Epipothetos describes people addressed as dearly desired in an affectionate appeal to stand firm.

The attested use addresses a group as affectionately desired while urging them to stand firm.

1. Affectionately desired people · dominant

   In Philippians 4:1, the vocative plural masculine form addresses “brothers” within an appeal to “stand firm in the Lord.” The APB renders the address “beloved and longed for,” confirming the verse’s affectionate address.

   Philippians 4:1

In the Anselm Project Bible: In Philippians 4:1, the APB presents the address as “beloved and longed for.” This wording confirms the clause’s overall affectionate address rather than isolating a precise English equivalent.