Hate is a powerful and destructive force, both in the world and in our hearts.
The Bible addresses hate with clarity, urging believers to avoid it and embrace love instead.
Whether it’s the hatred we may feel or encounter, Scripture teaches us to respond with forgiveness, grace, and understanding.
Through these verses, God provides wisdom to overcome hate and choose love, offering guidance on how to reflect His character even in difficult situations.
The following verses shed light on hate’s dangers and the transformative power of God’s love in our lives and relationships.
Bible Verses About Hate
1. Proverbs 10:12 – Love Covers All Wrongs
“Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs.”
2. 1 John 4:20 – Loving God and Others
“Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen.”
3. Matthew 5:43-44 – Love Your Enemies
“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.”
4. Romans 12:9 – Hate What Is Evil
“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.”
5. Proverbs 15:17 – Love Over Hatred
“Better a small serving of vegetables with love than a fattened calf with hatred.”
6. 1 John 3:15 – Hatred as Murder
“Anyone who hates a brother or sister is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life residing in him.”
7. Ecclesiastes 3:8 – A Time for Love and Hate
“A time to love and a time to hate, a time for war and a time for peace.”
8. Leviticus 19:17 – Do Not Hate Your Neighbor
“Do not hate a fellow Israelite in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in their guilt.”
9. Ephesians 4:31-32 – Remove Hatred
“Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.”
10. Psalm 97:10 – Hate Evil
“Let those who love the Lord hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked.”
11. Matthew 24:10 – Many Will Hate
“At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other.”
12. Proverbs 26:24 – Concealed Hatred
“Enemies disguise themselves with their lips, but in their hearts they harbor deceit.”
13. Galatians 5:19-21 – Acts of the Flesh
“The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
14. 1 John 2:11 – Darkness of Hatred
“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.”
15. Psalm 5:5 – Hatred of Wickedness
“The arrogant cannot stand in your presence. You hate all who do wrong.”
16. John 15:18 – The World’s Hatred
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.”
17. Titus 3:3 – Hating and Being Hated
“At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.”
18. Romans 1:29-30 – Filled with Hatred
“They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents.”
19. Psalm 11:5 – Testing the Righteous
“The Lord examines the righteous, but the wicked, those who love violence, he hates with a passion.”
20. Luke 6:27 – Love Your Enemies
“But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you.”
21. Proverbs 10:18 – Concealing Hatred
“Whoever conceals hatred with lying lips and spreads slander is a fool.”
22. 1 John 3:13 – The World Hates You
“Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.”
23. Leviticus 19:18 – Love Your Neighbor
“Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.”
24. Proverbs 8:13 – Fear of the Lord
“To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech.”
25. Luke 14:26 – Hating Family
“If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple.”
26. Psalm 34:14 – Turn from Evil
“Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”
27. 1 Corinthians 13:5 – Love Is Not Easily Angered
“It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.”
28. Proverbs 6:16-19 – Hating Wickedness
“There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked schemes, feet that are quick to rush into evil, a false witness who pours out lies and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.”
29. Colossians 3:8 – Rid Yourself of Hatred
“But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.”
30. Micah 6:8 – Act Justly, Love Mercy
“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
31. Romans 12:14 – Bless Those Who Persecute You
“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.”
32. 1 Thessalonians 5:15 – Strive for Good
“Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.”
33. Matthew 22:37-39 – Greatest Commandments
“Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'”
34. Zechariah 8:17 – Hate Evil in Your Heart
“Do not plot evil against each other, and do not love to swear falsely. I hate all this, declares the Lord.”
35. Revelation 2:6 – Hating Evil Deeds
“But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.”
Our Thoughts on What the Bible Says About Hate
The Bible offers profound insights into the dangers and consequences of hate while calling believers to choose love and grace.
Verses like Proverbs 10:12 remind us that love covers all wrongs, while Matthew 5:44 challenges us to love our enemies and pray for them.
Hatred is often linked to sin and separation from God, as seen in Galatians 5:19-21, where it is listed among acts of the flesh.
However, the transformative power of Christ enables believers to reject hatred and embrace forgiveness, kindness, and compassion.
Romans 12:21 encourages overcoming evil with good, reflecting God’s character in all circumstances.
Ultimately, the Bible reveals that hate destroys, but love builds and restores.
By aligning with God’s Word and seeking His help, believers can overcome hatred in their hearts and relationships, reflecting His eternal love and light in a broken world.