φιλοῦσιν
philéō
they love
To feel affection for, to regard with personal attachment, or to express fondness toward someone or something. In various contexts, it denotes feelings of friendship, emotional warmth, or affection, as distinct from formal or principled love. The verb can also refer to the physical act of greeting or showing affection by kissing, especially on the cheek or hand, as an outward sign of welcome or fondness. Depending on the surrounding context, it expresses nuances from simple liking, friendship, to more intimate affection, without necessarily implying deep or sacrificial love.
Matthew 6:5 · Word #10
Lexicon G5368
| Lemma | φιλέω |
| Transliteration | philéō |
| Strong's | G5368 |
| Definition | To feel affection for, to regard with personal attachment, or to express fondness toward someone or something. In various contexts, it denotes feelings of friendship, emotional warmth, or affection, as distinct from formal or principled love. The verb can also refer to the physical act of greeting or showing affection by kissing, especially on the cheek or hand, as an outward sign of welcome or fondness. Depending on the surrounding context, it expresses nuances from simple liking, friendship, to more intimate affection, without necessarily implying deep or sacrificial love. |
Morphology V PRS ACT IND 3P PL
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | V — Verb — An action or state of being |
| Tense | PRS — Present — Ongoing or repeated 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 | PL — Plural — More than one |
Common Translation
| Phrase | they love |
| Literal | they-love |
Lexical Info
| Lemma | φιλέω |
| Strong's | G5368 |
SIBI-P1 Translation G5368-12
they are fond of
| Morphological Notes | Verb; present tense (ongoing action), active voice, indicative mood, third person plural — "they are/will be doing." |
| Rendering Rationale | The present active indicative, third person plural denotes an ongoing action performed by “they.” "Are fond of" reflects the root idea of personal affection or warm attachment expressed by φιλ- rather than principled or covenantal love. |
View full lexicon entry for G5368 →
SILEX v2
SIBI-P2 (Context-Aware)
they are fond of
| Same as P1 | Yes |
| Rationale | 'they are fond of' accurately reflects the nuance of φιλῶσιν in this context per SILEX. |