Each passage in this love thy enemy bible verse collection is quoted exactly from the King James Version, beginning with the saying Jesus corrected.
Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
Matthew 5:43 (KJV)
The second half, hate thine enemy, is not in the Law. It was a popular gloss that Jesus is about to overturn, which is the setting for the love thy enemy bible verse.
But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
Matthew 5:44 (KJV)
Four verbs follow love: bless, do good, pray. The command is practical and aimed at behaviour, so it can be obeyed even when the feeling lags. It carries the love thy enemy bible verse into daily life.
That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. The love thy enemy bible verse is a blend of two Bible commands.
Matthew 5:45 (KJV)
God’s own example is the reason. Sun and rain fall on the good and the bad alike, and his children are asked to carry the same generosity into the way they treat opponents. This gives the love thy enemy bible verse a practical shape.
For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?
Matthew 5:46 (KJV)
Loving only the lovable is ordinary. The love thy enemy bible verse sets a higher bar than tax collectors, who were despised in Jesus’ day, could reach.
But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.
Luke 6:27-28 (KJV)
Luke gives the command in the sermon on the plain. It opens with the words which hear, a hint that the command is for those who are willing to listen. A sober thought alongside the love thy enemy bible verse.
But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Even the love thy enemy bible verse needs care in how it is applied.
Luke 6:35 (KJV)
The love thy enemy bible verse reaches the wallet here: lend without expecting repayment. God is kind to the unthankful, so his children can be too.
If thou meet thine enemy’s ox or his ass going astray, thou shalt surely bring it back to him again.
Exodus 23:4 (KJV)
Here is the old root. In the law of Moses, a stray animal belonging to an enemy must be returned. Care for an enemy was already law centuries before Jesus preached. It shows how the love thy enemy bible verse was rooted in the Law.
If thou see the ass of him that hateth thee lying under his burden, and wouldest forbear to help him, thou shalt surely help with him.
Exodus 23:5 (KJV)
The man who hates you is in trouble, and you are told to help him. It is a very early example of the love thy enemy bible verse put into practice.
If thine enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink:
Proverbs 25:21 (KJV)
Provision for an enemy’s basic needs is a theme across Scripture. Hunger does not stop being hunger because the hungry person disagrees with you. Another older source for the love thy enemy bible verse.
For thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head, and the LORD shall reward thee.
Proverbs 25:22 (KJV)
The coals image is often read as a way of stirring shame and a change of heart. It need not be a threat; many readers hear a hope that kindness might melt the enemy’s hostility. Paul leans on it when he restates the love thy enemy bible verse.
Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth:
Proverbs 24:17 (KJV)
Even a quiet inward satisfaction at an enemy’s downfall is ruled out. It is a searching test of the heart, for the love thy enemy bible verse begins inside.
Say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me: I will render to the man according to his work.
Proverbs 24:29 (KJV)
Payback is rejected as a policy. The proverb speaks to the instinct to retaliate and advises against saying it, even in private. Hold it close to the love thy enemy bible verse when anger rises.
Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.
Romans 12:20 (KJV)
Paul quotes Proverbs 25 almost word for word, showing how the early church read the older Scriptures in light of Jesus. This quiet line lies behind the love thy enemy bible verse.
Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
Romans 12:21 (KJV)
The shortest summary of the love thy enemy bible verse. Evil wins when it makes us act like it, and good wins when we refuse.
Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.
Romans 12:17 (KJV)
A rule for ordinary relationships. Honesty and a refusal to repay in kind are practical ways of loving someone who has wronged us. Few lines state the love thy enemy bible verse so briefly.
For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.
Romans 5:10 (KJV)
We were once God’s enemies, and he loved us anyway. That is the deepest motive for the love thy enemy bible verse: we are passing on what we received.
Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.
Luke 23:34 (KJV)
Jesus practised what he preached while being crucified. The command to pray for those who use you was spoken by someone who did exactly that. It gives the love thy enemy bible verse a gentler edge.
When a man’s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.
