But I have (this) against thee, that thou didst leave thy first love. Paul (which must have been familiar to the Ephesian Christians) in Ephesians 5:23-33, where human love is made a type of the divine. It is impossible not to see some reference in this to the language of St. 'Can any one more touchingly rebuke than by commencing, 'Thou no longer lovest me enough?'' It is the regretful cry of the heavenly Bridegroom, recalling the early days of His Bride's love, the kindness of her youth, the love of her espousals ( Jeremiah 2:2. Great as the fault is, it is the fault which Love alone would have detected. God asks this we cannot give more He cannot take less' (Norman Macleod, Life, i., p. This is the fault, and it is no trifle which is blamed, as the word 'somewhat' (which is not to be found in the original) might be taken to imply for the decay of love is the decay of that without which all other graces are as nothing ( 1Corinthians 13:1-3), since 'all religion is summed up in one word, Love. 'But I have against thee: That thy first love thou didst leave!Įllicott's Commentary for English Readers(4) Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee.-Better, I have against thee that thou didst let go. Yet I have this against you-that you no longer love Me as you did at first. However, I have this against you: You have abandoned the love you had at first.īut I have against you that you left your first love!īut I have this against you: You have departed from your first love!īut I have this against you, that you left your first love.

However, I have this against you: The love you had at first is gone.

“But I have something against you, because you have left your former love.”īut I do have something against you! And it is this: You don't have as much love as you used to.īut I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first charity.īut this is what I have against you: you do not love me now as you did at first. īut I have this against you: You have abandoned the love you had at first.īut I have this against thee, that thou didst leave thy first love. ‘But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.īut I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.īut I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. You don’t love me or each other as you did at first!īut I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.īut I have this against you: You have abandoned your first love.īut I have against you that you have abandoned your first love. Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.

If you don t love me now