Key Danish Terms in Works of Love

Kierkegaard published Kjerlighedens Gjerninger in 1847. Its Danish spelling differs in places from present-day Danish, and several recurring words carry more of the argument than a single English equivalent can display.

This glossary explains the working choices used in this web edition. It is a reading aid, not a substitute for historical dictionaries, the Danish text or comparison with established scholarly translations.

Kjerlighed — love

Kjerlighed is the older spelling corresponding to modern Danish kærlighed. In the title and throughout the discourses it is rendered as “love”. The apparent simplicity matters: Kierkegaard repeatedly distinguishes love from preference, mood, admiration and possession without abandoning the ordinary word.

See The Hidden Life of Love and How Its Fruits Disclose It.

Gjerninger — works or deeds

Gjerninger is an older spelling related to modern gerninger. “Works” preserves the traditional English title Works of Love; “deeds” may sometimes sound more immediate in a sentence. The word keeps the book’s central pressure in view: love becomes known and tested in action.

Du — you

Du is the singular, direct “you”. Its force is especially important in “Du skal elske” and in the title “‘Du’ skal elske Næsten”. The argument does not remain addressed to humanity in general; it turns toward the individual hearer.

See “You” Shall Love the Neighbour.

skal — shall / must

In the command Du skal elske, this web edition uses “You shall love”. “Shall” retains the biblical and imperative register of the command while allowing Kierkegaard’s extended attention to duty and constancy to unfold. In explanatory prose, “must” may sometimes clarify the binding force, but it is not mechanically substituted in every occurrence.

See You Shall Love.

Næsten — the neighbour

Næsten is rendered “the neighbour”. The word should not be restricted to the person living nearby. In Kierkegaard’s biblical argument, the neighbour is every human being considered under the command to love and in equality before God.

See What Kierkegaard Means by “the Neighbour”.

Lovens Fylde — the fulfilment of the law

Lovens is “of the law”; Fylde carries the sense of fullness or fulfilment. The established phrase “love is the fulfilment of the law” connects the discourse with its biblical wording while Kierkegaard develops fulfilment as gathered action rather than promise alone.

See Love Is the Fulfilment of the Law.

Samvittighedens Sag — a matter of conscience

Samvittighed is conscience; Sag can mean a matter, affair, case or concern. “Love is a matter of conscience” preserves the claim that love belongs within inward ethical responsibility rather than mere public appearance.

See Love Is a Matter of Conscience.

de Mennesker, vi see — the people we see

Mennesker means human beings or people; see is an older spelling of modern se, “see”. The phrase directs love away from an imagined ideal person and toward actual people as they appear in lived relationships.

See Our Duty to Love the People We See.

Gjeld — debt

Gjeld is the older spelling corresponding to modern gæld, debt. Kierkegaard uses the language of debt against moral calculation. The lover does not regard love as an account paid off; giving love deepens the obligation to continue loving.

See Our Duty to Remain in Love’s Debt to One Another.

How to use this glossary

When a translated term appears unusually formal or repetitive, follow its link back to the discourse and notice how the word develops across several passages. Kierkegaard often thinks through repetition, contrast and grammatical emphasis. A word’s meaning is therefore shaped not only by a dictionary entry but by the work it performs in the argument.

For the source policy and editorial method, see Sources and Editorial Status and For Closer Study.