Love Thy Enemy
Respond to enemies with kindness, love, and prayer.
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The motif of loving one's enemy appears in the Old and New Testaments, instructing believers to respond to hostility with kindness and prayer. Proverbs 25:21 commands giving food and water to an enemy in need, while Matthew 5:44 expands this to loving, blessing, doing good to, and praying for those who curse, hate, and persecute. These passages present a radical ethic of active goodwill toward adversaries, contrasting with natural impulses of vengeance.
Lore & Background
In the Old Testament, Proverbs 25:21 provides a concrete directive: if an enemy is hungry or thirsty, give them bread and water. This act of mercy is not elaborated further in the passage, but it stands as a practical command to meet an opponent's physical needs. The New Testament, in Matthew 5:44, intensifies this command by adding emotional and spiritual dimensions: love, bless, do good, and pray for those who mistreat you. This teaching is part of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, which reinterprets traditional laws with a higher standard of love.
Reader's Guide
The passages portray love for enemies as an active, tangible response rather than a passive feeling. Proverbs 25:21 focuses on physical sustenance—bread and water—as the means of showing kindness. Matthew 5:44 broadens this to include verbal blessings, good deeds, and intercessory prayer for persecutors. The passages do not explain why one should love enemies, nor do they promise any reward or outcome; they simply command the action. The Old Testament context (Proverbs) is wisdom literature, while the New Testament (Matthew) is a direct teaching of Jesus. Together, they show a consistent biblical theme: hostility is to be met with generosity and prayer, not retaliation.
Did You Know?
- Proverbs 25:21 is the only Old Testament passage in this collection that explicitly commands kindness to an enemy (Proverbs 25:21).
- Matthew 5:44 includes four specific actions toward enemies: love, bless, do good, and pray (Matthew 5:44).
- The command to love enemies in Matthew 5:44 is part of a larger section contrasting 'an eye for an eye' with non-retaliation (Matthew 5:44 context).
- Neither passage defines who qualifies as an 'enemy,' leaving the term open to interpretation (Proverbs 25:21; Matthew 5:44).