“Love your neighbor and hate your enemy”
Matthew 5:43
Cultural referenceWell-supportedJesus
You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor' and 'Hate your enemy.' (Matthew 5:43 BSB)
What it sounds like today
Like Jesus is quoting the Old Testament, but no verse commands hating enemies.
The cultural key
'Love your neighbor' is Leviticus 19:18; 'hate your enemy' is not Scripture but a live contemporary teaching. The closest known parallel is from the Qumran community (Dead Sea Scrolls), whose Community Rule commanded members to 'love all the sons of light and hate all the sons of darkness.' 'You have heard that it was said' targets what was taught, not what was written.
Recovered meaning
Jesus corrects an inference his generation drew: if love is for neighbors, hate must be for outsiders. He erases the second clause; the Father sends sun and rain on both.
Parallels: Luke 6:27–28