Proverbs 16:7 (KJV)
A hopeful promise. Sometimes the most effective answer to hostility is a quiet life lived well before God, which can disarm an opponent. It reminds us that the love thy enemy bible verse needs wisdom.
Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.
1 Peter 3:9 (KJV)
Peter says blessing in return for insult is a calling, not just a good idea. The love thy enemy bible verse is part of what it means to be a Christian.
And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.
Acts 7:60 (KJV)
Stephen, being stoned, echoes Jesus on the cross. The first Christian martyr prayed for the people killing him, showing that the command was lived out within a few years. It is a hopeful companion to the love thy enemy bible verse.
The King James Version uses thou, thy and thine for singular address and ye and your for plural. When Jesus tells a crowd to love your enemies, the plural pronoun is natural. When people remember the line as love thy enemy, they are mixing it with love thy neighbour from Leviticus 19:18, which is singular. The love thy enemy bible verse is a blend in popular memory.
That is not a mistake to correct angrily. It shows how deeply the two commands are linked in the imagination. Neighbour and enemy sit side by side in Matthew 5:43-44, with Jesus extending the first command to include the second.
If you want the exact wording, look to Matthew 5:44 and Luke 6:27 for love your enemies. If you want the singular form, you can turn to the Old Testament passages that command specific kindness to an enemy, such as Exodus 23:4-5 and Proverbs 25:21. Both are on this page. That explains the oddity of the love thy enemy bible verse as people remember it.
Many people assume that loving enemies was a brand new idea in the Sermon on the Mount. In fact the Law of Moses had already ordered that an enemy’s lost ox or donkey be returned, and that a person should help an enemy whose animal had collapsed under its load. The love thy enemy bible verse has deep Old Testament roots.
Proverbs adds food and drink for a hungry enemy, and warns against gloating at an enemy’s fall. These instructions treat the enemy as a human being in need and not as a target. They do not demand warm affection, but they demand action, and action can grow into attitude.
Jesus took this thread and pulled it through the whole of life. He did not abolish the Law; he showed what it had been aiming at. When you read the Old Testament passages beside Matthew 5, the continuity is plain. See our page on love your enemies for the plural form of the command in the Gospels. Keep that history in mind as you read the love thy enemy bible verse.
Jesus quotes a saying: thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. The first half is from Leviticus 19:18. The second half appears nowhere in the Law. It seems to have grown up as a common interpretation, where neighbour meant fellow Jews and enemy meant everyone else, especially Roman occupiers.
Jesus replaces the narrow reading with a wide one. In his teaching, even the enemy is someone to bless and pray for. The love thy enemy bible verse therefore contradicts a cultural habit more than it contradicts the Law itself. Elsewhere he tells the story of the good Samaritan, in which the hated outsider becomes the hero.
It is a reminder to check what we have absorbed from our communities. Some attitudes pass as religious simply because they are old or popular. The sermon asks us to measure them against what God has actually said, and against how God treats those who oppose him. It is not a new idea, which makes the love thy enemy bible verse richer.
An enemy can be a nation at war, but more often it is a person closer to home: a former friend who betrayed you, a boss who humiliated you, a relative who harmed your family. In a polarised age, many include political opponents or online critics. The love thy enemy bible verse covers all of them.
Jesus does not define the enemy narrowly. In Luke 6 he says them which hate you, curse you and despitefully use you. Such terms cover anyone who treats you badly, whether publicly or privately. They also cover people we simply find hard to like, though the more severe cases need more careful responses.
It can help to write down the names of the people you struggle with. Often the list has just two or three. Naming them is the first step to praying for them, which is the thing Jesus names most clearly. You may be surprised by how this changes your feelings. The love thy enemy bible verse overturns a popular habit of thought.
Matthew 5:44 and Luke 6:27-28 give four actions, and they build from inside to outside. Love is the attitude, bless is the speech, do good is the action and pray is the conversation with God. Together they provide a plan for responding to someone who has hurt you.
