; whether love or hate, the human being does not know; all is before them.

• Ecclesiastes 9:6

  Both their love and their hatred and their envy have already perished, and they have no longer a portion forever in all that is done under the sun.

• Song of Songs 2:4

  He brought me to the house of wine, and his banner over me was love.

• Song of Songs 2:5

  Sustain me with raisin cakes, refresh me with apples, for I am sick with love.

• Song of Songs 2:7

  I make you swear, daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or by the does of the field, that you not awaken nor arouse love until it pleases.

• Song of Songs 3:5

  I make you swear, daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or by the does of the field, that you not awaken nor arouse love until it pleases.

• Song of Songs 3:10

  Its pillars he made of silver, its back of gold, its seat of purple, its interior embroidered with love by the daughters of Jerusalem.

• Song of Songs 5:8

  I make you swear, daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved, what will you tell him? That I am sick with love.

• Song of Songs 7:6

  How beautiful you are, and how pleasant, love, among delights!

• Song of Songs 8:4

  I make you swear, daughters of Jerusalem, why would you awaken and why arouse love until it pleases?

• Song of Songs 8:6

  Set me as a seal on your heart, as a seal on your arm, for strong as death is love, hard as Sheol is jealousy; its flames are flames of fire, a flame of Yah.

• Song of Songs 8:7

  Many waters cannot quench love, nor can rivers flood it; if a man gave all the wealth of his house for love, with contempt they would despise him.

• Isaiah 63:9

  In all their distress there was distress to him, and the angel of his face saved them; in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

• Jeremiah 2:2

  “Go and proclaim in the ears of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says YHWH: I remember for you the loyal love of your youth, the love of your betrothal, when you walked after me in the wilderness, in a land not sown.

• Jeremiah 2:33

  How well you direct your way to seek love! Therefore even the evil women you have taught your ways.

• Jeremiah 31:3

  From afar YHWH appeared to me: “With an eternal love I have loved you; therefore I have drawn you with loyal love.

• Hosea 3:1

  And YHWH said to me: Go again, love a woman loved by a companion and an adulteress, like the love of YHWH for the children of Israel, though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes.

• Hosea 9:15

  All their evil is in Gilgal; for there I came to hate them; because of the evil of their deeds I will drive them out of my house; I will no longer love them; all their princes are rebels.

• Hosea 11:4

  With cords of humankind I drew them, with ropes of love; and I was to them like those who lift the yoke from their jaws; and I bent down to him and fed him.

• Micah 6:8

  He has announced to you, human being, what is good; and what does YHWH seek from you but to do justice, and to love loyal love, and to walk humbly with your Elohim?

• Zephaniah 3:17

  YHWH your Elohim is in your midst, the mighty one who saves; he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will be silent in his love, he will exult over you with shouts of joy.”

And 3 more times.