Exposition of John XXI: 15-17 [pp. 514-516]

514 EXPOSITION OF JOHN. [July,
Art. VII.-ExpOSITION OF JOHN xxi: 15-17.
By Rev. SAMUEL HUTCHINGs, Orange, N. J.
THE reader of the English Bible fails to get the full force of
this passage, from the fact that in Greek two verbs are used,
which in our version are rendered by the one verb, love. Grotius and Tholuck think that the two are used indiscriminately.
But a brief examination will show that they are not entirely
synonymous, and that the sacred wnter, not without reason, used
the two.
Aya~a~ denotes a living care for an inPiii~cnt i'iPrest in
another on account of something in him which appears worthy
of regard. Thus, when it is said God so loved the world," and
"Christ loved the Church" (a'y~~~oo being used), the idea conveyed is, that there was in the divine mind a deep, compassion.
ate regard for the world and the church.
There is also a shade of reverence or honor often implied in
this verb, as when men are commanded to love God, and his
people are said to love him.
But cpzA~~ expresses more personal, equal love~that of
friends, and that between the sexes. Godet says, "Le terme
~yaffaY indique l'amour complet, profond, eternel, le mot
`pzA~iv designe le simple attachment personnel, l,inclination affecteuse." Liddell and Scott, in their lexicon, say that a'yaffa'Go
differs from <pzA~oo, "as implying affedion rather than passion,
and is rarely used of sexual love."
This distinction clearly appears in Luke xi: 3-5 The sisters
of Lazarus, knowing that Jesus had a strong personal affection
for their brother, sent to him, saying, "He whom thou lovest
(oi' (pzA~z~) is sick." But in verse 5, John, narrating the fact,
uses ~ya~c~w, saying, "Jesus 4yd~a Martha," changing the
word, doubtless from a sense of delicacy, since cp~Ai~, expressing the love subsisting between the sexes, would here be inap.
propriate. Again in the Book of Wisdom (viii: 2,3), the same
distinction is brought out. Personifying wisdom, the writer
says, "I loved (~~iA17~a) her, and sought to make her my
spouse; ye, the Lord of all himself loved (kya'~i~~~~) her."