Greek word · G5387

φιλόστοργος

philostorgos

devoted

'Fond of storgē', meaning warmly and tenderly affectionate. Storgē is the natural, instinctive love inside a family, especially between parents and children. It could also describe a close friend or a kind ruler.

Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·

What it means

φιλόστοργος, -ον

(στοργή, family affection), [in LXX: 4Ma.15:13 * ;]

tenderly loving, affectionate (Xen., Plut., al.): of Christians, Romans 12:10.†

(AS)

From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Romans 12:10

Range of meaning

'Fond of storgē', meaning warmly and tenderly affectionate. Storgē is the natural, instinctive love inside a family, especially between parents and children. Inscriptions and papyri use the adjective for good parents, spouses and children, often on gravestones ('a loving husband', 'an affectionate mother'). It could also describe a close friend or a kind ruler.

Against the English

KJV's 'kindly affectioned' and WEB's 'tenderly affectionate' come close. BSB and NASB's 'devoted' captures commitment but loses the warmth and the family tone. Modern 'kindly' can sound like mild politeness, which is too weak.

How it drifted

No drift in a real sense. The issue is that English has no single word for 'family-warm', so translations pick either the feeling ('affectionate') or the commitment ('devoted').

Used elsewhere in the period

4 Maccabees 15:13 speaks of a mother's philostorgia, the deep love she had to overcome when watching her sons die. Xenophon and Plutarch use the word group for family affection. Spicq (Theological Lexicon of the New Testament) collects many uses on epitaphs and in papyri, where it is one of the most common words of praise for family members.

Similar words

Where it appears

Romans · 1

  1. Romans 12:10 φιλόστοργοι, devoted

    Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Outdo yourselves in honoring one another.

    Here: Used only here in the New Testament. It is built on storgē, the instinctive affection of parents and children and of close kin. With no verb present, the adjective works as a command: 'be people with family warmth'. Two family-love words now sit side by side.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.