Enemy

en´e-mi (איב, ’ōyēbh, צר, car, צר, cār; ἐχθρός, echthrós): “Enemy,” “enemies,” are frequent words in the Old Testament. The Hebrew word most often so translated is ’ōyēbh, meaning perhaps literally, “one who hates”; very frequent in the Psalms, e.g. Psa 3:7; Psa 6:10; Psa 7:5; Psa 8:2; Psa 9:3, Psa 9:1; Psa 13:2, where the cry is often for deliverance from enemies. Another word for “enemy,” found chiefly in the poetical books, is cār, or car, “distresser,” “straitener” (Num 10:9; Job 16:9; Psa 27:2, Psa 27:12, the Revised Version (British and American) “adversary,” etc.); also cārar (Est 3:10; Psa 8:2; Psa 10:5 the King James Version, etc.). Other words are ‛ār, “one awake” (1Sa 28:16 the King James Version; Dan 4:19 the King James Version); sānē’, perhaps, “to be sharp or bite” (Exo 1:10; Pro 25:21; Pro 27:6); shārar, “to watch” (Psa 5:8; Psa 27:11), and ḳūm, “to stand up,” or “withstand” (Exo 32:25).

In the New Testament echthros, “enemy,” “opponent,” is the only word translated “enemy” (Mat 5:43, Mat 5:14; Mar 12:36; Luk 1:71, Luk 1:74, etc.; Rom 5:10; Rom 11:28, etc.), once with ánthrōpos (“a man”), joined to echthros (Mat 13:28).

In the Revised Version (British and American) “adversary” is frequently substituted for “enemy” (Num 24:8; Deu 32:41; Psa 6:7; Psa 7:6; Psa 44:10, etc.); for “O thou enemy,” etc. (Psa 9:6) we have “The enemy are come to an end”; instead of “When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him” (Isa 59:19) we have “For he will come as a rushing stream, which the breath of Yahweh driveth” (with the text of the King James Version in margins); for “The fire of thine enemies shall devour them” (Isa 26:11), “Fire shall devour thine adversaries” (text of the King James Version in the margin).

The frequent reference to enemies in the Old Testament is what we should expect to see in these early times on the part of a people settling in a land that had been occupied by other tribes, worshipping other gods. The spirit of their law was that expressed by our Lord in His Sermon on the Mount, “Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy.” This He changed: “but I say unto you, Love your enemies.” An approach toward this spirit had been made in the later prophets by their inclusion of the whole world under one God, who had a gracious purpose toward all, but the near statement of it we only find in Pro 25:21 (quoted by Paul, Rom 12:20). See also Exo 23:4, and compare 2Ki 6:22; 2Ch 28:15.

Although Christians are to try to live peaceably with everyone (Rom 12:18), their identification with Jesus Christ means that some will oppose them. Therefore, they will have enemies. The enemies of Christians become the enemies of God, and the enemies of God become the enemies of Christians (Exo 23:22; Psa 37:20; Psa 55:2-3; Mat 10:22; Mat 10:36). In spite of this, Christians are to love their enemies and do good to those who hate them (Mat 5:44; Luk 6:27; Rom 12:20; see HATRED).

The Bible speaks of enemies other than one’s fellow human beings; for example, Satan, death and evil spiritual forces. But Christ has conquered all these through his death and resurrection, and in the day of his final victory he will destroy them for ever (Mat 13:39; Luk 10:18; 1Co 15:25-28; Col 2:15; Heb 10:12-13).