Friendship Unveiled: φιλία (Strong’s G5373: philia) The Divine Bond Broken

Strong’s G5373: A deep, affectionate love between friends, distinct from romantic love (eros) or sacrificial love (agape). In Biblical usage, it often carries negative connotations of worldly friendship that competes with loyalty to God, particularly in James where it describes harmful attachment to worldly values.

U- Unveiling the Word

Philia represents one of the four classical Greek words for love, specifically denoting friendship or brotherly affection. In Biblical context, particularly in James 4:4, it takes on a more complex meaning. While philia generally represents positive bonds of friendship in classical Greek, James uses it to highlight the dangerous allure of worldly attachments that can compromise our relationship with God. This usage transforms our understanding from mere friendship to a profound theological statement about exclusive devotion to the Messiah. The early church recognized this tension between godly and worldly attachments, emphasizing that our primary philia should be directed toward God and fellow believers, not toward worldly systems opposing His kingdom.

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N – Necessary Information

• Greek Word: φιλία, philia, fee-LEE-ah
• Pronunciation Guide: fee (as in “fee”) + LEE (as in “lee”) + ah (as in “ah”)
• Part of Speech: Noun

Etymology:

• Root: φίλ- (phil-) meaning “love, affection”
• Suffix: -ία (-ia) forming abstract nouns denoting a state or condition
• Related to φίλος (philos) meaning “friend, beloved”

D – Defining Meanings

• Friendship, affectionate love
• Brotherhood, close relationship
• Mutual fondness or attraction

For compound words:
Not applicable as φιλία is a simple noun formed with a common abstract noun suffix

Translation Options:

• “Friendship” – Most common translation capturing the basic relationship
• “Affection” – Emphasizes the emotional aspect
• “Close association” – Highlights the relational bonds formed

E – Exploring Similar Words

• φιλέω (phileo, fee-LEH-oh) – The verbal form expressing friendly love See G5368
• φίλος (philos, FEE-los) – The noun meaning “friend” See G5384
• φιλάδελφος (philadelphos, fee-LA-del-fos) – Brotherly love See G5361

R – Reviewing the Word’s Morphology

As a feminine noun of the first declension, φιλία follows these patterns:

• Nominative Singular: φιλία
• Genitive Singular: φιλίας
• Dative Singular: φιλίᾳ
• Accusative Singular: φιλίαν

The word maintains regular first declension patterns, with the accent remaining on the iota throughout its forms.

Cross-references:

• Verbal form: φιλέω
• Adjectival form: φίλιος

S – Studying Lexicon Insights

The major lexicons provide rich insight into φιλία’s semantic range. BDAG emphasizes its usage as affectionate friendship, while Thayer’s highlights its classical Greek heritage as one of the four types of love. LSJ provides extensive classical references showing its evolution from Homer through the Hellenistic period. Vine’s emphasizes the word’s specific usage in James as worldly friendship. Moulton and Milligan’s papyrological evidence shows its common usage in everyday relationships in the Koine period. Strong’s connects it to the broader phil- word group, while LEH provides valuable Septuagint context for understanding its Jewish Hellenistic usage.

T – Tracing the Scriptures

First Appearance:
You adulterous people! Do you not know that [friendship] {φιλία} with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. James 4:4

Additional References:
This is the only occurrence of φιλία in the New Testament.

A – Analyzing Classical Usage

N – Noteworthy Summary

The significance of φιλία in James 4:4 presents a striking contrast to its generally positive usage in classical Greek. While Greeks celebrated friendship as a virtue, James warns that friendship with the world constitutes spiritual adultery against God. This powerful metaphor underscores the exclusivity of our relationship with the Messiah. The good news is that when we break our φιλία with the world, we gain an infinitely better friendship with God Himself, who calls us no longer servants but friends through the reconciling work of His Son Jesus.

D – Did You Know?

1. Φιλία appears only once in the New Testament but over 25 times in the Septuagint
2. Many English words beginning with “phil-” derive from this word family
3. Ancient Greeks considered φιλία superior to eros in terms of stable relationships

Strong’s G5373: A deep, affectionate love between friends, distinct from romantic love (eros) or sacrificial love (agape). In Biblical usage, it often carries negative connotations of worldly friendship that competes with loyalty to God, particularly in James where it describes harmful attachment to worldly values.

Part of speech: Noun

Tags: friendship, love, relationship, worldliness, James, Greek love words, friendship with world, spiritual adultery, loyalty to God, Biblical friendship​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​