ἐφίλει
ephilei
loved
from φίλος; to be a friend to (fond of (an individual or an object)), i.e. have affection for (denoting personal attachment, as a matter of sentiment or feeling; while ἀγαπάω is wider, embracing especially the judgment and the deliberate assent of the will as a matter of principle, duty and propriety: the two thus stand related very much as θέλω and βούλομαι, or as θυμός and νοῦς respectively; the former being chiefly of the heart and the latter of the head); specially, to kiss (as a mark of tenderness):--kiss, love.
John 20:2 · Word #14
Lexicon G5368
| Lemma | φιλέω |
| Transliteration | philéō |
| Strong's | G5368 |
| In-context | loved |
| Literal | was-loving |
Morphology V IMPF ACT IND 3P SG
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | V — Verb — An action or state of being |
| Tense | IMPF — Imperfect — Continuous or repeated past action |
| Voice | ACT — Active — The subject performs the action |
| Mood | IND — Indicative — States a fact or reality |
| Person | 3P — 3rd person — The one spoken about ("he/she/it/they") |
| Number | SG — Singular — One |
Lexical Info
| Lemma | φιλέω |
| Strong's | G5368 |
SIBI-P1 G5368-01
he/she was holding (someone) in fond affection
| Morphological Notes | Verb; imperfect tense (past ongoing), active voice, indicative mood, 3rd person singular. The form ἐφίλει indicates continuous or habitual affectionate love in past time. |
| Rendering Rationale | The verb φιλέω denotes personal affection and warm attachment, the love of friendship or tender feeling. The imperfect active indicative (3rd singular) expresses ongoing or repeated action in past time, hence "was holding in fond affection," preserving both the sentimental nuance of the root and the continuous past aspect. |
View full lexicon entry for G5368 →
AI-generated (openai/gpt-5.2-chat-latest)
Words from Root φιλέω (to love with affection, to cherish as a friend, to hold dear, to show tender attachment, to kiss)
| SILEX Code | Transliteration | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
G5368-02 |
pephilekate | you have held-in-affection (as friends) |
G5368-03 |
philei | he/she is holding-affection-for |
G5368-07 |
philo | I am affectionately-loving / I may be affectionately-loving |
Word Usage (25 occurrences of G5368)
| Location | Form | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matthew 6:5 | φιλοῦσιν | philousin | |
| Matthew 10:37 | φιλῶν | philon | |
| Matthew 10:37 | φιλῶν | philon-2 |