Original Word: φίλος
Part of Speech: Adjective; Indeclinable Numeral (Adjective)
Transliteration: philos
Pronunciation: FEE-los
Phonetic Spelling: (fee'-los)
KJV: friend
NASB: friends, friend
Word Origin: [from ???]

1. (properly) dear, i.e. a friend
2. (actively) fond, i.e. friendly
3. (as a noun) an associate, neighbor, etc.

loving, friendly

Properly, dear, i.e. A friend; actively, fond, i.e. Friendly (still as a noun, an associate, neighbor, etc.) -- friend.

5384 phílos – a friend; someone dearly loved (prized) in a personal, intimate way; a trusted confidant, held dear in a close bond of personal affection.

Note: The root (phil-) conveys experiential, personal affection – indicating 5384 (phílos) expresses experience-based love.

[25 (agapáō) focuses on value-driven (an decision-based) love – which of course does not exclude affection!]

Word Origin
a prim. word
Definition
beloved, dear, friendly
NASB Translation
friend (12), friends (17).

STRONGS NT 5384: φίλη

φίλη, ἡ, see φίλος, 2.

STRONGS NT 5384: φίλοςφίλος, φίλη, φίλον, from Homer down, friendly (cf. Liddell and Scott, under the word, I. and II.): φίλον εἶναι τίνι, to be friendly to one, wish him well, Acts 19:31;

1. ὁ φίλος, the Sept. for רֵעַ , אֹהֵב, a substantive, a friend: Luke 7:6; Luke 11:5; Luke 15:6; Luke 16:9; Luke 23:12; Acts 27:3; 3 John 1:15(14): joined with συγγενεῖς, Luke 21:16; an associate, opposed to δοῦλος, John 15:15; φίλοι ἀναγκαιοι (A. V. near friends) Latinnecessitate conjuncti, Acts 10:24; φίλε, friend, in kindly address, Luke 14:10; with a genitive of the subject, ὁ φίλος τίνος, Luke 11:6,(8); ; John 11:11; John 15:13f; specifically, he who associates familiarly with one, a companion, Matthew 11:19; Luke 7:34; ὁ φίλος τοῦ νυμφίου, the rabbinical שׁושְׁבֵּן (which see in Buxtorf or Levy) (i. e. 'son of gladness'), one of the bridegroom's friends who on his behalf asked the hand of the bride and rendered him various services in closing the marriage and celebrating the nuptials (B. D., under the word Marriage, III.; Edersheim, Jewish Social Life, p. 152), John 3:29; φίλος τοῦ Καίσαρος, on Caesar's side, loyal to his interests, John 19:12; Θεοῦ, especially dear to God, peculiarly favored with his intimacy, James 2:23 ((cf. Harnack and Lightfoot on Clement of Rome, 1 Cor. 10, 1 [ET]; Rönsch in the Zeitschr. f. wissenschaftl. Theol. for 1873, p. 583f); also in secular authors cf. Grimm, Exeget. Hdbch. on Wis. 7:27, p. 164); with a genitive of the thing, one who finds his pleasure in a thing, φίλος τοῦ κόσμου, James 4:4.

2. Feminine, φίλη, ἡ, a (female) friend: Luke 15:9.

The Relational Fabric of φίλος in the New Testament

Though φίλος can be rendered simply “friend,” the word carries a spectrum of relational commitments that range from informal companionship to covenant loyalty. Its 29 New Testament appearances paint a portrait of friendship that is practical, missional, and ultimately theological.

Everyday Friendship in Teaching and Narrative

1. Parables of Ordinary Life
• Luke 11:5-8 sets friendship in the gritty realism of midnight need. The petitioner trusts that “because of his persistence” his friend will rise. Friendship is a channel through which God illustrates persevering prayer.
• In Luke 14:10, being invited to “move up higher” by one’s friend models humble self-perception and the honor God bestows.
• Luke 15’s trilogy (sheep, coin, sons) repeatedly ends with friends summoned to rejoice (15:6, 9, 29). Joy is communal; salvation is not celebrated in isolation.

