Hebrews 13:1 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Let brotherly love continue.— By this exhortation the apostle plainly implies, that they did already love their Christian brethren; accordingly, he commended them before, (ch. Hebrews 6:10.) for their ministering to the saints: consistently with this, he exhorted them (ch. Hebrews 12:14.) to follow peace with all men, which implies, that they were defective as to this duty of charity towards the Gentile Christians. There is a difference between φιλαδελφια, brotherly love, and αγαπη, charity, or love in the general; according to what St. Peter says, 2 Ephesians 1:7.—add to brotherly love, charity. Brotherly love signifies men's loving those whom they esteem to be their brethren, answerably to that relation; but the word αγαπη expresses the love which men bear to such also as they do not own to be their brethren, even those who are not of the Christian religion,—and even to enemies. Dr. Heylin reads, Let brotherly love ever remain; and he observes, that in the progress of religion there is a vicissitude of states, of which the apostle had just beforetreated: but whatever our inferior state be, brotherly love is an invariable duty.