Love Your Neighbor and Hate Your Enemy?

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gave a deeper understanding of God’s law and countered misunderstandings about what God wants.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,” Jesus said (Matthew 5:43-44).

This passage begins by addressing something His audience had heard: “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” Where had they heard this?

Where did these sayings originate?

The first part, “You shall love your neighbor,” is clearly from God’s instructions in Leviticus 19:18:

“You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.”

However, God did not command people to “hate your enemy.” Where did this saying come from? Some have pointed to extrabiblical writings or just to the common understanding of the time.

Why would people think they should hate their enemy? Mostly it seems to be just a natural response; revenge and hatred are sentiments of human nature that show up in all cultures. For example, the Roman statesman Cicero is said to have given this rule: “Injure no one, unless previously injured.”

Are there examples in the Bible that might seem to disparage loving enemies and thus support hating enemies?

When Jehoshaphat foolishly supported Ahab

One such example is found at the end of the story recounted in 2 Chronicles 18 and 19, where Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, helped Ahab, the evil king of Israel.

“Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance; and by marriage he allied himself with Ahab. After some years he went down to visit Ahab in Samaria; and Ahab killed sheep and oxen in abundance for him and the people who were with him, and persuaded him to go up with him to Ramoth Gilead.

“So Ahab king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat king of Judah, ‘Will you go with me against Ramoth Gilead?’ And he answered him, ‘I am as you are, and my people as your people; we will be with you in the war’” (2 Chronicles 18:1-3).

Whether as an afterthought or as a desire to seek God’s endorsement of what he had already decided to do, Jehoshaphat then requested that they inquire of God (verse 4). So, Ahab inquired from his 400 prophets whether they should go to war against Ramoth Gilead. These were probably prophets of pagan gods, and they said, “Go up, for God will deliver it into the king’s hand” (verse 5).

But Jehoshaphat wasn’t really interested in the word of these pagan prophets, so he asked Ahab whether there was still a prophet of God that they could ask. Ahab replied, “There is still one man by whom we may inquire of the LORD; but I hate him, because he never prophesies good concerning me, but always evil. He is Micaiah the son of Imla” (verses 6-7).

And as Ahab had predicted, Micaiah did not prophesy good concerning him. He said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the LORD said, ‘These have no master. Let each return to his house in peace’” (verse 16).

Sure enough—just as Micaiah had prophesied—Ahab was killed in the battle. And Jehoshaphat returned to his home in Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 18:33–19:1).

Jehu accuses Jehoshaphat of loving those who hate God

But that wasn’t the end of the story. God still had something to say to Jehoshaphat about this incident.

Even though we are to love our enemies, we are not to follow their evil acts, and we may have to withdraw from them. “And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, ‘Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the LORD? Therefore the wrath of the LORD is upon you’” (2 Chronicles 19:2).

Jehu said that God’s wrath would come upon Jehoshaphat because he loved and helped someone who hated God. Such enabling of sin is not showing godly love! (Learn more in our article “Fruit of the Spirit: Love.”)

Still, perhaps this passage and other verses allowed people in Jesus’ day to believe that they were to hate their enemies and show no love to them.

Commentary explanations of Matthew 5:43-44

What do Bible scholars say about the sources of the saying, “You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy”?

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges notes that the first clause comes from Leviticus 19:18: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.” Their explanation of the source of “hate your enemy” then follows: “The second clause does not occur in Leviticus, but was a Rabbinical inference. Enemies, all who are outside the chosen race, the etymological force of the Greek word.”

MacLaren’s Expositions of Holy Scriptures says, “Where does ‘and hate thine enemy’ come from? Not from Scripture, but in the passage in Leviticus ‘neighbour’ is co-extensive with ‘children of thy people,’ and the hatred and contempt of all men outside Israel which grew upon the Jews found a foothold there. ‘Who is my neighbour?’ was apparently a well-discussed question in the schools of the Rabbis, and, whether any of these teachers ever committed themselves to plainly formulating the principle or not, practically the duty of love was restricted to a narrow circle, and the rest of the wide world left out in the cold. But not only was the circumference of love’s circle drawn in, but to hate an enemy was elevated almost into a duty.”

