ἀγαπητός, 
-ῆ, 
-ον, (
ἀγαπάω), 
beloved, esteemed, dear, favorite; (opposed to 
ἐχθρός, 
Romans 11:28): 
ὁ υἱός μου (
τοῦ Θεοῦ) 
ὁ ἀγαπητός, of Jesus, the Messiah, 
Matthew 3:17 [here WH marginal reading take 
ὁ ἀγαπητός absolutely, connecting it with what follows]; 
Matthew 12:18; 
Matthew 17:5; 
Mark 1:11; 
Mark 9:7; 
Luke 3:22; 
Luke 9:35 (where L marginal reading T Tr WH 
ὁ ἐκλελεγμένος); 
2 Peter 1:17, cf. 
Mark 12:6; 
Luke 20:13; [cf. 
Ascensio Isa. (edited by Dillmann) 
Luke 7:23; 
Luke 8:18, 
25, etc.].
ἀγαπητοί Θεοῦ [Winers Grammar, 194 (182f); 
B. 190 (165)] is applied to Christians as being reconciled to God and judged by him to be worthy of eternal life: 
Romans 1:7, cf. 
Romans 11:28; 
1 Thessalonians 1:4; 
Colossians 3:12 (
Sept., 
Psalm 59:7 (
Ps. 60:7); 
Psalm 107:7 (
Ps. 108:7); 
Psalm 126:2 (
Ps. 127:2), 
ἀγαπητοί σου and 
αὐτοῦ, of pious Israelites). But Christians, bound together by mutual love, are 
ἀγαπητοί also to one another (
Philemon 1:16; 
1 Timothy 6:2); hence, they are dignified with this epithet very often in tender address, both indirect (
Romans 16:5, 
8; 
Colossians 4:14; 
Ephesians 6:21, etc.) and direct (
Romans 12:19; 
1 Corinthians 4:14; [
Philemon 1:2, 
Rec.]; 
Hebrews 6:9; 
James 1:16; 
1 Peter 2:11; 
2 Peter 3:1; [
1 John 4:7 G L T Tr WH], etc.). Generally followed by the genitive; once by the dative 
ἀγαπαπητοί ἡμῖν, 
1 Thessalonians 2:8 [yet cf. Winers Grammar, § 31, 2; 
B. 190 (165)].
ἀγαπητός ἐν κυρίῳ beloved in the fellowship of Christ, equivalent to dear fellow-Christian, 
Romans 16:8. [Not used in the Fourth Gospel or the Book of Revelation. In classical Greek from Homer, Iliad 6, 401 on; cf. Cope on 
Aristotle, rhet. 1, 7, 41.] 
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