The search for love can lead people into a lot of wrong places, unhealthy relationships, and even abusive situations. Which is especially sad since the truth is that we are already loved. We are, in fact, because of Jesus Christ, the beloved of God, the Creator of the Universe. How can understanding the meaning of beloved in the Bible help us to live loved? That is what we will explore here.
What Does 'Beloved' Mean in the Bible?
The meaning of ‘beloved’ in the Bible is much like the meaning we understand it to have today. One could say the primary theme of the Bible is love—God’s love for us, our love for Him, and our responsibility to love others. We are called by God to love Him, to love others, to love our brothers and sisters in the faith, and to love our neighbors.
This would imply that we love one another with the same measure of love, but we know from experience that there are people with whom we’re closer than others. It’s perhaps a little old-fashioned of a term, but people in committed romantic relationships or married people may refer to their partners or spouses as ‘beloved.’ When we have a particularly close friend, we may refer to them as beloved friends or dear hearts. In fact, Merriam-Webster defines ‘beloved’ as “dearly loved: dear to the heart.” We may use the term ‘beloved’ in reference to family members, public figures, mentors, teachers, or even items such as a beloved book or piece of jewelry.
John 3:16 ESV says, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” God loves us all, but there are some, most notably Jesus, to whom God refers to as ‘beloved.’ God’s love is the highest love and we are blessed to receive it from Him.
What Are the Hebrew and Greek Words for 'Beloved'?
The Old Testament, written in Hebrew, uses several different words that we translate as ‘beloved.’
First is yāḏîḏ (yed-eed'), Strong’s H3039, which means well-loved or one who is dearly loved. The ‘beloved’ in Psalm 60:5 and Isaiah 5:1 are both translated from yāḏîḏ.
Second is 'āhaḇ (aw-hav'), Strong’s H157, which has a broader range of definitions/translations and can mean human love or humans’ love toward God, or God’s love toward humans. Examples of beloved stemming from 'āhaḇ are found in Genesis 25:28 or Nehemiah 13:26.
A third word meaning beloved, uncle, or love is dôḏ (dode), Strong’s H1730, and examples of places it’s translated beloved are found throughout the Song of Songs or Song of Solomon, such as Song of Solomon 2:3 or Song of Solomon 6:3.
In the New Testament, written in Greek, the word most often translated ‘beloved’ is agapētos (ag-ap-ay-tos'), from which we get the word agape, Strong’s G27, and it means “beloved, esteemed, dear, favorite, worthy of love.” This is the term used in relationship to Jesus in verses such as Matthew 3:17 ESV, “and behold, a voice from heaven said, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.’”
The other New Testament word sometimes translated as ‘beloved,’ shares the same root word. Agapaō (ag-ap-ah'-o), Strong’s G25, is found in verses such as Colossians 3:12 ESV, “Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.”
Even with varying words of origin, the meaning of 'beloved' is one who is dearly loved.
Old Testament Uses of 'Beloved'
In the Old Testament, “beloved’ is often used by God to denote people (such as David or Solomon) or nations (in particular, the nation of Israel) on whom He bestowed particular favor. Deuteronomy 3:12 ESV says about Israel,
“Of Benjamin he said,
‘The beloved of the Lord dwells in safety.
The High God surrounds him all day long,
and dwells between his shoulders.’”
In Jeremiah 11:15-16 ESV when God was enumerating Israel’s sins, He still referred to the nation as ‘beloved.’ “What right has my beloved in my house, when she has done many vile deeds? Can even sacrificial flesh avert your doom? Can you then exult? The Lord once called you ‘a green olive tree, beautiful with good fruit.’ But with the roar of a great tempest he will set fire to it, and its branches will be consumed.” God’s love is steadfast and stems from His nature, not our actions.
