The exact words
“But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”Matthew 5:44–45, King James Version (1611)
✓ VerifiedFound in a primary source: the original book, speech transcript, letter or recording.
What people get wrong
Common reading
An instruction to like your enemies or pretend they did no wrong.
An instruction to like your enemies or pretend they did no wrong.
Closer to the original
The command is about action and goodwill, not feelings: bless, do good, pray. It does not ask you to approve of what an enemy does. King described it as a love that seeks the other person's good even when you cannot like them.
The command is about action and goodwill, not feelings: bless, do good, pray. It does not ask you to approve of what an enemy does. King described it as a love that seeks the other person's good even when you cannot like them.
Timeline
- c. AD 30In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus contrasts the old saying “love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy” with a harder command. Luke's Gospel records a similar teaching in Luke 6:27.
- 1894Leo Tolstoy builds his book The Kingdom of God Is Within You around the Sermon on the Mount and its call to non-violence. Gandhi later says the book overwhelmed him.
- 1957Martin Luther King Jr. preaches his sermon “Loving Your Enemies” in Montgomery, Alabama, calling this command the key to the civil rights movement's non-violence.
Use it in a speech
The command to “love your enemies” is grounded, in Matthew, not in sentiment but in imitation of a God who “sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”
~9 secondsto say aloud
Pausenone needed in writing
Best spotthesis sentence
He was the only person I knew who actually tried to live by “love your enemies.” He didn't always manage it. But he never stopped trying, and it made him the kindest man in any room.
~11 secondsto say aloud
Pauseafter “love your enemies”
Best spota reflection on his character
Questions people ask
Where does the Bible say “love your enemies”?
Matthew 5:44, in the Sermon on the Mount, and Luke 6:27.
Why does Jesus say to love your enemies?
In Matthew 5:45, so that people may be like God, who “maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good.”
Cite this quote
These cite the original source directly, so you can use them in an essay or paper. Always check your teacher's required style.
MLAThe Bible. Authorized King James Version, 1611. Project Gutenberg, www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10.
APAThe Holy Bible, King James Version. (1611/2026). Project Gutenberg. https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/10
IN TEXT (APA)(Matthew 5:44, King James Version)