2. Hospitality and Mutual Aid
• Jesus warns against limiting hospitality to “friends, brothers, relatives, or rich neighbors” (Luke 14:12); generosity must transcend social reciprocity.
• Paul, under guard, is “allowed to go to his friends to be cared for” (Acts 27:3). Friendship supplies tangible resources for gospel workers.

3. Social and Political Alignments
• Herod and Pilate “became friends” the day they colluded in Jesus’ trial (Luke 23:12), exposing friendship’s capacity for complicity in evil.
• The crowd pressures Pilate: “If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend” (John 19:12). Political friendship can rival allegiance to truth.

Jesus Redefines Friendship

1. Sacrificial Love
• “Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). Here friendship reaches its zenith in substitutionary love, foreshadowing the cross.

2. Obedient Intimacy
• “You are My friends if you do what I command you” (John 15:14). Obedience is the distinguishing hallmark of those admitted to Jesus’ inner circle.
• “No longer do I call you servants… but I have called you friends” (John 15:15). Revelation replaces secrecy; servants receive orders, friends receive confidences.

3. Bridal Joy
• John the Baptist identifies himself as “the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and listens for him and is overjoyed” (John 3:29). True friendship rejoices in another’s exaltation rather than its own.

Friendship With God

James 2:23 cites Genesis 15:6—“Abraham believed God… and he was called God’s friend.” Covenant faith produces a unique intimacy in which God shares His purposes (compare Genesis 18:17-19). Friendship with God is anchored in faith that acts (James 2:22).

Friendship With the World

James 4:4 delivers a stark antithesis: “Friendship with the world is hostility toward God.” The moral posture of φίλος is never neutral; loyalty is ultimately directed either toward God or the fallen order.

Ministry Networks and the Advance of the Gospel

Acts showcases friendship as a strategic asset:
• Asiarchs who are “friends of Paul” urge him not to enter the Ephesian theater (Acts 19:31).
• Cornelius gathers “his relatives and close friends” to hear Peter (Acts 10:24).
• Gaius (“the beloved”) is urged to greet “the friends by name” (3 John 14), illustrating how apostolic missions depended on relational webs for shelter, funding, and dissemination of teaching.

Eternal Perspective on Earthly Friendships

Luke 16:9 exhorts believers to “make friends for yourselves by means of worldly wealth, so that when it is gone, they will welcome you into eternal dwellings.” Stewardship of temporal resources for the sake of others forges friendships that outlast the present age.

Historical and Cultural Insights

• In Greek society, φίλος could refer to both personal associates and political allies. The New Testament authors harness the term’s elasticity to confront cultural expectations with kingdom values.
• In the Septuagint, φίλος frequently translates Hebrew רֵעַ (reaʿ), linking New Testament usage to the covenantal backdrop where neighbor-love and loyalty are paramount (e.g., Proverbs 17:17).

Implications for Contemporary Discipleship

1. Friendship is a gospel-shaped vocation requiring openness, sacrificial service, and truth-telling.
2. Believers must evaluate alliances: political, social, or digital. Friendship that dilutes allegiance to Christ falls under James 4:4.
3. Churches thrive when members move beyond functional roles to genuine friendship, echoing Jesus’ pattern of shared life and disclosure.
4. Evangelism often travels along relational lines; investing in people’s well-being creates bridges for the message of salvation.

φίλος therefore emerges not merely as a social descriptor but as a theological summons: to imitate the Friend who laid down His life, to enjoy the privilege of being called God’s friends, and to extend that covenantal hospitality to a world in need of true companionship.

φιλας φίλας Φιλε Φίλε φιλοι φίλοι φιλοις φίλοις φιλον φίλον φιλος φίλος φίλου φιλους φίλους φίλω φιλων φίλων philas phílas Phile Phíle philoi phíloi philois phílois philon philōn phílon phílōn philos phílos philous phílousInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts