24 Best Bible Verses About Hating Others

Leviticus 19:17

“‘Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in their guilt.’”

Reflectie: This ancient command is emotionally and relationally brilliant. It identifies that hatred often begins as a secret, festering wound within the heart. The prescribed cure is not suppression, but courageous, honest communication—a “frank rebuke.” This act is profoundly therapeutic; it seeks to restore relationship rather than letting resentment build into a wall of contempt. It prevents the hater from becoming spiritually “guilty” or burdened by the unresolved conflict, which is a state that isolates and damages the self.

Matthew 5:43-44

“‘You have heard that it was said, “Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.’”

Reflectie: Here, Jesus directly dismantles a deeply ingrained human tendency for tribalism and retribution. To “love your enemies” is psychologically jarring; it forces us to hold two seemingly contradictory states in mind: the reality of being wronged and the call to desire the ultimate good for the one who wronged us. Praying for persecutors is a transformative practice. It reorients our internal posture from one of vengeance to one of potential redemption, breaking the cycle of hatred that otherwise consumes a person’s emotional and spiritual energy.

Romeinen 12:9

“Laat de liefde oprecht zijn. Haat het kwade; houd vast aan het goede.”

Reflectie: This verse offers a crucial distinction for a healthy soul. It directs our capacity for “hate” not toward people, but toward evil itself—injustice, cruelty, and moral decay. Simultaneously, it calls us to “cling” to what is good, a term suggesting a deep, life-giving attachment. This re-channeling of our emotional energies is vital. It allows us to be passionate advocates against wrongdoing without letting personal animosity toward others corrupt our own hearts. Sincere love for people and a righteous hatred of evil can, and must, coexist.

1 Petrus 2:1

“Leg daarom alle kwaadaardigheid en alle bedrog, hypocrisie, afgunst en laster van elke soort af.”

Reflectie: This is a call for a thorough cleansing of our inner world. Notice the family of emotions listed here: malice, envy, and slander are all expressions or close relatives of hatred. They are “deceitful” and “hypocritical” because they often wear a mask of civility while poisoning us from within. The command to “rid yourselves” is an active, intentional process, like detoxifying the soul. It recognizes that these feelings, left unchecked, create a fractured and inauthentic self.

Luke 6:27-28

“‘But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.’”

Reflectie: This passage details the behavior of love in the face of hatred. It is not a passive feeling but a set of deliberate actions: doing good, blessing, and praying. This is psychologically powerful because action can change emotion. By choosing to act in a loving manner toward someone we might feel inclined to hate, we create cognitive dissonance that can only be resolved by our feelings beginning to align with our actions. It is a pathway to healing our own reactive bitterness.

Spreuken 10:12

“Haat verwekt twisten, maar de liefde dekt alle overtredingen toe.”

Reflectie: This proverb beautifully illustrates the social and interpersonal physics of our emotions. Hatred is an agitating force; it actively seeks out and inflames points of “conflict.” It thrives on division. Love, in contrast, is a healing agent. To “cover over” wrongs is not to ignore or enable them, but to absorb their power to cause division, choosing forgiveness and reconciliation instead. It demonstrates that love has the capacity to heal relational fractures that hatred can only deepen.

1 John 2:9

“Wie zegt dat hij in het licht is, maar zijn broeder of zuster haat, is nog steeds in de duisternis.”

Reflectie: Light and darkness are powerful metaphors for mental and spiritual clarity versus confusion. This verse asserts that hatred is inherently blinding. A person can believe they are enlightened, righteous, or justified in their position, but if they harbor hate, they are deceiving themselves. They are operating from a place of profound spiritual and psychological darkness, unable to see themselves, others, or God clearly. The hatred itself creates the perceptual prison.

1 Johannes 2:11

“But anyone who hates a brother or sister is in the darkness and walks around in the darkness; they do not know where they are going, because the darkness has blinded them.”

Reflectie: This expands on the previous verse, describing the disorienting effect of a hate-filled heart. To “walk around in the darkness” is to live a life without moral or spiritual direction. Hatred becomes the primary navigational tool, yet it offers no true path forward—it only leads to more stumbling, more conflict, more isolation. The person becomes lost, disconnected from their own humanity and from the community, because the singular focus on their animosity has blinded them to all other realities.

Titus 3:3

“Want ook wij waren voorheen dwaas, ongehoorzaam, dwalend, verslaafd aan allerlei begeerten en hartstochten, levend in slechtheid en afgunst, hatelijk en elkaar hatend.”

