Does the Bible teach hate
Executive summary
The Bible contains passages that both condemn hatred of people and command hatred of evil; many verses instruct believers to “hate evil” while Jesus and New Testament writers repeatedly command love for neighbors and even enemies [1] [2] [3]. Interpreters disagree about whether biblical “hate” ever legitimizes hostility toward groups or whether it primarily means repudiation of sin, lesser love, or divine judgment; context and theological tradition shape how the texts are applied [4] [5].
1. The textual tension: hate evil, love people
Scripture repeatedly uses language that appears contradictory at first glance: Psalms and Proverbs include commands to “hate evil” and condemn things God hates, while prophetic and wisdom texts also warn against hating a fellow person in the heart and urge love of neighbor [1] [6] [7]. This juxtaposition — “hate evil” alongside “do not hate your brother” — is documented in many verse collections and topical lists that scholars and devotional writers cite when summarizing biblical teaching on hate [8] [9].
2. Jesus reframes common assumptions: love your enemies
The Gospels record Jesus confronting the prevailing proverb “love your neighbor and hate your enemy” and replacing it with an ethic of loving enemies, blessing persecutors, and praying for those who do harm, thereby criticizing reflexive hatred toward people [3] [10]. New Testament writers amplify that ethic: 1 John equates hatred of a brother with the moral gravity of murder and insists love is the mark of knowing God [7].
3. Old Testament complexity: divine hatred, human reproof, and cultural context
Old Testament passages attribute hatred to God for specific behaviors and list things the Lord “hates” (Proverbs and prophetic literature, as compiled in verse lists) and also command Israel not to bear grudges and to rebuke without hatred [6] [7]. Some texts use “hate” to mean “love less” or to indicate divine disfavor in covenant contexts, a semantic nuance highlighted by reformed and technical commentaries [4].
4. Interpretive divides and theological framing
Modern commentators and ministries classify biblical hate into categories — hatred of sin, of falsehood, of injustice, versus sinful personal hatred — and argue that “godly hate” is an aspect of holiness while personal animus is condemned [5] [2] [11]. Other interpreters warn that phrases about God’s hatred or commands to hate can be weaponized for exclusionary or punitive agendas, so theological framing (e.g., “hate the sin, love the sinner”) and denominational hermeneutics materially shape pastoral application [4] [11].
5. Pastoral practice and ethical tensions
Pastoral teaching drawn from verse collections and counseling resources stresses that harboring hatred damages the believer and community life, urging forgiveness, reconciliation, and active love as remedies for hatred [12] [13]. At the same time, many pastors and devotional writers encourage righteous indignation against evil — a form of oppositional stance toward behaviors and systems considered ungodly — making daily ethics a balance between rejecting injustice and refusing personal enmity [1] [9].
6. Verdict and limitations of this report
The Bible does not provide a simple, single verdict that “the Bible teaches hate” in the modern, social sense; rather, it contains both commands to “hate evil” and numerous, clear injunctions against hating people, with Jesus’ ethic centrally promoting love for enemies [1] [3] [7]. Which of these strands is emphasized depends on interpretive tradition, selective citation, and pastoral intent; this summary relies on the topical verse collections, devotional explanations, and theological commentary available in the supplied sources and does not attempt exhaustive textual exegesis beyond them [1] [5] [2].