"brotherly love; in NT love of the Christian brotherhood, Rom. 12:10; 1 Thess. 4:9; Heb. 13:1; 1 Pet. 1:22; 2 Pet. 1:7*"
Definition and meaning
brotherly love; in NT love of the Christian brotherhood, Rom. 12:10; 1 Thess. 4:9; Heb. 13:1; 1 Pet. 1:22; 2 Pet. 1:7*
In the original Greek the word is written: φιλαδελφία
Historical context
Paul wrote Romans from Corinth, one of the most important commercial cities in the empire. Rome had a Jewish population of around 50,000. The letter addresses real tensions between Jewish believers with centuries of Torah tradition and Gentile believers with no such background. Emperor Nero was on the throne. Within ten years he would execute both Paul and Peter.
The people who first heard this word were not reading a book — they were living through empires, oppression, exile, and covenant. Every word carried the weight of that reality. Understanding it changes how you read Scripture.
Scripture references
These are the most notable occurrences of philadelphia (G5360) across the King James Bible.
Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honour preferring one another;
But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another.
Let brotherly love continue.
Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
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Common questions
Strong's G5360 (philadelphia) is a Greek word that means: brotherly love; in NT love of the Christian brotherhood, Rom. 12:10; 1 Thess. 4:9; Heb. 13:1; 1 Pet. 1:22; 2 Pet. 1:7* It appears 5 times in the King James Bible.
The word philadelphia (G5360) appears 5 times in the original Greek text.
Strong's G5360 is philadelphia, a Greek word defined as: brotherly love; in NT love of the Christian brotherhood, Rom. 12:10; 1 Thess. 4:9; Heb. 13:1; 1 Pet. 1:22; 2 Pet. 1:7*. James Strong catalogued this in his 1890 concordance to help English readers study the original languages of the Bible.
philadelphia is a Greek word found in the New Testament.