Tender Family Love: φιλόστοργος (Strong’s G5387: philostorgos) Reveals Divine Affection

Strong’s G5387: A compound adjective combining φίλος (loving) and στοργή (natural family affection), philostorgos describes the instinctive, tender love between family members. In Romans 12:10, it elevates this natural affection to characterize the deep, familial love that should exist between believers in God’s family.

U- Unveiling the Word

Philostorgos represents a unique blend of natural family affection (storge) with the conscious, choice-driven love (philos). This compound word captures the instinctive tenderness found in close family relationships while emphasizing the deliberate cultivation of such affection within the church community. The early church understood this term as describing the supernatural transformation of natural family bonds into spiritual ones, where believers demonstrate the same instinctive care and devotion to their spiritual siblings as they would to blood relatives. Today, this word continues to challenge our understanding of church fellowship, reminding us that our connections in the Messiah’s body should mirror the deepest, most natural family bonds.

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N – Necessary Information

• Greek Word: φιλόστοργος, philostorgos, /fil-OS-tor-gos/
• Detailed pronunciation: fee-LO-store-gos (stress on second syllable)
• Part of Speech: Adjective

Etymology:

• φίλος (philos) – prefix meaning “loving, fond of”
• στοργή (storge) – root word meaning “natural family affection”
• -ος (-os) – adjectival suffix indicating the quality or characteristic

D – Defining Meanings

• Natural family affection
• Tender loving-kindness
• Devoted familial love

For compound words:

• φίλος (philos) contributes the sense of active, chosen love
• στοργή (storge) provides the foundation of instinctive family affection
• -ος (-os) makes it an attributive quality

Translation Options:

• “tenderly affectionate” – captures both the emotional warmth and active expression
• “showing family devotion” – emphasizes the familial aspect
• “warmly devoted” – reflects both the emotional and volitional aspects

E – Exploring Similar Words

• φιλαδελφία (philadelphia) /fil-a-del-FEE-a/ – brotherly love, specifically between believers See G5360
• φιλόξενος (philoxenos) /fil-OK-sen-os/ – hospitable, loving strangers See G5382
• ἀγάπη (agape) /a-GA-pay/ – divine, unconditional love See G26

R – Reviewing the Word’s Morphology

• Case: Nominative/Accusative
• Number: Singular/Plural forms available
• Gender: Masculine/Feminine/Neuter forms
• Declension: Second declension

This adjective follows standard second-declension patterns:

• Masculine: φιλόστοργος (singular), φιλόστοργοι (plural)
• Feminine: φιλόστοργη (singular), φιλόστοργαι (plural)
• Neuter: φιλόστοργον (singular), φιλόστοργα (plural)

S – Studying Lexicon Insights

The major lexicons consistently emphasize the unique blend of natural and chosen love in philostorgos. BDAG highlights its use in describing both family relationships and the church community. Thayer’s emphasizes the tender aspect of this love, while LSJ provides extensive examples from classical literature showing its evolution. Vine’s notes that it’s the only New Testament occurrence of storge-based love, making it particularly significant. Moulton and Milligan document its use in papyri, showing how it described both family affection and loyalty in business relationships. Strong’s connects it to the broader family of phil- words, while LEH provides valuable insights from Septuagint usage in describing both human and divine love.

T – Tracing the Scriptures

First Appearance:
Romans 12:10 “Be kindly [philostorgos] affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another”

Additional References:
As a hapax legomenon, it appears only in Romans 12:10.

A – Analyzing Classical Usage

N – Noteworthy Summary

Philostorgos represents the beautiful intersection of natural family affection and chosen love, revealing how the Messiah transforms our relationships within His body. This word shows us that church fellowship should mirror the closest family bonds, characterized by instinctive care and deliberate devotion. It proclaims the good news by demonstrating how the Gospel creates a new family in the Messiah, where believers share the same tender affection as natural relatives. This supernatural love testifies to the world about the transformative power of God’s Spirit in creating authentic community.

D – Did You Know?

• Philostorgos is a hapax legomenon (appears only once) in the New Testament
• The word was commonly used in ancient epitaphs to describe ideal family relationships
• Ancient Roman philosophers often used this term to describe the divine design in nature’s familial bonds

Strong’s G5387: A compound adjective combining φίλος (loving) and στοργή (natural family affection), philostorgos describes the instinctive, tender love between family members. In Romans 12:10, it elevates this natural affection to characterize the deep, familial love that should exist between believers in God’s family.

Part of speech: Adjective

Tags: family love, brotherly affection, church community, familial bonds, Christian relationships, natural affection, tender love, spiritual family, body of Messiah, community life​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​