what is eros love

What Is Eros Love? Meaning, Bible Examples, and Eros vs. Agape

Eros means romantic desire. Romantic love shows up in Song of Songs, and eros differs from agape, the Bible's self-giving love.

Illustrated portrait of Christopher McAllister

By Christopher McAllister

Founder of theBibleand.Love

Published September 28, 2026Updated October 25, 20266 min readSong of Solomon 8:6 (NIV)

A man and a woman stand together at a garden gate, looking toward a blossoming tree.

"Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like blazing fire, like a mighty flame."

— Song of Solomon 8:6 (NIV)

People who search what is eros love usually want the romantic or sexual desire word from "four loves" charts — and whether the Bible actually uses it. This page gives a careful answer: classical Greek erōs names passionate desire, but it is not the New Testament's usual love vocabulary. Scripture still speaks clearly about marital desire and covenant faithfulness, especially in Song of Solomon and the marriage commands. For the wider map, see Types of love in the Bible. For marriage verse lists, see Bible verses for marriage. For a related essay already on this site, see Love and desire.

Word study (lead verse). Song of Solomon 8:6 does not use Greek erōs. The poem's main "beloved" / love-token word is Hebrew dôḏ (דּוֹד), Strong's H1730: beloved, love, uncle — and in the Song, the intimate beloved. See also Bible Hub H1730. Classical Greek erōs is the word modern "four loves" lists borrow for romantic desire; the New Testament prefers agapē commands for Christian ethics and uses Hebrew poetry (and later agapē marriage teaching) for marital love. See Song of Solomon 8:6 and Song of Solomon 8:7.

Matthew Henry on Song of Solomon 8:5–7 says there is no coming out of the wilderness of a sinful state "but leaning on Christ as our Beloved, by faith," and that those who truly love Christ are jealous of everything that would draw them from him (Bible Hub, Matthew Henry on Song of Solomon 8; also Blue Letter Bible, Matthew Henry on Song of Solomon 8). On marriage's beginning he notes that God brought the woman to the man "as his second self, and a help" (Bible Hub, Matthew Henry on Genesis 2).

Eros vs. Agape: What Is the Difference?

Eros is desire and romantic love. It is a Greek word for passionate attraction, and it is not used in the New Testament. Agape is self-giving love that seeks the other person's good.

In marriage the two belong together. Song of Songs 8:6-7 speaks of love that is as strong as death. Genesis 2:24 says the two become one flesh. Ephesians 5:25 calls a husband to love as Christ loved the church, and 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 describes love that is patient and kind. Agape keeps desire faithful. Passages for that covenant are gathered in Bible verses about marriage.

Eros in plain English

In popular teaching, eros love means romantic or sexual desire — the pull toward a beloved. That chart can be a helpful classroom label. It is not a claim that the Greek New Testament regularly uses erōs for Christian marriage ethics. When the Bible celebrates desire inside covenant, it often does it in Hebrew poetry (Song of Solomon) and then ties marriage to faithful, self-giving love (Ephesians 5:25; 1 Corinthians 13). See Love in marriage: Ephesians 5, Love and commitment, and 1 Corinthians 13:4-7.

So the honest answer to "what is eros love in the Bible?" is: the idea of romantic desire is present and honored in the right place; the word eros is mostly a later Greek category people bring to the text. Do not force every love verse into a four-word checklist.

Where Scripture speaks of desire and romance

  1. Song of Solomon 8:6–7. Love is as strong as death; many waters cannot quench it. Desire here is exclusive, fierce, and covenantal — not casual. See Song of Solomon 8:6 and Song of Solomon 8:7.
  2. Song of Solomon throughout. The beloved (dôḏ) language fills the book with joy in the other person. See Love and desire.
  3. Genesis 2:18–25. Marriage begins as companionship and "one flesh," not as a side hobby. God forms a helper fit for the man.
  4. Proverbs 5:18–19. Rejoice in the wife of your youth — delight inside marriage, against stolen water.
  5. Ephesians 5:25–33. Husbands love as Christ loved the church and gave himself up. Marital love is measured by the cross, not by appetite alone. See Love in marriage: Ephesians 5.
  6. Hebrews 13:4. Marriage is to be honored; the marriage bed kept pure. Desire has a holy home and a forbidden theft.
  7. 1 Corinthians 13:4–7. Even in marriage, love is patient and kind — which is why this site keeps Love is patient Bible verse as the exact-match page for that search, not a second overlapping explainer.

How eros relates to agape, phileo, and storge

  • Agape is self-giving commitment to the other's good (What is agape love).
  • Phileo is friendship affection (What is phileo love).
  • Storge is family affection, mainly via compounds in the New Testament (What is storge love).
  • Eros (as a chart label) is romantic desire. In a Christian reading, desire belongs inside faithfulness; it does not get to redefine love as appetite. Agape can hold eros to the truth. See Types of love in the Bible.

How to use this page

If you need a one-line definition, say: eros is the classical Greek word for passionate romantic desire; the Bible honors marital desire mainly through Hebrew love poetry and covenant marriage teaching, not by using erōs as its standard New Testament love term. If you want the seal-and-flame verses, read Song of Solomon 8:6–7. If you want marriage verses to share, open Bible verses for marriage.

Questions people ask

What is eros love in the Bible?

Eros is classical Greek for passionate romantic or sexual desire. It is often listed in "four loves" teaching, but it is not the New Testament's usual love word. Scripture speaks of marital desire and covenant faithfulness in places like Song of Solomon 8:6–7 and Ephesians 5:25.

Does the Greek New Testament use the word eros?

Not as its standard Christian love vocabulary. Popular charts borrow erōs from classical Greek. For New Testament love ethics, start with agapē (What is agape love) and the marriage commands.

Is eros the same as lust?

No. Lust is desire that steals or consumes. Song of Solomon celebrates desire inside exclusive love; Hebrews 13:4 honors the marriage bed and warns against immorality. Proverbs 5 contrasts delight in one's spouse with stolen water.

How should Christians think about romantic desire?

Honor marriage, tell the truth about desire, and measure love by faithfulness and the other's good — not by intensity alone. See Love and commitment and Bible verses for marriage.

Read Types of love in the Bible, Love and desire, Song of Solomon 8:6, What is agape love, and Bible verses for marriage.

Is the word eros in the Bible?

The Greek word eros is not used in the New Testament. Scripture still speaks of romantic desire, especially in Song of Songs 8:6-7.

What is the difference between eros and agape?

Eros is desire and romantic love. Agape is self-giving love. In marriage the two belong together, and agape keeps desire faithful (Ephesians 5:25; 1 Corinthians 13:4-7).

Is eros love a sin?

No. Eros is romantic desire, and Song of Songs honors that desire inside marriage. Agape keeps it faithful. Desire becomes sin when it takes what belongs outside that covenant (Hebrews 13:4).

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