How many times is hate mentioned in the Bible?
The word hate appears 87 times in the King James Version, in 85 verses. Counting every form (hate, hated, hateth, hatred), it appears 196 times in 183 verses across 34 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses hate 93 times (192 with every form).
Hate in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of hate counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| hate | 87 | 93 |
| hated | 60 | 52 |
| hateth | 31 | 0 |
| hatred | 18 | 15 |
| hates | 0 | 32 |
| Total | 196 | 192 |
Which books mention hate most
Hate appears in 34 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Psalms has the most (41), then Proverbs (27) and Deuteronomy (23).
Also in: Hosea (3), Revelation (3), Exodus (2), Leviticus (2), Numbers (2), 2 Chronicles (2), Esther (2), Jeremiah (2), Malachi (2), Romans (2), Joshua (1), 1 Kings (1), Daniel (1), Micah (1), Zechariah (1), Mark (1), Galatians (1), Ephesians (1), Hebrews (1).
First and last mention of hate
And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them.
And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire.
The verse that uses it most is Deuteronomy 21:15, 3 times (tied with 2 Samuel 13:15, John 15:18):
If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated, and they have born him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn son be hers that was hated:
Where the two translations differ
16 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 9 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Genesis 49:23: counted in the KJV only
The archers have sorely grieved him, and shot at him, and hated him:
The archers have severely grieved him, shot at him, and persecuted him:
Job 16:9: counted in the KJV only
He teareth me in his wrath, who hateth me: he gnasheth upon me with his teeth; mine enemy sharpeneth his eyes upon me.
He has torn me in his wrath, and persecuted me. He has gnashed on me with his teeth. My adversary sharpens his eyes on me.
2 Samuel 19:6: counted in the World English Bible only
In that thou lovest thine enemies, and hatest thy friends. For thou hast declared this day, that thou regardest neither princes nor servants: for this day I perceive, that if Absalom had lived, and all we had died this day, then it had pleased thee well.
in that you love those who hate you, and hate those who love you. For you have declared today, that princes and servants are nothing to you. For today I perceive that if Absalom had lived, and all we had died today, then it would have pleased you well.
2 Chronicles 1:11: counted in the World English Bible only
And God said to Solomon, Because this was in thine heart, and thou hast not asked riches, wealth, or honour, nor the life of thine enemies, neither yet hast asked long life; but hast asked wisdom and knowledge for thyself, that thou mayest judge my people, over whom I have made thee king:
God said to Solomon, “Because this was in your heart, and you have not asked riches, wealth, honor, or the life of those who hate you, nor yet have you asked for long life; but have asked for wisdom and knowledge for yourself, that you may judge my people, over whom I have made you king,
Verses with hate on our topic pages
32 verses that use hate in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
idolatry, sorcery, hatred, strife, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, divisions, heresies,
But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you,
On: Love, Prayer, Persecution, Enemies
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You can’t serve both God and Mammon.
On: Money, Contentment, Debt, What Does the Bible Say About Gambling? 25 Verses
There are six things which Yahweh hates; yes, seven which are an abomination to him:
On: Gossip, What Does the Bible Say About Lying? 28 Verses, What Does the Bible Say About Abortion? 25 Verses
Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all wrongs.
On: Love, Forgiveness, Revenge
For I hate divorce”, says Yahweh, the God of Israel, “and him who covers his garment with violence!” says Yahweh of Armies. “Therefore take heed to your spirit, that you don’t deal treacherously.
On: Family, Divorce, What Does the Bible Say About Adultery? 28 Verses
I will set no vile thing before my eyes. I hate the deeds of faithless men. They will not cling to me.
On: Lust, What Does the Bible Say About Pornography? 28 Verses
“But I tell you who hear: love your enemies, do good to those who hate you,
On: Forgiveness, Enemies
Joseph dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brothers, and they hated him all the more.
On: Dreams
you shall not bow yourself down to them, nor serve them, for I, Yahweh your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and on the fourth generation of those who hate me,
On: Idolatry
If you see the donkey of him who hates you fallen down under his burden, don’t leave him, you shall surely help him with it.
On: Enemies
“‘You shall not hate your brother in your heart. You shall surely rebuke your neighbor, and not bear sin because of him.
On: Anger
Common questions
How many times is hate in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 156 of the 196 uses are in the Old Testament and 40 in the New Testament. Hate appears in 34 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Psalms has the most (41), then Proverbs (27) and Deuteronomy (23).
Where is hate first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 24:60: "And they blessed Rebekah, and said unto her, Thou art our sister, be thou the mother of thousands of millions, and let thy seed possess the gate of those which hate them." The last is Revelation 17:16.
More word counts: compassion, goodness, faithful, righteous, sinner, saint, redemption, atonement, or all 253 words.
Counted by Bible Says About from the full public-domain text of the King James Version (1769 edition) and the World English Bible. Verse text only: headings and psalm titles are left out. A word is a run of letters: a hyphenated name like Beer-sheba counts as two, and an apostrophe stays inside its word (LORD'S is one). Matching ignores capital letters. Data compiled 2026-10-05.