Aramaic Word of the Day: ܘܒܐ (Hobo)

As an Israeli guide and teacher, I’ve noticed something curious. When most people from the West hear the word ‘love,’ they think of a feeling. A spark. Something that either happens to you or doesn’t. But in Aramaic, the language that Yeshua spoke, ‘love’ is not a passing emotion. It’s a commitment. A movement. A doing. A covenant.

In Aramaic, the word ܚܘܒܐ (hobo) Love comes from the triliteral root ḥ–w–b, which doesn’t describe a flutter in the heart it describes an act of giving oneself to another. Love in this Semitic worldview is relational and covenantal. It’s not something you fall into. It’s something you grow into.

In contrast, the Indo-European languages and mindset often interprets “love” through abstract ideals: romanticism, philosophical categories, or internal emotions. Think of the Greek concept of eros intense, often individualistic passion. But Hobo is agricultural, earthy, enduring. It’s Ruth saying to Naomi, “Where you go, I will go” not because of sentiment, but because of loyalty.

In Hebrew and Aramaic thought, love is proven by action. That's why in the Gospels, Yeshua says, “If you love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15). He didn’t say, “If you love me, feel something.” He said, “Do something.”

Reflection:Where in your life has love become a feeling instead of a doing? What would it look like to walk in Hobo today toward God, toward a spouse, a child, or a stranger?

Learn More At Twins Biblical Academy, we dive deeper into words like exploring how the original languages of the Bible can reshape the way we think, feel, and live. Join us, and rediscover a faith formed in the soil of the East.