As we see, both commentaries suggest that the idea that an enemy is to be hated was an inference that the Jews added to Leviticus 19.

And that interpretation may also have come partly from what King David wrote: “Do I not hate them, O LORD, who hate You? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies” (Psalm 139:21-22; see “Imprecatory Psalms: What Can We Learn From Prayers for Revenge?”).

Jesus explained who is our neighbor

At another time, Jesus clearly answered the question, “Who is my neighbor?” He presented a parable to show who it is we are to think of as our neighbors.

The subject came up when an expert in the Jewish religion asked Him, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answered, “What is written in the law? What is your reading of it?”

The lawyer answered, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,’ and ‘your neighbor as yourself.’”

Jesus replied, “You have answered rightly; do this and you will live.”

But the lawyer, wanting to justify himself, said, “And who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:25-29; see “How to Be a Good Neighbor” and “Parable of the Good Samaritan: Tests of Character”).

Keep in mind that many of the Jews considered only those of the chosen race to be their “neighbor,” and all gentiles to be their enemies. This was the typical mindset of the Pharisees. Evidently, the lawyer believed this to be true and was not only testing Christ, but also wanting to justify himself.

Jesus replied with a parable about the good Samaritan

“Then Jesus answered and said: ‘A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead.

“‘Now by chance a certain priest came down that road. And when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. Likewise a Levite, when he arrived at the place, came and looked, and passed by on the other side. But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was. And when he saw him, he had compassion. So he went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine; and he set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him.

“‘On the next day, when he departed, he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, “Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I come again, I will repay you.” So which of these three do you think was neighbor to him who fell among the thieves?’

“And he said, ‘He who showed mercy on him.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise’” (Luke 10:30-37).

In this parable, Jesus explained that we shouldn’t be like the priest and the Levite, men who were respected by the Jews, who didn’t even care for their own countryman. Instead, we should be like the Samaritan, who, though he was despised by the Jews, was willing to care for this Jewish man in need.

The implication was that we are all neighbors, and we should show love to all.

Clearing up what seems to be a contradiction

So, how do we rectify what seems to be a contradiction in the Scriptures?

Jehu pronounced a curse on Jehoshaphat because he helped the wicked and he loved Ahab, who hated the Lord. Therefore, a curse was put on him for showing “love” to an enemy of God.

Yet Jesus said we are to love our enemies and bless and pray for those who hate us.

First, let’s consider that what Jesus said was not something new. Proverbs 25:21-22 states, “If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; for so you will heap coals of fire on his head, and the LORD will reward you.”

But, even though we are to love our enemies, we are not to follow their evil acts, and we may have to withdraw from them.

Paul wrote, “But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly” (2 Thessalonians 3:6).

He also wrote, “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness” (Ephesians 5:11).

Proverbs 1:10 says, “My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.”

And verse 15 states, “My son, do not walk in the way with them [referring to sinners], keep your foot from their path.”

Jehoshaphat disregarded these proverbs. He went along with Ahab’s plans when he should have withdrawn from him.

Love the sinner, but hate the sin

By looking to Christ as our example, we see that He cared for everyone. Many people came to Him to seek healing, and He healed them. He associated with “tax collectors and sinners” who were being called to repentance (Matthew 9:10-13). Remember, He died for us while we were sinners (Romans 5:8).

Yet Jesus never took part in the evils of this world, nor did He ever take part in sin.

So, if someone is in dire need of food, clothing or money, we should be willing to help as we are able. But we are not to participate in or enable any sinful activities.

Perhaps it can be summed up in the saying, “Love the sinner, but hate the sin.”

Study this further in the article “Hate the Sin and Love the Sinner?”