Lexical Summary aphilagathos: Not loving good, hostile to virtue Original Word: ἄφιλαγαθός Strong's Exhaustive Concordance despiser of those that are good. From a (as a negative particle) and philagathos; hostile to virtue -- despiser of those that are good. see GREEK a see GREEK philagathos HELPS Word-studies 865 aphilágathos (from 1 /A, "not" and 5358 /philágathos, "a friend, lover of what is good") – properly, a hater of good describing someone who is hostile to the things of God – i.e. an active opponent (enemy) of God's kingdom (good). NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom alpha (as a neg. prefix) and philagathos Definition without love of good NASB Translation haters of good (1). Thayer's Greek Lexicon STRONGS NT 865: ἀφιλάγαθοςἀφιλάγαθος, ἀφιλαγαθον (alpha privative and φιλάγαθος), opposed to goodness and good men (R. V. no lover of good); found only in 2 Timothy 3:3. Topical Lexicon 𝐃𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐢𝐩𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 Ἀφιλάγαθος describes a heart that refuses affection for what is truly good. It occurs once, in 2 Timothy 3:3, within Paul’s catalogue of end-time vices: “unloving, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, without love of good”. The solitary appearance heightens its force, underscoring the moral abandonment that will characterize “the last days” (2 Timothy 3:1). 𝐂𝐚𝐧𝐨𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐱𝐭 2 Timothy is Paul’s final letter, written from Roman imprisonment to strengthen Timothy’s ministry amid rising apostasy. Chapter 3 contrasts a decaying culture with the enduring authority of Scripture (3:14-17). Ἀφιλάγαθος sits midway in the vice list, marking a pivot from internal dispositions (“unloving”) to overt brutality (“slanderous… brutal”). Its placement signals that contempt for goodness both springs from and feeds into all the surrounding sins. 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 1. Rejection of God’s moral order. Hatred of the good is the inverse of fearing the Lord (Proverbs 1:7). 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬 The believer’s calling is not mere avoidance of evil, but affectionate pursuit of what is excellent (Philippians 4:8). 𝐇𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐁𝐚𝐜𝐤𝐠𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 Greco-Roman culture prized civic virtue, yet its popular entertainments (gladiatorial shows, sexual excess) often glamorized cruelty. Paul’s term exposes such hypocrisy: society may praise “good,” but void of God’s standard it drifts toward loving pleasure (φιλήδονος, 2 Timothy 3:4) and scorning virtue. Early Christian apologists (e.g., Justin Martyr, Athenagoras) echoed Paul, challenging a culture that mocked chastity and mercy. 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐁𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐬 𝐌𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐲 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 1. Discernment in shepherding. Leaders must recognize ἄφιλαγάθοι when they emerge within the church, holding to biblical discipline (2 Timothy 3:5; Matthew 18:15-17). 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 Modern media often prizes shock, cruelty, and moral ambiguity. The rise of cynicism toward virtue—celebrating the anti-hero, mocking purity—echoes Ἀφιλάγαθος. Believers resist this drift by practicing and promoting tangible acts of goodness: caring for the vulnerable (James 1:27), defending the oppressed (Proverbs 31:8-9), and adorning the gospel with noble deeds (Titus 2:10). Such living apologetics expose the emptiness of despising good and invite others to “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8). Forms and Transliterations αφιλαγαθοι αφιλάγαθοι ἀφιλάγαθοι aphilagathoi aphilágathoiLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts |
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