Friend, Friendship

Old Testament:

Hebrew                ahab - to love

                             rea - friend

                             raa - to show self a friend

1.     Exodus 33:11 “And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend (rea).  And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.”

2.     II Chronicles 20:7 “Art not thou our God, who didst drive out the inhabitants of this land before thy people Israel, and gavest it to the seed of Abraham thy friend (ahab) forever?”

3.     Proverbs 17:17 “A friend (rea) loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.”

4.     Proverbs 18:24 “A man that hath friends (rea) must shew himself friendly (raa): and there is a friend (ahab) that sticketh closer than a brother.”

5.     Proverbs 22:11 “He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend (rea).”

6.     Proverbs 27:6 “Faithful are the wounds of a friend (ahab), but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.”

7.     Proverbs 27:9-10 “Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man’s friend (rea) by hearty counsel.  For thine own friend (rea), and thy father’s friend (rea), forsake not; neither go into thy brother’s house in the day of thy calamity: for better is a neighbor that is near than a brother far off.”

8.     Proverbs 27:17 “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend (rea).”

9.     Song of Solomon 5:16 “His mouth is most sweet; yea, he is altogether lovely.  This is my beloved, and this is my friend (rea), O daughters of Jerusalem.”

10.                         Isaiah 41:8 “But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend (raa).”

11.                         Zechariah 13:6 “And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands?  Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends (ahab).”

New Testament:

Greek         hetairos – comrade

                   philos – friend

                   philia – friendship

                   agapao – to love

                   hoi soi – those belonging to, or with thee

1.     Matthew 20:13 “But he (laborer) answered one of them, and said, Friend (hetairos), I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?”

2.     Matthew 22:12 “And he saith unto him, Friend (hetairos), how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment?  And he was speechless.”

3.     Matthew 26:50 “And forthwith he (Judas) came to Jesus, and said, Hail, master; and kissed him.  And Jesus said unto him, Friend (hetairos) wherefore art thou come?  Then came they, and laid hands on Jesus, and took him.”

4.     Mark 5:19 “Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends (hoi soi), and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee.”

5.     Luke 12:4 “And I say unto you my friends (philos),  Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.”

6.     John 3:29-30 “He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend (philos) of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.  He must increase, but I must decrease.”

7.     John 11:5 “Now Jesus loved (agapao) Martha, and her sister(Mary), and Lazarus.”

8.     John 11:11-13 “These things said he: and after that he saith unto them, Our friend (philos) Lazarus sleepeth; but I go, that I may awake him out of sleep.  Then said his disciples, Lord, if he sleep, he shall do well.  Howbeit Jesus spake of his death: but they thought that he had spoken of taking of rest in sleep.”

9.     John 13:23 “Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of his disciples (John), whom Jesus loved (agapao).”

10.                          John 15:13-15 “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends (philos).  Ye are my friends (philos), if ye do whatsoever I command you.  Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends (philos); for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.”

11.                          John 19:26 “When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple (John) standing by, whom he loved (agapao), he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!  The saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother!  And from that hour that disciple (John) took her unto his own home.”

12.                         John 21:7 “Therefore that disciple (John) whom Jesus loved (agapao) saith unto Peter, It is the Lord.  Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he girt his fisher’s coat unto him, (for he was naked,) and did cast himself into the sea.”

13.                          Acts 27:3 “And the next day we touched at Sidon.  And Julius courteously entreated Paul, and gave him liberty to go unto his friends (philos) to refresh himself.”

14.                          James 2:23 “And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend (philos) of God.”

15.                          James 4:4 “Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship (philia) of the world is enmity with God?  Whosoever therefore will be a friend (philos) of the world is the enemy of God.”

16.                          III John 13-14 “I had many things to write, but I will not with ink and pen write unto thee: But I trust I shall shortly see thee, and we shall speak face to face.  Peace be to thee.  Our friends (philos) salute thee.  Greet the friends (philos) by name.”