Beloved
Beloved. (Heb. adj. yadid [“the one who is loved”], v. ahav [“to love,” and “be loved”], n. dod [“beloved”], n. hamudot [“the greatly beloved, the cherished”]; Gr. adj. agapetos [“beloved”], v. agapao [“to love, be loved”]). Someone who is loved by God or fellow humans.
In the Old Testament, “beloved” expresses God’s covenant affection for His people. Israel is the Lord’s beloved, whom He protects, delivers, and provides for (Deut 33:12; Ps 60:5; 127:2), and even when the nation sins and is disciplined, it remains “the dearly beloved of My soul” (Jer 12:7; cf. 11:15). In the Song of the Vineyard, the prophet sings of his Well-beloved (dod), the Lord who planted and tended Israel (Isa 5:1–7). In the Song of Songs, dod is the bride’s favorite word for the groom, expressing romantic love and companionship (e.g., Song 2:16; 5:10–16). In Daniel, the angel addresses the prophet as one “greatly beloved” (hamudot), cherished by God (Dan 9:23; 10:11, 19).
In the New Testament, agapetos is first of all a title of Christ. At His baptism and transfiguration, the Father declares Him “My beloved Son” (Matt 3:17; 17:5; 2 Pet 1:17), and in the parable of the wicked vinedressers, the owner finally sends his son, “his beloved,” whom the tenants reject (Mark 12:6). The same word is then extended to those who belong to Christ. Paul and the other apostolic writers greet individual coworkers as “beloved” (Acts 15:25; Rom 16:5; Col 4:9) and address whole congregations as “beloved of God” (Rom 1:7), using the term as they comfort, admonish, and encourage believers (1 Cor 10:14; Phil 2:12; 2 Pet 3:14). Even Gentiles who were once “not beloved” are now called beloved (Rom 9:25), and the New Jerusalem is “the beloved city” (Rev 20:9).
The widespread use of “beloved” throughout Scripture shows that love lies at the heart of the relationship between God and His people. The term moves from Israel as God’s chosen beloved, through Christ as the Father’s uniquely beloved Son, to the church, which is beloved because it is united with Him (cf. Eph 1:6). In every case God loves first and His people respond (1 John 4:19), so that being loved by Him becomes the ground for how believers treat one another (1 John 4:11).