DOES GOD LOVE THE PEOPLE?
The notion of God loving people is widespread throughout the Bible. Most famously, it appears in John 3:16, which assures us that “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” But what exactly does this divine love consist of? The answer might very well be found in the original language of the Bible: Hebrew.
LOVE IN HEBREW
In Deuteronomy, we find a very odd commandment: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all of your soul and with all of your might” (Deut. 6:5). But wait. How can you force yourself to have a feeling? The biblical “love” in this verse is different from the “love” that we find in romance books and movies. The Hebrew word for love in this verse is ahav (אהב). This word does not refer to amorous love. The word ahav at its most basic level refers to fidelity. Loving God means being loyal to him alone.
STUDY THE ORIGINAL BIBLICAL WORD
The Hebrew teaches us in both of these verses that the Bible is not concerned with subjective inner feelings, but with objective outward actions. Do you yearn to be loyal to a loving God? If you are thirsty for the insider’s perspective into the Bible, now is the time to become active and enroll in a Biblical Hebrew class. Leave your details and an academic advisor will contact you shortly.