Start with prayer, since it is the easiest to do in private. You do not need fine words. Simply ask God to bless the person and to show you how to respond. The love thy enemy bible verse works from the inside out, and prayer is often where the heart begins to soften.
Then speak well of them if the chance arises, or at least refrain from speaking ill. Then look for one small act of good, such as a greeting, a favour or a donation to something they care about. Over time these acts build a different relationship, or at least a different you. The love thy enemy bible verse leaves no one off the list.
It is vital to say that loving an enemy does not mean pretending nothing happened. It does not require approving of what they did, or trusting them again before they show change. Jesus himself did not entrust himself to everyone, and Paul named the people who had harmed him.
Love wants the good of the other person, and sometimes the good of the other person requires boundaries, honest confrontation or legal consequence. The love thy enemy bible verse is compatible with locking a door, reporting a crime or leaving an unsafe place. It rules out hatred, not wisdom.
If you have suffered abuse, please know that this command does not ask you to stay in danger. Seek safety first, and seek trusted help. Loving an enemy may begin years later, after healing has taken place, and God is patient in that timing. Read also Bible verses for protection from enemies. Each verb in the love thy enemy bible verse has a place.
Romans 12:21 gives a motto: be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good. In daily life that may mean answering a rude email with courtesy, or declining to repeat gossip about someone who has gossiped about you. It means stepping off the escalator of hostility.
There is a practical wisdom in this. Anger answered with anger usually grows. A soft answer, as Proverbs says, turns away wrath. The love thy enemy bible verse offers not just a moral ideal but a way of ending cycles of retaliation that damage everyone involved.
Try it for a week with one difficult person. Decide in advance not to respond in kind, and plan one kind act. Notice what happens inside you, as well as what happens to them. You may find that the greatest change is a loosening of your own resentment. The love thy enemy bible verse is not a call to weakness.
The image of heaping coals of fire on an enemy’s head has puzzled readers for centuries. Some hear a threat, as though kindness were a clever way to make the enemy suffer. But the context is generosity: give bread, give water. The love thy enemy bible verse does not hide revenge in its folds. Paul quotes it right before telling believers to overcome evil with good.
A common explanation points to an Egyptian custom in which a person carried a pan of burning coals on the head as a sign of repentance. In that reading, kindness stirs the enemy to shame and a change of heart. Another view says the coals are the burning pangs of conscience.
Whichever view you take, the instruction is the same: feed the hungry enemy. The result is in God’s hands. Our job is to do the good thing and leave the effect to him. Trying to calculate the outcome would turn kindness into manipulation, which is the opposite of what Paul means. The love thy enemy bible verse works well in small daily choices.
The hardest enemies are often relatives. A sibling who cheated in an inheritance, a parent who withheld approval, a spouse who left. The love thy enemy bible verse feels different when the person shares your holiday table. Grief and anger mix, and family loyalty makes things more tangled.
Begin with honesty about the pain. God is not shocked by it, and the Psalms are full of anger. Then, take small steps toward peace: a short message, a card at a birthday, a willingness to listen. You cannot force reconciliation, but you can leave the door ajar.
If the relationship remains broken, release the bitterness anyway. Forgiveness is something you do for your own freedom as well as theirs. Visit Bible verses about forgiveness for passages on letting go, and speak with a counsellor or pastor if the wound is deep. Keep this in view as you practise the love thy enemy bible verse.
Not every enemy is dramatic. Some are simply the colleague who takes credit for your work, or the church member who criticises every decision. The love thy enemy bible verse covers these quiet hostilities as well. They drain energy and can sour the whole week.
Pray for the person by name each morning. Look for one thing you can honestly appreciate in them. Speak to them directly and kindly about problems, rather than around them. Where conflict persists, follow the process Jesus lays out in Matthew 18, which begins with a private conversation.
Meanwhile, do not feed the rumour mill. Silence about their faults, joined with genuine prayer, often changes the atmosphere. People can sense when they are being prayed for, and some soften without knowing why. The love thy enemy bible verse has its best example in Jesus.
