אָהֵב ahav

Hebrew word for “to love” · Strong’s H157 · used 211 times in 197 verses

Explore it in the Word Atlas

Meaning

: lover; 1) to love; 1a) (Qal);

Senses in the lexicon

• to love: lover (198)
• to love: friend (13)

How it is translated

Glosses given for ahav in context, with how often each is used:

• love 48
• loved 32
• loving 20
• those who love 20
• lovers 17
• loves 14
• one who loves 11
• will love 9
• have loved 9
• friends 7
• whom it loves 5
• friend 3

Where it is used

Also in 16 more books.

Chapters where it is used most

Psalms 119 (12), 1 Samuel 18 (5), Hosea 2 (5), Deuteronomy 10 (4), Song of Solomon 3 (4), Genesis 27 (3), Genesis 29 (3), Deuteronomy 11 (3), Deuteronomy 30 (3), 2 Samuel 13 (3)

Forms

• אהב 40
• אהבתי 16
• אהבת 10
• אהבו 10
• לאהבה 10
• ויאהב 9
• אהבי 9
• מאהביך 6
• ואהבת 5
• שׁאהבה 5

Words used with it

Words that share verses with ahav more often than their overall frequency would suggest:

• שָׂנֵא sane “to hate” 25
• נֶפֶשׁ nephesh “soul” 25
• שָׁמַר shamar “to keep” 19
• מִצְוָה mitsvah “commandment” 14
• הָלַךְ halakh “to go” 20
• ךָּ ka “you” 15
• אִשָּׁה ishshah “woman” 15
• רֵעַ rea “neighbor” 10
• מִשְׁפָּט mishpat “justice” 12
• כֵּן ken “so” 14
• חֶסֶד chesed “kindness” 10
• אָב av “father” 14

Key verses

The verses using ahav that are most connected by cross-references (King James Version):

• Deuteronomy 10:12 — And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy…
• 2 Chronicles 19:2 — And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the LORD?…
• Psalms 45:7 — Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
• Proverbs 1:22 — How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?
• Song of Solomon 1:4 — Draw me, we will run after thee: the king hath brought me into his chambers: we will be glad and rejoice in thee, we will remember thy love more than wine: the…
• Isaiah 1:23 — Thy princes are rebellious, and companions of thieves: every one loveth gifts, and followeth after rewards: they judge not the fatherless, neither doth the…
• Isaiah 41:8 — But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.
• Isaiah 56:10 — His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all dumb dogs, they cannot bark; sleeping, lying down, loving to slumber.
• Jeremiah 5:31 — The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests bear rule by their means; and my people love to have it so: and what will ye do in the end thereof?
• Hosea 2:13 — And I will visit upon her the days of Baalim, wherein she burned incense to them, and she decked herself with her earrings and her jewels, and she went after…
• Amos 5:15 — Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.
• Micah 6:8 — He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?

See all 197 verses in the Word Atlas

Hebrew and Greek text, tagging, glosses and lexicon definitions: STEPBible.org, Tyndale House Cambridge (TAHOT, TAGNT, TBESH, TBESG; CC BY 4.0), adapted. Counts follow King James verse numbering; a word counts each time it is written.