“Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.”
My Notes
What Does Matthew 5:43 Mean?
"Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy." Jesus quotes a popular distortion of the law. Leviticus 19:18 says "love thy neighbour" — that's Scripture. But "hate thine enemy" is nowhere in the Old Testament. It's a cultural addition, a popular interpretation that justified restricting love to those who love you back.
Jesus' formula — "ye have heard that it hath been said" — identifies teachings that the people have received from their religious teachers. The original command (love your neighbor) is biblical. The addition (hate your enemy) is human commentary that became confused with revelation.
What follows (verses 44-48) is one of Jesus' most radical teachings: love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, pray for those who persecute you. The "hate your enemy" clause isn't just removed — it's replaced with its exact opposite.
Reflection Questions
- 1.Who have you been justifying hatred toward using reasoning that sounds religious?
- 2.How has 'hate your enemy' been added to God's word in your thinking?
- 3.What would it actually look like to love, bless, and pray for someone who persecutes you?
- 4.Why is loving enemies impossible without grace — and how do you access that grace?
Devotional
You've heard: love your neighbor, hate your enemy. Jesus says: you heard wrong. The first part is Scripture. The second part is something people made up and attached to God's word to justify limiting their love.
The unauthorized addition — "hate thine enemy" — is one of the most revealing examples of how religious communities distort truth. Nobody in the Old Testament says "hate your enemy." But it felt like a natural extension of "love your neighbor": if I'm supposed to love my neighbor, then surely I can hate the people who aren't my neighbor. The inference seemed logical. It was also wrong.
Jesus doesn't just remove the distortion. He replaces it with the most demanding command in the Sermon on the Mount: love your enemies. Not tolerate them. Not refrain from harming them. Love them. Bless them. Do good to them. Pray for them. The people who are actively persecuting you — those are the ones you love.
This is the teaching that makes Christianity impossible without grace. Nobody can love their enemy through willpower alone. The command requires something beyond human capacity — it requires the Father's nature operating through you. Be perfect, Jesus says (verse 48), as your heavenly Father is perfect. He loves enemies. You should too.
Who is your enemy? The person you've been justifying hatred toward using religious reasoning? Jesus says: love them. And He's not joking.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Ye have heard that it hath been said,.... By, or to them of old time. This law has been delivered to them,
thou shalt…
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We have here, lastly, an exposition of that great fundamental law of the second table, Thou shalt love thy neighbour,…
(c) Love or Charity, 43 48.
43. Thou shalt love thy neighbour Lev 19:18, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." The…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture