Topical Encyclopedia
Hostility, as understood in the biblical context, refers to enmity, opposition, or antagonism between individuals, groups, or even towards God. The Bible addresses hostility in various forms, highlighting its origins, manifestations, and the divine call to overcome it through love and reconciliation.
Origins of HostilityThe roots of hostility can be traced back to the fall of humanity in the Garden of Eden. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God, sin entered the world, bringing with it division and strife.
Genesis 3:15 records God's words to the serpent: "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; He will crush your head, and you will strike His heel." This enmity signifies the ongoing spiritual battle between good and evil, affecting human relationships and the human heart.
Manifestations of HostilityHostility is evident in various biblical narratives, often manifesting as conflict between individuals, nations, and even within families. Cain's murder of Abel (
Genesis 4:8) is an early example of personal hostility driven by jealousy and anger. The hostility between Esau and Jacob (
Genesis 27:41) further illustrates familial strife, while the ongoing conflicts between Israel and surrounding nations, such as the Philistines, highlight national hostility.
In the New Testament, hostility is also seen in the opposition to Jesus Christ and His message.
John 15:18-19 records Jesus' words to His disciples: "If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first. If you were of the world, it would love you as its own. Instead, the world hates you, because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world." This passage underscores the spiritual hostility faced by believers as they follow Christ.
Hostility Towards GodHostility is not only directed towards fellow humans but also towards God.
Romans 8:7 states, "The mind of the flesh is hostile to God; it does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so." This enmity is a result of the sinful nature that opposes God's authority and righteousness.
James 4:4 further warns, "You adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever chooses to be a friend of the world renders himself an enemy of God."
Overcoming HostilityThe Bible calls believers to overcome hostility through love, forgiveness, and reconciliation. Jesus' teachings emphasize loving one's enemies and praying for those who persecute (
Matthew 5:44). The Apostle Paul echoes this in
Romans 12:20-21 : "On the contrary, 'If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink. For in so doing, you will heap burning coals on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good."
Reconciliation is central to the Christian faith, as believers are called to be ambassadors of Christ, spreading the message of peace.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19 states, "All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s trespasses against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation."
Ultimately, the Bible presents hostility as a consequence of sin that can be transformed through the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, who breaks down the dividing walls of hostility and brings peace to those who are far and near (
Ephesians 2:14-17).
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (
n.) Enmity; unfriendliness; animosity.
2. (n.) An act of an open enemy; a hostile deed; especially in the plural, acts of warfare; attacks of an enemy.
Greek
2189. echthra -- yesterday... yesterday. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: echthra Phonetic Spelling:
(ekh'-thrah) Short Definition: enmity,
hostility Definition: enmity
...1267. diamerismos -- a division
... Noun, Masculine Transliteration: diamerismos Phonetic Spelling: (dee-am-er-is-mos')
Short Definition: breaking up, discord,hostility Definition: breaking up...
2189b. echthra -- enmity
... Word Origin from echthros Definition enmity NASB Word Usage enemies (1), enmities
(1), enmity (2), hostile (1),hostility (1). 2189a, 2189b. echthra. 2190...
1375. diogmos -- persecution
... [1375 () is used in ancient and biblical Greek for (hostility) shown by confused,
spiritual "leaders." For example, it applies to the Roman Emperor, Decius...
485. antilogia -- gainsaying, contradiction
... Word Origin from antilego Definition gainsaying, contradiction NASB Word Usage dispute
(2),hostility (1), rebellion (1). contradiction, strife....
2341. theriomacheo -- to fight with wild beasts
... akh-eh'-o) Short Definition: I fight with wild beasts Definition: I fight with wild
beasts (ie wild beasts in human form); met: I am exposed to fiercehostility...
3951. parotruno -- to urge on, to stir up
... stir up. From para and otruno (to spur); to urge along, ie Stimulate (tohostility) --
stir up. see GREEK para. (parotrunan) -- 1 Occurrence. 3950, 3951....
Strong's Hebrew
6887c. tsarar -- to showhostility toward, vex... 6887b, 6887c. tsarar. 6887d . to show
hostility toward, vex. Transliteration:
tsarar Short Definition: adversaries. Word Origin a prim.
...8409. tigrah -- contention, strife,hostility
... 8408, 8409. tigrah. 8410 . contention, strife,hostility. Transliteration:
tigrah Phonetic Spelling: (tig-raw') Short Definition: opposition....
7856. Sitnah -- "hostility," the name of a well near Gerar
... 7855, 7856. Sitnah. 7857 . "hostility," the name of a well near Gerar.
Transliteration: Sitnah Phonetic Spelling: (sit-naw') Short Definition: Sitnah....
6696b. tsur -- to showhostility to, treat as foe
... 6696a, 6696b. tsur. 6696c . to showhostility to, treat as foe.
Transliteration: tsur Short Definition: harass. Word Origin a prim....
