Understanding ἀφιλάγαθος (aphilagathos) Strong’s G865: Exploring the Dangers of Those Who Despise Goodness in the Last Days

Pronunciation Guide: ah-fil-AG-ah-thos

Basic Definition

Strong’s G865: The Greek term ἀφιλάγαθος describes individuals who are “hostile to goodness” or “despisers of good things.” It combines the negative prefix “α-” (without) with “φιλάγαθος” (lover of good), creating a term that literally means “not loving what is good.” This rare word appears only once in the New Testament and characterizes those who, in the last days, actively oppose virtuous people and reject righteous principles.

Etymology and Morphology

• Part of Speech: Adjective
• Root Components:
• “α-” (alpha privative) – negative prefix meaning “not” or “without”
• “φίλος” (philos) – friend, lover
• “ἀγαθός” (agathos) – good, virtuous, beneficial
• Language Origin: Koine Greek
• Primary Usage: Descriptive term in ethical teaching contexts
• Formation: Compound adjective

ἀφιλάγαθος Morphology:

• ἀφιλάγαθος (nominative singular masculine) – one who despises goodness (subject)
• ἀφιλάγαθον (accusative singular masculine) – one who despises goodness (direct object)
• ἀφιλάγαθοι (nominative plural masculine) – ones who despise goodness (plural subject)
• ἀφιλαγάθους (accusative plural masculine) – ones who despise goodness (plural direct object)

Origin & History

The term ἀφιλάγαθος is relatively rare in ancient Greek literature. While the positive form φιλάγαθος (“lover of good”) appears in Aristotle’s ethical writings and was considered a virtue among Greek philosophers, the negated form with the alpha privative prefix is much less common outside biblical literature.

In the broader Hellenistic world, particularly within Stoic philosophy, being φιλάγαθος (a lover of good) was considered essential to virtuous character. Philosophers like Epictetus emphasized that the truly wise person loves and pursues what is genuinely good. The Septuagint uses the positive form φιλάγαθος in Wisdom of Solomon 7:22 to describe wisdom itself. The appearance of the negated form ἀφιλάγαθος in 2 Timothy 3:3 seems deliberately chosen to highlight how those in the last days would stand in direct opposition to classical and Jewish-Hellenistic ideals of moral character.

Expanded Definitions & Translation Options

• One who actively opposes or hates what is good and virtuous
• A person hostile to those of good character
• Someone who rejects moral excellence and ethical standards
• An individual who disdains beneficial principles and practices

ἀφιλάγαθος Translation Options:

• Despisers of good – Emphasizes the active rejection of what is good, capturing the intensity of the opposition
• Hostile to virtue – Highlights the antagonistic attitude toward moral excellence
• Not lovers of the good – A more literal rendering that preserves the connection to the positive virtue of loving goodness
• Enemies of goodness – Conveys the oppositional stance toward goodness in general
• Those who hate what is right – Expresses the attitude in more accessible modern language

Biblical Usage

The term ἀφιλάγαθος appears only once in the New Testament, in 2 Timothy 3:3, where Paul provides a sobering list of character traits that will mark people in the “last days.” The surrounding context describes a time of moral and spiritual degradation when people will be “lovers of themselves” rather than lovers of God. Within this catalog of vices, ἀφιλάγαθος stands out as particularly significant because it represents not merely moral weakness but active opposition to goodness itself.

This singular usage makes the term all the more striking. While Paul could have simply included “not good” (οὐκ ἀγαθός) in his list, he chose instead this compound term that suggests a deliberate rejection of goodness. The word appears in a cluster with other terms describing interpersonal destructiveness—”unloving,” “irreconcilable,” “slanderous”—indicating that this hostility toward goodness manifests particularly in how one treats others.

• “For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good [ἀφιλάγαθοι].” 2 Timothy 3:3

Cultural Insights

In the Greco-Roman world, to be φιλάγαθος (a lover of good) was considered an essential characteristic of a true citizen and leader. The philosopher Plutarch, in his “Lives,” frequently praises noble Romans and Greeks for being “lovers of what is good.” The Jewish historian Josephus similarly used the term to describe honorable rulers who benefited their subjects.

Within this cultural framework, Paul’s use of ἀφιλάγαθος would have carried significant weight for Timothy and other readers familiar with Hellenistic ethical discourse. To be labeled a “despiser of good” was not merely an accusation of occasional moral failure but a fundamental character indictment suggesting a person was unfit for leadership or even basic citizenship. In Jewish communities, which strongly emphasized the pursuit of goodness as defined by Torah, such a description would have been particularly damning, suggesting someone had rejected the very foundation of ethical living.

The term also connects to the Jewish concept of the yetzer ha-tov (יֵצֶר הַטּוֹב) or “good inclination,” versus the yetzer ha-ra (יֵצֶר הָרַע) or “evil inclination.” In rabbinic understanding, every person possesses both inclinations, but those who despise goodness have essentially embraced their evil inclination while rejecting the good. This cultural perspective helps explain why Paul includes this characteristic in his description of the perilous times of the last days—it represents not merely moral weakness but a fundamental orientation away from God’s created order.

