When the question “what does the bible say about hating someone” comes up, it usually reflects real hurt—someone offended you, betrayed you, or keeps making things difficult. But God’s Word doesn’t leave believers with permission to carry hatred as a lifestyle. Scripture redirects the heart toward love that acts, repenting of bitterness, and forgiveness that reflects God’s grace. The Bible’s picture of love is practical: it does not brag, it is not puffed up, and it doesn’t respond with envy. And in daily relationships, believers are instructed to put away destructive emotions and speech. Even when the situation feels personal, God calls His people to love their neighbor as themselves and to treat others with kindness and forgiveness—because Christ has already forgiven them.

Bible Verses

Love’s standard: hate is incompatible with Christian charity

Many people assume the “opposite” of hate is just “not thinking about the person,” but the Bible sets a higher standard. In 1 Corinthians 13:4, love (often translated “charity”) has specific qualities: it “suffereth long” and is “kind,” and it “envieth not.” Love doesn’t operate from a jealous heart, and it refuses to be self-exalting. This matters for the question of hatred because hatred tends to be impatient, reactive, and self-protective. By contrast, God’s love is patient, active, and humble.

So if you’re struggling with hatred, examine what your heart is doing. Is it nursing insults, rehearsing offenses, or seeking to outdo the other person? The love described in this passage doesn’t “vaunteth” itself and isn’t “puffed up.” That means Christian love refuses to posture, retaliate, or take satisfaction in someone’s downfall. It may not deny that wrong happened, but it also refuses to let wrong become a permanent identity.

In other words, hatred is not just a feeling—it becomes a pattern of behavior and speech. If you want to move from hate toward obedience, start by asking whether your responses match the love of kindness and patience. God’s goal is not merely to remove anger from your environment, but to reshape your inner life so that love becomes your default response.

This is where the next verse strengthens the path forward: love isn’t vague. It has a command attached to it.

Neighbor-love fulfills God’s will: the command that confronts hatred

God’s Word does not treat hatred as a neutral emotion. Galatians 5:14 gives a clear anchor: “Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” When the Bible speaks about fulfilling the law in one word, it points to love.

That instruction directly challenges the mindset that says, “I can hate them because they deserve it.” The standard is not whether the other person is lovable by human measurement; the standard is how you are to treat your neighbor because God has set the requirement. “As thyself” is important: it assumes you recognize your own needs, dignity, and vulnerability. In the same way, you are called to see others as real people under God’s care.

This neighbor-love doesn’t mean ignoring harm or never setting boundaries. It does mean that hatred cannot be your governing principle. If love is the fulfilling word, then hatred contradicts God’s purpose.

To love your neighbor when you’re hurt often feels impossible, especially if the relationship is tense or the memory of offense keeps resurfacing. That is why God also addresses the emotional residue hatred leaves behind. Love does not grow in a heart full of bitterness.

So consider how the command to love connects with the practical turning point in the next passage: not just feeling, but putting things away.

Repent and forgive: replacing bitterness with tenderhearted love

Hatred rarely stays “contained.” It tends to spill into bitterness, anger, and destructive speech. That’s why Ephesians 4:31-32 is so direct: “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice.” God names the roots and symptoms of hatred, then commands a decisive response.

First, it tells you what to remove: bitterness, wrath, anger, clamour, evil speaking, and malice. Notice the range—this is not only internal emotion but also external expression. Hatred often becomes “evil speaking,” where the heart’s resentment gets translated into words. God calls believers to stop the cycle.

Second, it tells you what to replace it with: “be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another.” The heart posture is tenderhearted. The relational action is forgiving.

And the motivation is Christ-centered: “even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” Forgiveness is not a performance that earns salvation; it’s the natural fruit of having received mercy. If you have been forgiven, you can choose forgiveness rather than hatred.

This means that if you’re asking about hatred, the Bible’s answer is not only “don’t do it.” It’s “turn.” Put away what hatred feeds on, and live in what love creates.

As you practice this daily, you’ll find that hatred loses its grip. Not because the offense disappears instantly, but because your obedience to God’s Word changes how you carry it.

Frequently Asked Questions