Enemy
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Ἐχθρός (echthrós) means enemy, hostile person, or one opposed to another. Jesus quotes the familiar contrast between neighbor and enemy before commanding love and prayer that reflect the Father's character.
Reader summary
Full entry for ἐχθρός (G2190) · Open the biblical lexicon
Ἐχθρός (echthrós) means enemy, hostile person, or one opposed to another. Jesus quotes the familiar contrast between neighbor and enemy before commanding love and prayer that reflect the Father's character.
The BSB source-word alignment has 32 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include enemies (15), enemy (7), An enemy (3), [and] enemy (1), [as] enemies (1).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 5:43. Its strongest book concentrations include Luke (8), Matthew (7), Romans (3), 1 Corinthians (2).
Ἐχθρός (echthrós) means enemy, hostile person, or one opposed to another. Jesus quotes the familiar contrast between neighbor and enemy before commanding love and prayer that reflect the Father's character. Zechariah celebrates promised deliverance from enemies within Israel's covenant hope. Peter cites the royal psalm in which God places the Messiah's enemies beneath His feet.
Paul weeps over people whose manner of life makes them enemies of Christ's cross, showing that hostility can be embodied in values and conduct rather than declared in slogans. Revelation's witnesses ascend while their enemies watch, and hostile triumph is publicly overturned. The noun identifies opposition but does not authorize hatred, revenge, or the assumption that every critic is God's enemy.
The passage determines whether the hostility is personal, political, spiritual, ethical, or eschatological.
Ἐχθρός names a hostile opponent. The selected passages move from enemies disciples must love, through deliverance and messianic victory, to lives opposed to the cross and enemies watching God's vindication of His witnesses.
You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’ and ‘Hate your enemy.’
Jesus recalls the command to love one's neighbor and the added saying about hating an enemy before overturning retaliatory boundaries with His own command to love and pray.
Salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us,
Zechariah praises God for salvation from enemies and hateful hands, locating national deliverance within covenant mercy, holiness, and service before the Lord.
Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”’
Peter cites the enthronement promise that the risen Messiah's enemies will become His footstool, proclaiming Jesus' exalted lordship rather than authorizing apostolic revenge.
For as I have often told you before, and now say again even with tears: Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.
Paul describes many as enemies of Christ's cross and speaks with tears, exposing a way of life governed by appetite and earthly glory while modeling grief rather than gloating.
And the witnesses heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Come up here.” And they went up to heaven in a cloud as their enemies watched them.
The witnesses ascend at God's summons while their enemies watch, reversing the apparent victory of the hostile city through public divine vindication.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Greek word. Denotes personal hostility or enmity, not merely opposition; often used of Satan as humanity's spiritual adversary.
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 32 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
hated, hostile, an enemy
Read versehated, hostile, an enemy
Read versehated, hostile, an enemy
Read versehated, hostile, an enemy
Read versehated, hostile, an enemy
Read versehated, hostile, an enemy
Read versehated, hostile, an enemy
Read versehated, hostile, an enemy
Read versehated, hostile, an enemy
Read versehated, hostile, an enemy
Read versehated, hostile, an enemy
Read versehated, hostile, an enemy
Read versehated, hostile, an enemy
Read versehated, hostile, an enemy
Read versehated, hostile, an enemy
Read versehated, hostile, an enemy
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 7 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 3 selected witnesses from 32 lexical occurrence verses.
Defines radical scope of kingdom love.
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
The gospel neither denies enemies nor lets enemies define Christian character. Jesus addresses real hostility and commands a love that prays for persecutors because disciples belong to the Father who gives common grace. Zechariah's song remembers that deliverance can be a covenant mercy enabling fearless service, not merely private comfort. Acts directs final subjugation to the exalted Messiah: His enemies become His footstool by God's action, so the church need not seize vengeance.
Paul's tears add a necessary pastoral tone. People living as enemies of the cross are not targets for contempt but a grief to be named truthfully, especially because their values can infiltrate professing communities. Revelation promises that hostile spectators do not control the verdict on faithful witnesses. Teachers can join enemy love, sober discernment, hope for justice, and confidence in Christ's triumph without collapsing them into passivity or aggression.
Matt.5.43
Ἐχθρός functions as an adjective, hostile, or substantivally as enemy. Genitives and relational context identify whose enemy is meant. Hostility may be expressed through intent, action, allegiance, or way of life.
Israel prays for deliverance from enemies, wisdom warns against rejoicing at their fall, and the Messiah receives final victory. Jesus commands enemy love while entrusting judgment to God.