Theological Significance

The appearance of ἀφιλάγαθος in Paul’s description of the last days reveals something profound about the nature of spiritual rebellion. At its core, the rejection of God involves not merely indifference to goodness but active hostility toward it. This insight illuminates the progression of sin in human hearts—what begins as neglect of virtue can develop into outright enmity toward the good.

This term also highlights an important aspect of God’s character by contrast. If the ungodly are characterized as “despisers of good,” then God Himself must be understood as the ultimate φιλάγαθος—the lover and source of all goodness. As James 1:17 affirms, “Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights.” The Messiah Yeshua embodied this divine love of goodness perfectly, “going about doing good” (Acts 10:38).

Theologically, the presence of those who despise goodness serves as a sharp reminder of what Yeshua taught about the kingdom of God existing in tension with the kingdom of darkness. Those who hate what is good align themselves—whether consciously or not—with the adversary who is described as opposing everything that reflects God’s character. The stark contrast between loving goodness and despising it thus reflects the cosmic conflict that underlies human history and will reach its climax in the last days.

Personal Application

The confronting nature of the term ἀφιλάγαθος invites us to examine our own hearts: Do we genuinely love what is good? Our initial reaction might be to distance ourselves from such a harsh description, yet honest reflection may reveal subtle ways we sometimes resist goodness—perhaps when it demands sacrifice, challenges our comfort, or exposes our shortcomings.

Developing a love for goodness requires intentional cultivation. We can begin by recognizing goodness wherever it appears and celebrating it rather than responding with cynicism or suspicion. We can guard against the cultural tendency to call evil good and good evil (Isaiah 5:20). Most importantly, we can draw near to the One who is perfectly good, allowing His Spirit to transform our affections so that we increasingly delight in what He delights in.

When we encounter those who seem hostile to goodness, rather than responding with self-righteous condemnation, we can remember that only Yahweh’s grace has enabled us to love what is good. This understanding should move us to pray for those who oppose goodness, recognizing that their hostility often stems from deep wounds, deception, or fear—all of which the healing power of God can transform.

Related Words

• φιλάγαθος (philagathos) – lover of good, one who delights in goodness (pronounced: fil-AG-ah-thos) – The positive counterpart to ἀφιλάγαθος, describing those who embrace and pursue what is virtuous and beneficial. See G5358
• ἀγαθός (agathos) – good, beneficial, useful (pronounced: ah-gah-THOS) – The core component of ἀφιλάγαθος, referring to that which is inherently good, valuable, or virtuous in quality or character. See G18
• φιλόθεος (philotheos) – lover of God (pronounced: fil-OTH-eh-os) – A parallel construction that appears in contrast to ἀφιλάγαθος in the same passage (2 Timothy 3:4 mentions those who are “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God”). See G5377
• φιλήδονος (philēdonos) – pleasure-loving, lover of pleasure (pronounced: fil-AY-don-os) – Another compound term with φίλος that appears in the same context as ἀφιλάγαθος, describing those who prioritize personal pleasure over goodness or God. See G5369
• μισέω (miseō) – to hate, detest (pronounced: mis-EH-oh) – While not morphologically related to ἀφιλάγαθος, this verb expresses a similar concept of active opposition or hostility, which is implied in being a “despiser of good.” See G3404

Did you Know?

• The term ἀφιλάγαθος appears in a list of 19 vices in 2 Timothy 3:1-5, one of the longest vice catalogs in the New Testament. These vice lists were a common literary form in both Greco-Roman moral philosophy and Jewish ethical instruction. Paul adapts this familiar format to warn believers about the character traits that would mark the challenging “last days.” What makes his list particularly powerful is that it doesn’t merely describe obvious crimes but subtle yet dangerous heart attitudes that could infiltrate even religious communities.
• While ἀφιλάγαθος only appears once in the Bible, the positive virtue it negates—being a “lover of good”—is listed as a requirement for elders/overseers in Titus 1:8. This creates an important contrast: church leaders must exemplify the very virtue that Paul warns will be rejected in the last days. This contrast reminds us that the community of believers is called to stand as a counter-cultural witness, embodying the values that the surrounding culture increasingly abandons.
• In modern psychological research, the concept of “moral disengagement” describes processes through which people justify harmful actions by disconnecting from moral principles—essentially becoming functional “despisers of good” in specific contexts. Techniques like moral justification, euphemistic labeling, and dehumanization allow otherwise ordinary people to participate in destructive behavior without seeing themselves as violating ethical standards. This contemporary understanding provides insight into how the character trait Paul described can develop and spread within societies and communities that would outwardly consider themselves civilized or even religious.

Remember This

To despise goodness is to position oneself against the very character of God Himself, who alone is good; yet even those who have fallen into this darkness can be transformed by His grace to become lovers of all that reflects His goodness.