What Does the Bible Say About Hate?

TL;DR: The Bible presents hate as complex — it's sinful to hate people in your heart Leviticus 19:17, yet hating evil is actually rooted in the fear of God Proverbs 8:13. Love is meant to cover sins where hatred stirs up strife Proverbs 10:12. Jesus himself was hated by the world because he exposed its evil deeds John 7:7. Scripture doesn't treat all hate equally: hating your brother is condemned, while hating wickedness is praised.

"Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins." — Proverbs 10:12

This verse from Proverbs cuts right to the heart of what the Bible says about hate between people. Hatred is portrayed as an active, destructive force — it stirs up conflict rather than resolving it Proverbs 10:12. By contrast, love is the remedy, covering over offenses and restoring relationship.

Yet the Bible also makes a striking distinction: not all hate is sinful. In Proverbs 8:13, divine wisdom herself declares that hating evil is inseparable from fearing the Lord Proverbs 8:13. The psalmist echoes this in Psalm 139:21, expressing grief and even hatred toward those who oppose God Psalms 139:21. Scripture holds both truths in tension — hate directed at sin and evil can be righteous, but hate harbored against a fellow human being corrupts the soul Leviticus 19:17.

Protestant · Christianity

Protestant View on Hate

"The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate." — Proverbs 8:13

Protestant theology draws a firm line between sinful hatred of persons and the righteous hatred of evil. Leviticus 19:17 is foundational here — God commands Israel not to hate a brother in the heart, and pairs that command with the duty to rebuke a neighbor rather than let sin go unaddressed Leviticus 19:17. Silence isn't kindness; hidden hatred is still hatred, and it makes the one who harbors it bear guilt.

Proverbs 10:12 is frequently cited in Protestant preaching as a call to let love govern relationships rather than resentment Proverbs 10:12. The verse doesn't say love ignores sin — it says love covers it, implying active, costly grace rather than passive indifference.

Protestants also take seriously the positive dimension of hate found in Proverbs 8:13, where fearing God is directly equated with hating evil, pride, arrogance, and perverse speech Proverbs 8:13. This means a Christian who never hates anything may actually lack a properly formed conscience. Moral seriousness requires genuine aversion to wickedness.

Finally, John 7:7 reminds Protestant readers that Jesus himself was hated by the world because his testimony exposed evil deeds John 7:7. Believers who follow Christ can expect similar hostility — and that reality reframes hate not just as a moral problem to avoid, but as a spiritual reality to navigate faithfully.

Key takeaways

The Bible forbids hating people in your heart — Leviticus 19:17 calls it sinful and commands honest rebuke instead Leviticus 19:17.
Hating evil is actually a mark of godliness — Proverbs 8:13 ties the fear of the Lord directly to hating pride, arrogance, and wickedness Proverbs 8:13.
Hatred between people is destructive: 'Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins' (Proverbs 10:12) Proverbs 10:12.
Jesus was hated by the world specifically because he testified that its works were evil (John 7:7) John 7:7.
Hating God's wisdom is equated with loving death — Proverbs 8:36 frames hatred of divine truth as self-destruction Proverbs 8:36.

FAQs

Is it ever okay to hate something according to the Bible?

Yes — the Bible explicitly says that fearing God involves hating evil, pride, arrogance, and perverse speech Proverbs 8:13. This is a righteous, God-aligned hatred directed at sin itself, not at people. Hating wickedness is distinct from hating a person, which Scripture consistently condemns Leviticus 19:17.

What does the Bible say about hating your brother?

Leviticus 19:17 directly forbids hating a brother in the heart Leviticus 19:17. Interestingly, the verse pairs that prohibition with a command to rebuke your neighbor — meaning the godly alternative to hidden hatred isn't silence, but honest, loving correction. Harboring secret resentment is treated as a form of sin.

Does hatred lead to death according to the Bible?

Proverbs 8:36 states that all who hate divine wisdom love death Proverbs 8:36. This connects hatred of God's ways with a self-destructive orientation. Meanwhile, Proverbs 10:12 shows that hatred between people stirs up strife Proverbs 10:12, suggesting that hate, left unchecked, leads to relational and spiritual destruction.

Why did the world hate Jesus?

In John 7:7, Jesus explains it plainly: the world couldn't hate his disciples the same way it hated him, because he testified that its works were evil John 7:7. The hatred Jesus faced wasn't random — it was a direct response to his moral witness. Truth-telling about sin provokes hostility from those who love their sin.

How does love relate to hate in the Bible?

Proverbs 10:12 sets them in direct contrast: hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all sins Proverbs 10:12. Love is the antidote to destructive hate. Leviticus 19:17 reinforces this by commanding that instead of hating a neighbor in your heart, you rebuke them — an act of love, not hatred Leviticus 19:17.

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