The most persuasive part of the love thy enemy bible verse is not the words but the life behind them. As Jesus was being crucified, he prayed, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. He had told his followers to pray for those who despitefully use them, and then did it himself under the worst possible conditions.
This gives the command credibility. It is not a counsel of perfection from someone who had never been hurt. It is the practice of the one who bore the worst injustice and answered with mercy. Our story with our enemies is small by comparison, but it follows the same pattern.
It also means we are not left to do this alone. The one who forgave his killers is able to help us forgive ours. When resentment feels too heavy, we can ask for his help and he gives it. See Father forgive them for a closer look at that prayer. The love thy enemy bible verse was lived in the earliest church.
Acts 7 gives the first Christian martyr, Stephen, a young man full of faith. As the stones struck him, he knelt and cried out, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. These were almost the same words Jesus had spoken. The love thy enemy bible verse was not just talked about in the early church; it was lived.
One of those watching approvingly was a young man named Saul, who later became the apostle Paul. Some have wondered whether Stephen’s prayer helped to plant a seed. It is a striking thought that the man who would write Romans 12 about overcoming evil with good had seen it done in front of him.
The story invites us to hope. We rarely know what our small acts of forgiveness will accomplish. But God does, and he can use them to change people we never expected to reach. The love thy enemy bible verse is a direction of travel, not a single step.
There are enemies we cannot forgive, at least not today. The injury is too deep, the person has not apologised, or the memory returns daily. The love thy enemy bible verse can sound like a demand that crushes. It helps to see it as a direction, not a single leap.
Begin with a smaller prayer: Lord, I am not able to love this person, but I am willing to be made willing. God honours that kind of honesty. Over weeks and months, willingness can grow. Some people find that they can pray for the person’s welfare long before they can feel anything warm.
Share the burden with someone you trust. Forgiveness is rarely achieved in isolation. A friend, pastor or counsellor can listen without hurry, and the very act of telling the story can loosen its grip. For related help, see Bible verses about forgiveness and healing. Parents can teach the love thy enemy bible verse by example.
Parents often wonder how to teach children the love thy enemy bible verse when a classmate is unkind. The first step is to protect the child and involve teachers where needed. Love does not mean passivity in the face of cruelty.
Within that safety, children can learn to pray for the other child, to refuse to join in retaliation and to include them when they can. Stories help: David sparing Saul, Joseph forgiving his brothers, Jesus washing the feet of Judas. Each shows love for a person who had done wrong.
Model it in your own words. When you speak of people who have upset you, speak with fairness. Children notice whether adults live what they teach. A calm answer in your own conflict is the most powerful lesson they will receive. The love thy enemy bible verse is a source of freedom here.
The love thy enemy bible verse raises hard questions about war and justice. Christians have held different views on whether, and when, force may be used to protect the innocent. Scripture also says that rulers bear the sword to restrain evil, and these passages must be read alongside Jesus’ call to love.
Whatever one concludes, the command applies to the heart. Even those who serve in defence of others are called to avoid hatred and cruelty, and to treat prisoners and enemies as human beings. The best of soldiers, judges and police officers have long understood this.
For ordinary citizens, the verse means refusing to dehumanise people on the other side of a conflict. Prayer for peace, for enemies and for leaders is a daily duty. It is a small thing, but it keeps hearts from hardening during years of tension.
Social media has multiplied the number of strangers who can annoy or insult us. It is tempting to reply sharply or to pile onto a pile-on. The love thy enemy bible verse offers a different approach: pause, pray and answer gently, or not at all.
Before you post a reply, ask whether you would say it in person to someone you hoped to win over. Try to see the person behind the screen. Many angry comments come from fear, pain or loneliness, and kindness occasionally opens a real conversation.
You can also bless without replying. Mute an account that drags you down, and pray for its owner. Guard your own heart, because constant hostility changes the reader as well as the writer. Love can be silent.
