Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
English Standard Version (ESV)
It's easy to read this and think about outward actions, but John is actually pointing to the inner reality of hate. He's saying that the root of murder, which is hate, disqualifies someone from having God's life within them, revealing how deeply God cares about the condition of our hearts.
Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
English Standard Version (ESV)
John is contrasting the life of a believer, marked by love for others, with the destructive nature of sin and hatred. He’s just explained how we know the difference between God's children and the devil's children – by whether they practice righteousness or hatred. This verse directly follows that by showing the extreme consequence of harboring hatred: it disqualifies one from truly possessing eternal life.
John throws a bombshell here: hate equals murder. How can this be?
This verse isn't about casual dislike; it's about a deep, settled hatred that desires destruction. John connects the internal attitude (hate) with the ultimate external action (murder). He's saying that the root of murder—the desire to annihilate another person—is already present when you harbor hateful thoughts towards a fellow believer.
Think about it: murder is the complete rejection of a person's value and right to live. When hate takes root, it starts to chip away at that same recognition of value and worth in the other person, especially within the community of faith. John wants us to understand that this kind of destructive emotion is incompatible with the new life God gives.
The flip side of John's stark warning is a powerful truth about eternal life.
John doesn't just say murderers won't have eternal life; he states they don't have it 'abiding in him.' This phrase 'abiding in him' is crucial. It implies a present, ongoing reality, not just a future reward. Eternal life isn't just something we get when we die; it's a quality of life that begins now, a life characterized by God's presence and power actively at work within us.
Hate, by its very nature, drives out the life and love of God. It creates a spiritual environment where His life cannot flourish. Conversely, loving our brothers and sisters is a key indicator that God's eternal life is indeed dwelling within us.
Understand the original words
Ask a follow-up
miseō · Greek Verb
An intense aversion or ill-will; the opposite of love, rooted in a rejection of God and His people.
aiōnios zōē · Greek Noun phrase
A life that is qualitatively divine and quantitatively unending, begun at regeneration and fully realized in the presence of God.
Jesus expands the definition of murder beyond the physical act to include hateful anger towards a brother, mirroring John's point that harboring hate is spiritually equivalent to murder.
1 John 4:20This passage directly contrasts loving God with hating a brother, emphasizing that true love for God is demonstrated through love for fellow believers, reinforcing John's assertion that hate disqualifies one from eternal life.
Galatians 5:19-21This passage lists 'hatred, rivalry, fits of anger, selfishness, divisions, envy' as works of the flesh that exclude people from inheriting God's kingdom, aligning with John's severe warning about the spiritual consequences of hatred.
1 John 2:9-11John explicitly states that anyone who claims to be in the light but hates their brother is still in darkness, reinforcing the idea that hatred is a fundamental barrier to experiencing God's life and presence.
It's easy to read this and think about outward actions, but John is actually pointing to the inner reality of hate. He's saying that the root of murder, which is hate, disqualifies someone from having God's life within them, revealing how deeply God cares about the condition of our hearts.
John is contrasting the life of a believer, marked by love for others, with the destructive nature of sin and hatred. He’s just explained how we know the difference between God's children and the devil's children – by whether they practice righteousness or hatred. This verse directly follows that by showing the extreme consequence of harboring hatred: it disqualifies one from truly possessing eternal life.
John is contrasting the life of a believer, marked by love for others, with the destructive nature of sin and hatred. He’s just explained how we know the difference between God's children and the devil's children – by whether they practice righteousness or hatred. This verse directly follows that by showing the extreme consequence of harboring hatred: it disqualifies one from truly possessing eternal life.
"Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him." — It's easy to read this and think about outward actions, but John is actually pointing to the inner reality of hate. He's saying that the root of murder, which is hate, disqualifies someone from hav…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026