Hebrew word · H8135

שִׂנְאָה

sin'ah

hating

Hatred, enmity, hostility. In Hebrew, "hating" often describes a relationship of opposition and the actions that come from it (an enemy is a sonēʾ, "hater"), not merely an inner emotion. It can also mean relative rejection ("loved Rachel, hated Leah"), but not here.

Appears 17 times in 16 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) hating, hatred, hate

1a) hatred

1a1) of man, God

Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).

In depth

From the study of Proverbs 26:26

Range of meaning

Hatred, enmity, hostility. In Hebrew, "hating" often describes a relationship of opposition and the actions that come from it (an enemy is a sonēʾ, "hater"), not merely an inner emotion. It can also mean relative rejection ("loved Rachel, hated Leah"), but not here.

Against the English

"Hatred" (KJV, BSB, YLT) is accurate. "Malice" (WEB, NIV) shows well that the hatred intends harm, though it hides the link to the "hater" of verse 24.

Used elsewhere in the period

Prov 10:12 ("hatred stirs up strife"), 10:18 ("he who conceals hatred has lying lips," the closest parallel to this verse), 15:17. Lev 19:17 forbids hating a brother "in your heart" and commands open rebuke instead. Hidden hatred was therefore already a known category of wrong.

From the study of Proverbs 15:17

Range of meaning

Hatred, hostility, enmity. It can be an inner feeling of aversion or open hostility between people. It is the standard opposite of ʾahăvâ (Eccl 3:8, 'a time to love and a time to hate'; 9:1, 6).

Against the English

'Hatred' is accurate. Some versions soften it into a mood ('served with hatred'). The Hebrew means real hostility, not just tension.

Used elsewhere in the period

Prov 10:12, 18; 26:26; 2 Sam 13:15 (Amnon's hatred for Tamar).

From the study of Psalm 109:3

Range of meaning

Hatred, enmity, hostile rejection. The verb sane' ranges from personal loathing (2 Sam 13:15) to legal and relational repudiation. A 'hated' wife is the one who is put aside (Deut 21:15; 22:13). In covenant language 'those who hate me' are those who reject the relationship (Exod 20:5).

Against the English

'Hatred' (KJV, WEB) and 'hateful' (BSB) are accurate. One English rendering may push it too far toward a mere feeling: Hebrew sin'ah usually comes out in action, here in speech meant to destroy.

Used elsewhere in the period

The Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation) renders it λόγοις μίσους, 'words of hatred'. Hatred and love are paired as opposites throughout the Psalms and Proverbs (Prov 10:12; 15:17). The same pair frames this psalm: 'they repaid me hatred for my love' (Ps 109:5).

Where it appears

Numbers · 1

  1. Numbers 35:20 בְּשִׂנְאָ֖ה in hatred

    Likewise, if anyone maliciously pushes another or intentionally throws an object at him and kills him,

Deuteronomy · 2

  1. Deuteronomy 1:27 בְּשִׂנְאַ֤ת in [the] hatred of

    You grumbled in your tents and said, “Because the LORD hates us, He has brought us out of the land of Egypt to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites to be annihilated.

  2. Deuteronomy 9:28 וּמִשִּׂנְאָת֣וֹ and from hatred his

    Otherwise, those in the land from which You brought us out will say, ‘Because the LORD was not able to bring them into the land He had promised them, and because He hated them, He has brought them out to kill them in the wilderness.’

2 Samuel · 2

  1. 2 Samuel 13:15 שִׂנְאָה֙ הַשִּׂנְאָה֙ hatred, the hatred

    Then Amnon hated Tamar with such intensity that his hatred was greater than the love he previously had. “Get up!” he said to her. “Be gone!”

Psalms · 4

  1. Psalm 25:19 וְשִׂנְאַ֖ת and hatred of

    Consider my enemies, for they are many, and they hate me with vicious hatred.

  2. Psalm 109:3 שִׂנְאָ֣ה hatred

    They surround me with hateful words and attack me without cause.

    Here: Active hostility, the opposite of love. Verses 4–5 set it directly against the psalmist's 'love' (ahavah): they pay him back hatred for love. The words don't just carry hatred. Hatred is what they are made of.

  3. Psalm 109:5 וְ֝שִׂנְאָ֗ה and hatred

    They repay me evil for good, and hatred for my love.

  4. Psalm 139:22 שִׂנְאָ֣ה hatred

    I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them as my enemies.

Proverbs · 4

  1. Proverbs 10:12 שִׂ֭נְאָה hatred

    Hatred stirs up dissension, but love covers all transgressions.

    Here: Hostility as a settled stance toward someone, not only a passing feeling. It opens the proverb and is the subject of the first verb, pictured as something that acts.

  2. Proverbs 10:18 שִׂ֭נְאָה hatred

    The one who conceals hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool.

    Here: Real hostility toward a neighbor, kept as an inner attitude. It is the object of the covering: ill will he does not show.

  3. Proverbs 15:17 וְשִׂנְאָה־ and hatred

    Better a dish of vegetables where there is love than a fattened ox with hatred.

    Here: Hatred, hostility, ill will between people. It is the exact opposite of the love in the first half.

  4. Proverbs 26:26 שִׂ֭נְאָה hatred

    Though his hatred is concealed by deception, his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.

    Here: Hostility toward someone that he intends to act on, not just a private feeling. It belongs to the "hater" (sonēʾ) of verse 24, who wears friendly speech as a disguise.

Ecclesiastes · 2

  1. Ecclesiastes 9:1 שִׂנְאָ֗ה hatred

    So I took all this to heart and concluded that the righteous and the wise, as well as their deeds, are in God’s hands. Man does not know what lies ahead, whether love or hate.

    Here: 'Hatred': the opposite pole of love, meaning rejection or hostility. Together, the pair covers the whole range from favour to disfavour.

  2. Ecclesiastes 9:6 שִׂנְאָתָ֛ם hatred their

    Their love, their hate, and their envy have already vanished, and they will never again have a share in all that is done under the sun.

Ezekiel · 2

  1. Ezekiel 23:29 בְּשִׂנְאָ֗ה in hatred

    They will treat you with hatred, take all for which you have worked, and leave you naked and bare, so that the shame of your prostitution will be exposed. Your indecency and promiscuity

  2. Ezekiel 35:11 מִשִּׂנְאָתֶ֖יךָ from hatred<s> your

    therefore as surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, I will treat you according to the anger and jealousy you showed in your hatred against them, and I will make Myself known among them when I judge you.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.