Define hate in scripture?

In Scripture, **hate** can mean either active hostility toward evil or a strong preference for one thing over another.

God’s hatred is his holy opposition to sin and injustice: “You hate all evildoers” (Psalm 5:5), and “There are six things that the LORD hates” (Proverbs 6:16–19). This does not contradict God’s love; it expresses his righteous judgment against evil.

“Hate” can also describe comparative loyalty. Jesus says a disciple must “hate” father and mother (Luke 14:26), meaning that allegiance to Christ must take priority over every other relationship. The parallel in Matthew 10:37 makes this sense clear: whoever loves family more than Christ is not worthy of him.

Toward other people, hatred is condemned when it takes the form of malice, contempt, or hostility. “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer” (1 John 3:15). Jesus commands love for enemies (Matthew 5:44), so opposition to evil must not become personal vengeance or cruelty.

Biblical hatred, then, is not one single emotion: it can describe God’s just opposition to sin, a disciple’s rejection of evil, or—figuratively—a lesser love compared with a greater allegiance. When directed toward people as spite or malice, it is sin.