Reflectie: This is a humbling recollection of a past self, a state of being that is miserable and chaotic. It links hatred with a cluster of other dysfunctions: foolishness, deception, and enslavement to passions. The phrase “being hated and hating one another” depicts a toxic, reciprocal cycle. It’s a portrait of a life lived in a state of perpetual emotional reactivity and misery, a deeply unhappy existence from which faith is meant to be a liberation.

Efeziërs 4:31-32

“Zet alle bitterheid, woede en toorn, geschreeuw en laster van u af, samen met elke vorm van kwaadaardigheid. Wees vriendelijk en mededogend voor elkaar, vergeef elkaar, zoals God in Christus u vergeven heeft.”

Reflectie: This is a direct command for emotional regulation, rooted in a divine model. Bitterness, rage, and malice are presented as contaminants that must be actively purged from one’s system. They are corrosive to the soul. The antidote is a set of learned behaviors: kindness, compassion, and forgiveness. The motivation provided is not simply self-improvement, but gratitude. The experience of being forgiven creates the emotional capacity and moral imperative to forgive others, breaking the hold of these toxic emotions.

Spreuken 15:17

“Beter een schotel groenten met liefde dan een gemeste os met haat.”

Reflectie: This proverb speaks to the primacy of emotional context over material circumstances. It asserts that the quality of our relationships determines the quality of our lives far more than wealth or luxury. A “fattened calf”—a symbol of great feasting and prosperity—is rendered worthless by the presence of hatred. The emotional environment is so toxic it poisons the experience. Conversely, even the humblest of circumstances (“a small serving of vegetables”) becomes a rich and satisfying feast when seasoned with love.

Jakobus 4:1-2

“Waar komen oorlogen en gevechten onder jullie vandaan? Komen ze niet voort uit jullie begeerten die in jullie strijden? Jullie begeren en hebben niet, dus moorden jullie. Jullie zijn jaloers en kunnen niet krijgen wat jullie willen, dus ruziën en vechten jullie.”

Reflectie: James performs a brilliant psychological excavation, tracing outward conflict back to its source: disordered internal desire. Hatred, quarrels, and even the impulse to “kill” (whether literally or metaphorically through character assassination) are symptoms of a deep-seated frustration within the self. They are born from envy and a sense of lack. This insight moves the problem of hatred from a simple “us vs. them” conflict to an issue of internal spiritual and emotional health. To heal hatred, we must first address the covetous and restless heart.

1 Johannes 3:15

“Ieder die zijn broeder of zuster haat, is een moordenaar, en jullie weten dat geen moordenaar eeuwig leven in zich heeft.”

Reflectie: This verse makes an astonishingly direct connection between an internal emotion—hate—and the ultimate act of violence—murder. It reveals that the destructive seed of murder is not just in the hand that holds the weapon, but in the heart that harbors contempt. To hate another person is to participate in their dehumanization, to wish for their absence or diminishment. This act of internal violence corrodes the hater’s own soul, severing the connection to the divine life-force, which is, at its core, love. It is a stark reminder that our inner world of thought and feeling has profound spiritual and moral reality.

Mattheüs 5:21-22

“‘You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, “You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.” But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment…’”

Reflectie: Jesus radicalizes the commandment against murder, tracing it back to its emotional root: anger and contempt. He teaches that the moral injury begins long before any physical act. To hold simmering anger or to slander someone with a dismissive insult like ‘Raca’ is to commit a form of violence in the heart. This challenges us to see our unmanaged anger and hidden resentments not as minor personality flaws, but as serious spiritual conditions that fracture our relationship with God and others.

1 Johannes 4:20

“Als iemand zegt: Ik heb God lief, en hij haat zijn broeder, dan is hij een leugenaar. Want wie zijn broeder, die hij gezien heeft, niet liefheeft, hoe kan hij God liefhebben, Die hij niet gezien heeft?”

Reflectie: This verse exposes the cognitive and spiritual dissonance of claiming to love an invisible God while hating a visible person. It is a ruthless piece of logic that reveals a profound truth: our relationships with people are the real-world laboratory for our relationship with God. Love is not an abstract concept; it is a practiced reality. To hate a person made in God’s image is to, in effect, deface that image and lie to oneself about one’s true spiritual state. It presents authentic love as a unified, indivisible whole.

Galaten 5:19-21

“The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality… idolatry… hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy… I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Reflectie: Hatred is listed here as a “work of the flesh,” placing it in a category of behaviors that are fundamentally misaligned with a life led by the Spirit. It is grouped with discord, jealousy, and rage, showing it to be part of a toxic emotional cluster. This framing suggests that hatred is not an isolated feeling but a symptom of a deeper orientation—a life centered on the self, its grievances, and its ambitions. Such an orientation is inherently incompatible with the relational fabric of God’s kingdom.

Genesis 37:4

“Toen zijn broers zagen dat hun vader hem meer liefhad dan al zijn andere broers, haatten zij hem en konden zij geen vriendelijk woord met hem spreken.”

Reflectie: This narrative provides a primordial case study of how hatred is born. It stems from perceived injustice, jealousy, and envy. The hatred felt by Joseph’s brothers was so potent that it silenced all possibility of kindness; it made civil communication impossible. This is a psychologically astute observation: intense hatred dismantles our capacity for basic prosocial behavior. It creates an emotional chasm that can only be bridged by extreme actions, as the rest of their story tragically reveals.

Matthew 24:10

“At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other,”

Reflectie: In this prophetic passage, Jesus links a rise in mutual hatred directly to a decline in faith. There is a sense that as core beliefs and communal bonds weaken, the default human tendency toward betrayal and hatred reemerges with force. It suggests that love and trust are fragile states that require the support of a strong spiritual and moral framework. Without it, social cohesion breaks down, and people turn on one another. Hatred is presented as an entropic force, a sign of societal and spiritual decay.

Romeinen 12:14

“Zegen wie u vervolgen; zegen en vervloek niet.”

Reflectie: This is a command for radical emotional and verbal discipline. A curse is a wish for another’s harm; a blessing is a wish for their good. To deliberately choose blessing in the face of persecution is to refuse to internalize the poison of the persecutor. It is an act of profound spiritual and psychological freedom. It breaks the reactive cycle of hate-for-hate and asserts that one’s inner state will be governed by God’s love, not by the actions of others.

Romeinen 12:17-19

“Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath…”

Reflectie: This is a masterful piece of counsel for managing the impulse for revenge, which is hatred in action. It acknowledges the difficulty (“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you”), placing responsibility on our own efforts while recognizing some situations are beyond our control. The advice to “leave room for God’s wrath” is psychologically freeing. It allows a person to release the immense burden of needing to be the agent of justice, trusting that wrongdoing will be addressed. This frees up the emotional energy required to pursue peace.

Johannes 15:18

“‘If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.’”

Reflectie: This verse serves as a profound reframing for those who experience hatred because of their faith or values. It can prevent the slide into self-pity or personalizing the animosity. By connecting their experience to that of Jesus, believers are invited to see the hatred they receive not as a reflection of their personal failure, but as a consequence of their alignment with a different set of values. This can be deeply comforting and strengthening, providing a sense of solidarity and purpose in the midst of suffering.

Spreuken 26:24-26

“Wie haat heeft, veinst met zijn lippen, maar in zijn binnenste legt hij bedrog aan. Wanneer hij met zijn stem vleiend spreekt, geloof hem niet, want er zijn zeven gruwelen in zijn hart. Hoewel zijn haat door bedrog verborgen wordt, zal zijn slechtheid in de gemeente geopenbaard worden.”

Reflectie: This is a warning of profound psychological wisdom. It describes the covert nature of a hater, who often uses charming and deceptive speech to mask their true intent. It cautions us to develop discernment, to look beyond superficial presentation to the underlying character. The verse affirms that such deep-seated malice cannot remain hidden forever; its true nature will eventually be revealed. This gives hope to those being targeted by such deception, trusting that truth has a way of coming to light.

Psalm 139:21-22

“Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord, and abhor those who are in rebellion against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.”

Reflectie: This is a challenging and often uncomfortable passage. The psalmist expresses a vehement hatred, but it is crucial to see its object: not personal enemies, but “those who hate you, Lord.” This is presented as an expression of ultimate loyalty to God. From a theological-psychological perspective, this can be seen as an intense, albeit raw, alignment of one’s own will with God’s. It is a hatred of rebellion, falsehood, and evil itself. The danger, of course, is the subtle slide from hating the sin to hating the sinner, a line that the New Testament draws with much greater clarity. It reflects a passionate but not yet fully formed understanding of love for the enemy.

John 7:7

“The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify that its works are evil.”

Reflectie: Jesus provides a penetrating analysis of why righteous people often face animosity. The world, in this context, represents a system of values that resists being exposed as flawed or “evil.” When a person of integrity, by their very life or words, testifies to the truth, it creates an uncomfortable moral tension. The resulting hatred is a defensive reaction, an attempt to eliminate the source of that discomfort. It’s a reminder that being a force for good can, paradoxically, provoke a resentful response from those invested in the status quo.