Word Picture for Love
Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
1. Love Starts With God
Love must be received before it can be expressed.
Biblical love does not start with human effort; it is not self-generated—it starts with God.
1 John 4:9–11 (APNT):
9 By this the love of God toward us is known, because God sent his unique Son into the world that we would have life by him.
10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but [that] he loved us and sent his Son [as] a payment for our sins.
11 My beloved [ones], if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
We must receive God’s love first, and then we can give it out.
Galatians 5:14 (APNT):
For the whole law is fulfilled in one word, in this: You should love your neighbor as yourself.
You can’t love your neighbor if you don’t love yourself. But this is not self-love, like “I’m so great.” It’s more about receiving (accepting) God’s love for you. This is not a one-time thing; it is something that God gives us every day.
We’ll look at three different word pictures for “love” in Hebrew and Aramaic.
1. Love means cherishing.
2. Love provides and brings rest.
3. Love guards us.
The first word picture for love in Aramaic is khav, from which we get the noun for love.
The Aramaic word for love in Galatians 5:22 is khuba (#699). It derives from the root verb khav (#696), meaning to kindle (as a fire), be dear, love, cherish. “The original idea is found in breathing upon, warming, cherishing.” (AHLB).
When you kindle a fire, you first blow on it gently.
When we talk about “word pictures,” we’re talking about how each letter means something. The two letters for love are:
The first character (reading right to left) is a picture of a wall. The second one is a picture of a tent or house.
Quoting Jeff Benner:
The walls of the house enclose the home as a refuge for the family. A refuge functions as a place of hiding from any undesirable person or situation. Other meanings for this parent root include: bosom, a place where one is hidden in the arms and cherished.
God is love; He is the fence that surrounds our beautiful family. God is the fence, and the wall around us, and we are cherished within that protection.
The following is from AHLB with Jeff Benner’s definitions:
The Hebrew verb is khabab [related to the Aramaic khav]. It thus means to hold close to the bosom, to cherish.
This word is used only one time in the Old Testament, in Deuteronomy 33:3 where Moses blesses the children of Israel before his death.
Deuteronomy 33:3 (KJV):
(KJV) Yea, he [God] loved [khabab] the people; all his saints are in thy hand: and they sat down at thy feet; every one shall receive of thy words.
(NLT) Indeed, he [God] loves [khabab] his people; all his holy ones are in his hands. They follow in his steps and accept his teaching.
The picture is of God holding the saints close to his bosom and cherishing them.
And when we love one another, we are called to do the same:
- to comfort
- to encourage
- to create space for healing
2. Love Provides and Brings Rest
The word picture of love in Hebrew is spelled AHAV and means the strong one revealed to the family or looking to the house. It’s a provision for whatever is needed at the time.
Zephaniah 3:17:
(ESV) The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.
(NET) The Lord your God is in your midst; he is a warrior who can deliver. He takes great delight in you; he renews you by his love; he shouts for joy over you.”
Love creates safety.
Love brings rest.
Love makes room for peace.
Ephesians 5:2 (ESV):
And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
Love gives itself for the good of the family. Love is an action.
Illustration: The Child in the Storm
Imagine a small child caught in a sudden storm.
The wind is loud.
The rain is stinging.
Everything feels overwhelming.
The child isn’t thinking about theology.
The child isn’t asking questions about process.
The child just runs.
And when that child reaches their parent, the parent doesn’t stand there and say,
“Explain what happened.”
The parent doesn’t say,
“Calm down first and then I’ll hold you.”
No—the parent opens their arms, pulls the child in close, turns their own body into a shield, and says,
“I’ve got you. You’re safe now.”
The storm may still be raging,
but the child is quieted—not because the storm stopped,
but because love took over.
That is the picture Scripture gives us when it says,
“He will quiet you by his love.” (Zephaniah 3:17)
And that is the picture of how we are called to love one another.
When someone is caught in a storm—
failure, grief, fear, sin, confusion—
our role is not to interrogate first,
or correct first,
or explain first.
Our role is to open our arms,
draw them close,
and say,
“You’re safe here. You’re not alone.”
3. Love Protects and Guards
Psalm 17:8 (ESV):
Keep me as the apple [pupil] of your eye; hide me in the shadow of your wings,
Love guards.
Love shields.
Love covers.
Picture of focusing the eye on someone, and the eyelids, eyelashes, and eyebrows protecting the pupil of the eye.
And under the protection of his wings
4. Conclusion: Love One Another
Love that is:
- cherishing
- providing
- protecting
Not because we are strong—but because He loved us first.
Let us receive His love afresh,
and then love one another the same way.
Love guards and protects. It “stands in the gap” for people.
Think this week about being in the middle of God’s refuge, surrounded by His loving care.
See Also:
Scripture References
Scripture quotations marked (APNT) taken from the Aramaic Peshitta New Testament Translation: With explanatory footnotes marking variant readings, customs and figures of speech, Copyright © 2006 by Janet M. Magiera, Light of the Word Ministry, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission. (www.lightofword.org)
Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188, USA. All rights reserved.
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