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.”
Hatred fuels discord, but love heals and restores relationships.
This verse emphasizes the unifying power of love over hatred.
Living in love ensures peace and harmony in all interactions.
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.”
Hatred contradicts genuine love for God and others, exposing a lack of true faith.
This verse challenges believers to align their actions with their professed love for God.
Living in love ensures authenticity in faith and relationships.
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.”
Jesus calls believers to transcend hatred by loving and praying for adversaries.
This verse redefines love as a transformative response to hate.
Living in grace ensures reflecting God’s love even in challenging circumstances.
4. Romans 12:9 – Hate What Is Evil
“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.”
Hatred should target evil, not people, while love embraces goodness.
This verse instructs believers to reject sin and pursue righteousness.
Living in discernment ensures prioritizing God’s standards of good over evil.
5. Proverbs 15:17 – Love Over Hatred
“Better a small serving of vegetables with love than a fattened calf with hatred.”
Love enhances even humble circumstances, while hatred diminishes abundance.
This verse highlights the value of love in creating joyful and fulfilling relationships.
Living in love ensures prioritizing harmony over material wealth.
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.”
Hatred equates to murder in the heart, revealing its destructive spiritual consequences.
This verse warns believers of the gravity of harboring hate.
Living in forgiveness ensures spiritual life and peace within.
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.”
There are seasons for every emotion, but love must ultimately prevail.
This verse acknowledges human experiences while urging discernment and balance.
Living in wisdom ensures navigating emotions with grace and purpose.
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.”
Hatred should be replaced with honest and constructive correction.
This verse calls for addressing issues with love and integrity.
Living in truth ensures reconciliation and growth in relationships.
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.”
Hatred must be replaced with kindness, compassion, and forgiveness.
This verse encourages believers to mirror Christ’s love in all interactions.
Living in kindness ensures embodying His example of grace and mercy.
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.”
Loving God means rejecting evil in all its forms.
This verse highlights the protective power of aligning with His righteousness.
Living in holiness ensures walking in His protection and favor.
11. Matthew 24:10 – Many Will Hate
“At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other.”
Hatred grows in times of spiritual decline, but love rooted in faith combats division.
This verse warns believers to remain steadfast in love and truth.
Living in perseverance ensures faithfulness amid challenges.
12. Proverbs 26:24 – Concealed Hatred
“Enemies disguise themselves with their lips, but in their hearts they harbor deceit.”
Hatred often hides behind false words, damaging trust and relationships.
This verse urges believers to seek sincerity and truth in interactions.
Living in integrity ensures genuine and Christlike behavior.
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.”
Hatred is part of the sinful nature that leads away from God’s kingdom.
This verse calls believers to reject hatred and embrace the Spirit’s fruit.
Living in the Spirit ensures victory over destructive tendencies.
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.”
Hatred blinds hearts, leading to spiritual confusion and harm.
This verse emphasizes the importance of walking in the light of God’s love.
Living in His light ensures clarity and purpose in relationships.
15. Psalm 5:5 – Hatred of Wickedness
“The arrogant cannot stand in your presence. You hate all who do wrong.”
God’s hatred for wickedness reflects His holiness and justice.
This verse reminds believers to align with His righteous standards.
Living in alignment ensures rejecting sin and pursuing holiness.
16. John 15:18 – The World’s Hatred
“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.”
Believers may face hatred for their faith, but Christ shared in this experience.
This verse offers comfort and strength in enduring persecution.
Living in courage ensures faithfulness in the face of opposition.
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.”
Before Christ, hatred often defined relationships; His grace transforms this cycle.
This verse encourages gratitude for His redemptive work.
Living in redemption ensures reflecting His grace in all interactions.
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.”
Hatred accompanies a rejection of God, leading to widespread moral decay.
This verse calls believers to stand apart by embracing God’s truth.
Living in righteousness ensures reflecting His light in a dark world.
19. Psalm 11:5 – Testing the Righteous
“The Lord examines the righteous, but the wicked, those who love violence, he hates with a passion.”
God’s justice condemns hatred and violence while affirming the righteous.
This verse reassures believers of His support in pursuing peace.
Living in peace ensures reflecting His justice and mercy.
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.”
Responding to hatred with love reflects Christ’s transformative teachings.
This verse challenges believers to embody radical love and grace.
Living in love ensures being a light in a world of animosity.
21. Proverbs 10:18 – Concealing Hatred
“Whoever conceals hatred with lying lips and spreads slander is a fool.”
Concealing hatred damages trust and fosters deceit, undermining relationships.
This verse warns against harboring hidden resentment that leads to sin.
Living in honesty ensures relationships built on truth and love.
22. 1 John 3:13 – The World Hates You
“Do not be surprised, my brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.”
Believers’ commitment to righteousness often provokes hatred from the world.
This verse encourages steadfastness in the face of opposition.
Living in faith ensures perseverance despite worldly hostility.
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.”
Hatred has no place among God’s people; love must prevail.
This verse calls for forgiveness and unity over discord.
Living in love ensures reflecting God’s character in all interactions.
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.”
Hating sin reflects reverence for God and alignment with His holiness.
This verse urges believers to reject sinful tendencies and pursue righteousness.
Living in reverence ensures walking faithfully in God’s ways.
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.”
This verse uses strong language to emphasize prioritizing Christ above all else.
It challenges believers to place God’s kingdom above personal attachments.
Living in devotion ensures wholehearted commitment to Christ.
26. Psalm 34:14 – Turn from Evil
“Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.”
Hatred is overcome by actively pursuing goodness and peace in all circumstances.
This verse encourages believers to replace hate with righteous action and reconciliation.
Living in peace ensures embodying God’s love and purpose in relationships.
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.”
True love is incompatible with hatred, holding no grudges or malice.
This verse invites believers to reflect God’s love in their behavior.
Living in forgiveness ensures building healthy and loving relationships.
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.”
God’s hatred for sin calls believers to align their hearts with His righteousness.
This verse warns against behaviors that disrupt unity and reflect hatred.
Living in integrity ensures rejecting all forms of evil and malice.
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.”
Hatred and malice have no place in a heart transformed by Christ.
This verse calls believers to purge their lives of destructive emotions and actions.
Living in renewal ensures reflecting Christ’s love and grace daily.
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.”
Loving mercy replaces hatred, fostering justice and humility in relationships.
This verse challenges believers to live out God’s love and compassion.
Living in humility ensures embracing peace and kindness as His followers.
31. Romans 12:14 – Bless Those Who Persecute You
“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.”
Hatred is countered by blessing and extending kindness even to adversaries.
This verse emphasizes responding to hostility with grace and love.
Living in blessing ensures reflecting God’s mercy and patience in difficult situations.
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.”
Rejecting hatred involves pursuing good, even when wronged by others.
This verse encourages active love and reconciliation over retaliation.
Living in goodness ensures overcoming evil with God’s love and purpose.
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.'”
Hatred is eliminated when believers fully embrace love for God and others.
This verse summarizes God’s ultimate desire for unity and peace.
Living in love ensures fulfilling His greatest commandments with joy.
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.”
God’s disdain for hatred and deceit calls for pure hearts and truthful interactions.
This verse reminds believers to align with His standards of integrity.
Living in purity ensures reflecting His holiness in thoughts and actions.
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.”
Hatred for sinful practices aligns believers with God’s righteous judgment.
This verse commends rejecting compromise with evil influences.
Living in alignment ensures standing firm in His truth and love.
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.