The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Wisdom here doesn't just say that "fear of the Lord" is the beginning of wisdom; she declares it is the hatred of evil. This means true reverence for God isn't just about avoiding trouble, but actively despising the very things God despises, like pride, arrogance, and deceitful speech.
The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.
English Standard Version (ESV)
In this passage, Wisdom is personified, revealing the very essence of her character and teaching. She's declaring that true wisdom isn't just intellectual; it's deeply moral, directly stemming from reverencing God and actively rejecting sin. She then lists the specific evils she despises, directly opposing the humility and righteousness that wisdom embodies.
What does it really mean to fear the Lord? It's not just trembling in your boots. Proverbs 8 gives us a powerful definition that flips the script.
Wisdom declares in Proverbs 8:13 that 'The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil.' This isn't about being scared of God; it's about a deep-seated aversion to what God hates.
A Definition by Opposition
True reverence for God isn't just about avoiding punishment. It's an active, passionate opposition to sin itself. Think of it like this: if you genuinely love someone, you naturally recoil from anything that harms them or goes against their character. The fear of the Lord, therefore, is fundamentally about hating evil because of who God is and His perfect nature.
More Than Just 'Not Doing Bad'
This isn't a passive state of simply not doing wrong. It's an internal alignment with God's moral compass. It means actively disliking and turning away from the very things that are contrary to God's holiness.
Wisdom doesn't just talk in generalities. She calls out specific attitudes and actions that are antithetical to God's character.
Following the foundational statement, Wisdom then lists specific evils that she, representing God's perspective, hates. This isn't arbitrary; each item is a direct contradiction to God's nature and will.
The Root: Pride and Arrogance
Ask a follow-up
Wisdom starts with 'pride and arrogance.' These are the foundational sins that lead others astray. They are the opposite of humility, a core attribute of God's character and essential for those who fear Him. Thinking too highly of oneself or relying on one's own wisdom and strength is a direct affront to God's sovereignty.
The Actions: Evil Way
'The evil way' refers to one's course of life, their habitual actions and choices. This is about the practical outworking of inner corruption – a life lived contrary to God's commands and design.
The Words: Perverted Speech
Finally, 'perverted speech' (or 'froward mouth') covers deceptive words, lies, slander, and any communication that twists truth or harms others. Our words are powerful, and dishonest or malicious speech is deeply offensive to the God of truth.
Understand the original words
yir'at YHWH · Hebrew Noun
A profound sense of reverence, awe, and submission before the majesty and holiness of God, serving as the foundational starting point for true knowledge and moral living.
ga'ăwāh · Hebrew Noun
An inflated sense of self-importance or an attitude of superiority that sets itself against God and others, representing the root of human rebellion against divine authority.
gā'ôn · Hebrew Noun
An attitude of overbearing self-exaltation or haughtiness that views oneself as superior to others and is inherently opposed to the humility required by God.
pîhaphepût · Hebrew Noun
Refers to speech that is crooked, twisted, or dishonest, intentionally leading people away from the truth and moral rectitude of God.
This psalm directly expresses a deep hatred for those who oppose God, mirroring Wisdom's statement in Proverbs about hating evil and its manifestations.
1 John 2:15This passage highlights the fundamental incompatibility between loving God and loving the world's corrupt desires, echoing the idea that true fear of the Lord means hating evil. John explicitly states not to love 'the world or anything in the world.'
Luke 18:11The Pharisee's prayer, in contrast to the tax collector's humble plea, shows a self-righteous pride that God detests. This contrasts sharply with the humble reverence that Proverbs attributes to the fear of the Lord.
Romans 12:9Paul's exhortation to 'let love be genuine, and hate what is evil, holding fast to what is good' directly parallels Wisdom's declaration in Proverbs, framing godly living as an active choice to embrace good and reject evil.
Galatians 5:19-21This passage lists 'works of the flesh' such as 'enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these,' which are all expressions of pride and evil ways that Wisdom declares hatred for.
bensonProverbs 8:13: "The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate."
Proverbs 8:13 . The fear of the Lord — Which he had before said to be the beginning of wisdom; is to hate evil — It consists in a careful abstinence from all sin, and that not from carnal or prudential motives, but from real hatred to it, on account of its contrariety to the divine nature and attributes, its opposition to God’s word and will, its infinite evil in itse…
pulpitProverbs 8:13: "The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate."
Verse 13. - The fear of the Lord is to hate evil. Wisdom here enunciates the proposition which is the foundation of all her teaching, only here, as it were, on the reverse side, net as the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 1:7; Proverbs 9:10), but as the hatred of evil; she then proceeds to particularize the evil which the Lord hates. Taking the clause in this sense, we…
Wisdom here doesn't just say that "fear of the Lord" is the beginning of wisdom; she declares it is the hatred of evil. This means true reverence for God isn't just about avoiding trouble, but actively despising the very things God despises, like pride, arrogance, and deceitful speech.
In this passage, Wisdom is personified, revealing the very essence of her character and teaching. She's declaring that true wisdom isn't just intellectual; it's deeply moral, directly stemming from reverencing God and actively rejecting sin. She then lists the specific evils she despises, directly opposing the humility and righteousness that wisdom embodies.
In this passage, Wisdom is personified, revealing the very essence of her character and teaching. She's declaring that true wisdom isn't just intellectual; it's deeply moral, directly stemming from reverencing God and actively rejecting sin. She then lists the specific evils she despises, directly opposing the humility and righteousness that wisdom embodies.
"The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate." — Wisdom here doesn't just say that "fear of the Lord" is the beginning of wisdom; she declares it is the hatred of evil. This means true reverence for God isn't just about avoiding trouble, but acti…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026