Choose one person. On day one, write their name and ask God to bless them. On day two, list three good qualities they have, however small. On day three, pray for a specific good thing in their life. On day four, do a quiet act of kindness. The love thy enemy bible verse becomes real when it is practised.
On day five, speak well of them to someone else, or say nothing negative. On day six, reflect on how you contributed to the conflict, if at all. On day seven, thank God for what you have learned and decide on one ongoing habit, such as a weekly prayer for them.
At the end of the week, notice what has changed. The other person may not have, but your attitude may have eased. If so, repeat the plan for another week. Small habits build lasting freedom from resentment.
You may pray these words: Lord, you know who has hurt me, and how much it still stings. I do not have the strength to love them on my own. Give me your heart toward them. Bless them, and free me from bitterness. Show me what to do next. Amen.
Pray it honestly, even if the words feel hollow. Jesus said to pray for those who despitefully use us, and he did not say we must feel anything first. The love thy enemy bible verse starts with the will, and the heart follows slowly.
Revisit the prayer weekly. Over time you may find that the name that once made your stomach clench now draws a quieter response. That change is God’s work, and it is a gift you can receive gratefully.
Romans 5:10 reminds us that when we were enemies, God reconciled us through the death of his Son. This is the engine behind the love thy enemy bible verse. We do not love our enemies because they deserve it, but because we ourselves were once the ones standing against God, and he loved us anyway.
Seeing the command in this light changes the tone. It stops being a heavy rule and becomes a way of passing on mercy. We have been forgiven a great debt, and we are asked to release small debts. The parable of the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18 makes the same point vividly.
When resentment rises, try recalling a time when you needed mercy yourself. The memory does not excuse the wrong done to you, but it softens the heart enough to pray. Gratitude for grace is a strong force against bitterness.
The love thy enemy bible verse sits in the middle of a long sermon that describes the character of the kingdom. It follows the Beatitudes, where the merciful and the peacemakers are blessed, and it precedes the teaching on giving, prayer and trust. Each part supports the others.
Placing the command in this setting helps to see it as an expression of a whole new way of life, not an isolated demand. People who are poor in spirit, who hunger for righteousness and who are pure in heart will find it natural to bless an enemy, because they have been changed from within.
Reading the whole sermon in one sitting takes about fifteen minutes and is a worthwhile exercise. Notice how often Jesus deals with inner motives, such as anger, lust and pride, before he gets to enemies. See Bible verses about the Sermon on the Mount for more.
If the love thy enemy bible verse has challenged you, these related collections may help you take the next step: Love your enemies, Loving your enemies, Bible verses about enemies, Bible verses about forgiveness, Father forgive them, Love thy neighbor, Sermon on the Mount, Loving others, Bible verses about mercy, Protection from enemies.
To study these verses in more depth, try Bible Gateway, Bible Hub, Bible Study Tools, Blue Letter Bible.
The closest passages are Matthew 5:44 and Luke 6:27, where Jesus says love your enemies. The older commands, such as Exodus 23:4-5 and Proverbs 25:21, ask for practical kindness to an enemy.
Not in those exact words. The KJV says love your enemies in the Gospels, and thou shalt love thy neighbour in Leviticus 19:18. People often blend the two phrases into the love thy enemy bible verse.
The phrase is not, but the practice is. Exodus 23:4-5 commands helping an enemy’s animal, and Proverbs 25:21 says to feed a hungry enemy. Jesus builds on these teachings.
The command is for action first: bless, do good and pray. Feelings often follow. You can obey even when emotions are cold, and God honours the willingness to begin.
No. Loving an enemy does not mean staying in danger or ignoring harm. Seek safety, use proper channels and ask trusted people for help. Love wants what is good for everyone, including the safety of victims. The love thy enemy bible verse asks for action first.
It is a figure of speech for the effect of kindness on an enemy, often understood as stirring shame and a change of heart. Paul quotes it in Romans 12:20 alongside the command to overcome evil with good. The love thy enemy bible verse never excuses danger.