7147. qeri -- opposition, contrariness
... 7146, 7147. qeri. 7148 . opposition, contrariness. Transliteration: qeri
Phonetic Spelling: (ker-ee') Short Definition:hostility....
4895. mastemah -- animosity
... 4894b, 4895. mastemah. 4896 . animosity. Transliteration: mastemah Phonetic
Spelling: (mas-tay-maw') Short Definition:hostility....
1481. guwr -- to sojourn
... the road (for a lodging or any other purpose), ie Sojourn (as a guest); also to
shrink, fear (as in a strange place); also to gather forhostility (as afraid...
342. ebah -- enmity
... Word Origin from ayab Definition enmity NASB Word Usage enmity (5). emnity, hatred.
From 'ayab;hostility -- emnity, hatred. see HEBREW 'ayab. 341, 342....
Library
The Adventures of Achamoth Outside the Pleroma the Mission of...
... Christ in Pursuit of Her. Her Longing for Christ. Horos'Hostility to Her.
Her Continued Suffering. For Enthymesis, or rather Achamoth...
That the vicissitudes of this Life are Dependent not on the Favor...
... Book II. Chapter 23."That the Vicissitudes of This Life are Dependent Not on the
Favor orHostility of Demons, But on the Will of the True God....
On Bk. vi. Chap. 23, 4 (Note 6). Origen's visit to Achaia.
... Achaia, a time when in all probability the early books of his commentary on John,
as well as others of his writings, had begun to excite thehostility of the...
The World's Hatred, as Christ Saw It
... Our Lord has been speaking of the world'shostility to His followers, and
tracing that to itshostility to Himself. In these solemn...
Sheep among Wolves
... I. What makes thishostility inevitable?... Jesus points to two things, as
you will observe, which make thishostility inevitable....
Still Another Triplet
... The closing words of this chapter have a certain unity in that they deal principally
with a Christian's duty in the face ofhostility and antagonism....
Period ii. The Post-Apostolic Age: AD 100-AD 140
... religion (Sec. Sec. 6, 7); the decline of the Jewish element in the Church
and extremehostility of Judaism to the Church (Sec. 5); the...
The Grasp that Brings Peace
... All this has universal application to our relations to God. I. TheHostility....
II. The entreating Love that is not turned aside byhostility....
Of Flavianus Bishop of Antioch and of the Sedition which Arose in...
... Thus a lastinghostility arose among the Romans and the Egyptians against the East,
and the ill feeling was not even destroyed on the death of Paulinus....
'As I have Loved'
... and the unlearned, the slave and his master, the barbarian and the Greek, the man
and the woman, stood on opposite sides of the gulfs, flinginghostility across...
Thesaurus
Ammonites (97 Occurrences)... They were defeated, but their
hostility did not cease, and their conduct toward
the Israelites was particularly shameful, as in the days of Saul (1 Samuel 11
...Ammon (100 Occurrences)
... They were defeated, but theirhostility did not cease, and their conduct toward
the Israelites was particularly shameful, as in the days of Saul (1 Samuel 11...
Enmity (23 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary. 1. (n.) Hatred;hostility; unfriendly disposition. 2.
(n.) A state of opposition;hostility. Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. ENMITY...
Abner (54 Occurrences)
... Among the other tribes there was a feeling ofhostility to Judah; and Abner, at
the head of Ephraim, fostered thishostility in the interest of the house of...
Magician (5 Occurrences)
... MAGIC IN THE BIBLE 1.Hostility to Magic 2. Potency of Magical Words 3. Influence
of Charms V. MAGICAL TERMS USED IN THE BIBLE 1. Divination 2. Sorcery 3...
Reconcile (10 Occurrences)
... becomes mutual, for there is no kind of doubt that sinners are enemies to God in
the active sense, and require to lay aside theirhostility, and so be...
Magic (12 Occurrences)
... MAGIC IN THE BIBLE 1.Hostility to Magic 2. Potency of Magical Words 3. Influence
of Charms V. MAGICAL TERMS USED IN THE BIBLE 1. Divination 2. Sorcery 3...
Bitter (203 Occurrences)
... Acts 12:20 And he was in bitterhostility with the Tyrians and Sidonians; but they
came to him with one accord, and, having gained Blastus the king's...
Pharisees (86 Occurrences)
... 3. Later Fortunes of the Sect: The sons of Hyrcanus, especially Alexander
Janneus, expressed theirhostility in a more active way....
Reconciliation (11 Occurrences)
... becomes mutual, for there is no kind of doubt that sinners are enemies to God in
the active sense, and require to lay aside theirhostility, and so be...
Resources
Why do Jews and Arabs / Muslims hate each other? | GotQuestions.orgWhat is the definition of enmity? | GotQuestions.orgWhat can we learn from the tribe of Joseph? | GotQuestions.orgHostility: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.comBible Concordance •
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