The Bible is full of declarations about God’s love, mercy, grace, and compassion. Yet it also speaks plainly about what God hates. This isn’t a contradiction—it’s a reflection of His perfect character. A God who deeply loves righteousness and human flourishing must necessarily hate everything that destroys, deceives, and damages those very things.
One of the clearest and most well-known passages on this topic is found in Proverbs 6:16-19 (NIV):
There are six things the LORD hates,
seven that are detestable to him:
haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked schemes,
feet that are quick to rush into evil,
a false witness who pours out lies
and a person who stirs up conflict in the community.
This list is poetic in structure. The “six… seven” formula is a Hebrew way of emphasizing completeness—here are the core things God finds utterly abhorrent, with the seventh often carrying special weight.
Let’s look at each one carefully, because these aren’t random vices. They reveal what grieves the heart of God most deeply.
1. Haughty eyes (a proud look)
Pride tops the list. “Haughty eyes” describe the arrogant glance that looks down on others, the lifted eyebrow of superiority, the assumption that “I am better/smarter/more deserving.”
Pride was the original sin of Lucifer (Isaiah 14; Ezekiel 28). It separates us from God and from people. God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). When we carry haughty eyes, we are literally walking in the opposite direction of God’s kingdom values.
2. A lying tongue
God is truth. Jesus called Himself “the truth” (John 14:6). Lies are therefore anti-God at their core.
This includes not just outright falsehoods, but exaggeration, half-truths, manipulation, gossip disguised as concern, and any speech meant to deceive or harm. A lying tongue destroys trust, which is the foundation of all healthy relationships—human and divine.
3. Hands that shed innocent blood
This speaks to murder, violence against the defenseless, and the taking of innocent life.
The Bible consistently condemns the shedding of innocent blood—from Cain killing Abel, to the sacrifice of children to Molech, to judicial murder, to modern forms of violence against the vulnerable. God is fiercely protective of the innocent, the weak, the unborn, the oppressed.
4. A heart that devises wicked schemes
This is premeditated evil—plotting harm, scheming for personal gain at others’ expense, planning cruelty.
It’s not a spontaneous sin; it’s calculated. The heart here is the inner control center. When the imagination is used to invent ways to hurt rather than help, God is grieved.
5. Feet that are quick to rush into evil
This describes eagerness to do wrong. Instead of resisting temptation, the person runs toward it.
The feet symbolize our direction in life. Swift feet toward evil show a heart already inclined that way—no hesitation, no wrestling, just eagerness to sin.
6. A false witness who pours out lies
This overlaps with #2 but focuses specifically on perjury, slander, and courtroom (or public) deception.
In ancient Israel, false testimony could literally cost someone their life (Deuteronomy 19:16-21). God hates it because it perverts justice, one of the pillars He cares most about (Micah 6:8). False witness destroys lives and mocks the truth.
7. A person who stirs up conflict in the community (sows discord among brothers)
Many interpreters see this as the climactic item—the one that pulls the whole list together.
Division, gossip, factionalism, backbiting, and deliberate stirring of strife among God’s people are especially detestable. Why? Because the church (and any covenant community) is meant to reflect the unity of the Trinity. When someone sows discord, they attack the very thing Jesus prayed for in John 17: “that they may be one.”
Why This Matters Today
This list isn’t an exhaustive catalog of every sin God hates. Scripture also says God hates idolatry, divorce (in the context of treacherous covenant-breaking), robbery, injustice, false religion, and more. But Proverbs 6 gives us a focused portrait of the kinds of attitudes and behaviors that are most destructive to human relationships and to fellowship with God.
Notice the progression:
- It starts in the eyes (attitude)
- Moves to the tongue (words)
- Then hands (actions)
- Heart (intentions)
- Feet (direction)
- Witness (public testimony)
- And ends with community (relationships)
It’s a full-body picture of sin—from inner attitude to outward destruction of fellowship.
The Hope in Knowing What God Hates
The good news is that God doesn’t hate us—He hates the sin that damages us and others. He sent His Son precisely because He loves sinners enough to rescue them from these very things (Romans 5:8).
When we see these traits in our own lives, the proper response is not despair, but repentance and transformation. The gospel offers forgiveness and real change through Christ. The Holy Spirit works in us to replace pride with humility, lies with truth, hatred with love, division with unity.
May we hate what God hates—not with self-righteous judgment toward others, but first toward the sin still lingering in our own hearts. And may we love what God loves: truth, justice, mercy, humility, and peace among His people.
“The fear of the LORD is hatred of evil. Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.”
— Proverbs 8:13
Let that fear lead us to wisdom, repentance, and genuine love for God and neighbor.
