Bible Encyclopedias
Lover

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

luv´ẽr ( אהב , 'ōhēbh , אהב , 'āhēbh ): In the Old Testament 'ōhēbh , from 'āhēbh , "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"; Psalm 38:11; Psalm 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 , Jeremiah 22:22; Jeremiah 30:14; Ezekiel 16:33 , Ezekiel 16:36 f, etc.; Hosea 2:5 , Hosea 2:7 , Hosea 2:10 , etc.); ‛āghabh , "to love" (Jeremiah 4:30 ), rēa' , "companion" (Jeremiah 3:1 ), and 'ăhābhı̄m , "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, philótheos "lover of God" ( 2 Timothy 3:4 ); philágathos , "lover of good," and philóxenos , "lover of hospitality" (Titus 1:8 ); phı́lautos , "lover of self" (2 Timothy 3:2 ); philḗdonos , "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."