“Beloved’ is used throughout the Song of Solomon in the context of the romantic relationship between this bridegroom king and his bride. Consider Song of Solomon 2:8 ESV, “The voice of my beloved! Behold, he comes, leaping over the mountains, bounding over the hills.” Or Song of Solomon 5:16 ESV, “His mouth is most sweet, and he is altogether desirable. This is my beloved and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.” Many scholars believe that Solomon wrote this as a prophetic allegory related to the Messiah’s love for His bride, the church.
New Testament Uses of 'Beloved'
Initially in the New Testament, we see the term ‘beloved’ used for Jesus during His baptism and His transfiguration, “And a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice came out of the cloud, “This is my beloved Son; listen to him” (Mark 9:7 ESV).
In the rest of the New Testament, ‘beloved’ is used in reference to individuals such as John (John 21:20), Paul and Barnabas (Acts 15:25), Epaenetus, Ampliatus, Urbanus, Stachys, and Persis (Romans 16), Timothy (1 Corinthians 4:17), Tychicus (Ephesians 6:21), Epaphras (Colossians 1:7), Onesimus (Colossians 4:9), Luke (Colossians 4:14), Philemon (Philemon 1:1), and Gaius in 3 John 1:1. It is beautiful and meaningful that the Holy Spirit included the names of these ‘beloved’ individuals in Scripture. It should remind us all that He knows us by name.
‘Beloved’ is also used as a frequent reference to all followers of Jesus such as in 1 Corinthians 4:14 ESV, “I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to admonish you as my beloved children.” Other examples are Ephesians 5:1 ESV, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children,” Philippians 2:12 ESV, “Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling,” and James 1:9 ESV, “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.”
Appropriately enough, the shift in use of ‘beloved’ from the Old to the New Testament is to initially focus this beloved status on Jesus and then expand it to individual followers and the entire church of believers saved through Jesus and sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
How Does the Term 'Beloved' Reveal God’s Love and Grace?
The followers of God in the Old Testament looked forward to the salvation He would provide in the coming Messiah. God loved them and they found themselves ‘beloved’ by God in specific circumstances.
His chosen people, the Israelites, were ‘beloved.” Acts 13:22 ESV identifies King David as “a man after my heart, who will do all my will.” Nehemiah 13:26 ESV designates David’s son, Solomon, as one who “was beloved by his God, and God made him king over all Israel.” We know that prior to the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, God gave His Spirit to individuals, but the Holy Spirit wasn’t available wholesale to God’s people then, so these unique relationships demonstrate a particular individual as having a special connection with God.
When Jesus came and ushered in the New Covenant (“This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood,” Luke 22:20 ESV), dying on the cross and rising again to life everlasting, those who follow Him became the redeemed, ‘beloved’ recipients of God’s love and grace.
We are now His chosen ones. We are now His ‘beloved’ sons and daughters. Paul wrote, “But we ought always to give thanks to God for you, brothers beloved by the Lord, because God chose you as the firstfruits to be saved, through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth” (2 Thessalonians 2:13 ESV). And John wrote, “Beloved, we are God's children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3:2 ESV).
Living as God’s Beloved Today – Encouragement and Practical Application
No matter what we have experienced in relationship with other humans, when we are in Christ, we live from the firm foundation of being loved, of being ‘beloved.’ As we meditate on this, internalize it as truth, and give thanks for this love without ceasing, we become freer and freer to love others.
Followers of Jesus can love without fear because we are already ‘beloved’ of God. We can risk loving others because we don’t need to be loved in return, secure in the love of God and beloved in the Body of Christ. Our service doesn’t need to stem from the motivation of earning love because we have been graced with love through God’s ‘beloved’ Son, Jesus.
Of course, it helps if we remind one another that we are God’s ‘beloved.’ We can follow the example of the apostles and continually reference one another as ‘beloved’ of God and treat one another as treasured, favored, and deeply loved by God.
As we continually remind ourselves that the people with whom we interact are cherished by the Living God, it will elevate our interactions. As we reflect daily on the truth that each of us is ‘beloved’ by the Living God, we will rise to our calling to live as ‘beloved’ children and conduct ourselves with all the grace and peace that comes with that secure foundation.
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