John 15:18 kjv
If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you.
John 15:18 nkjv
"If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you.
John 15:18 niv
"If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.
John 15:18 esv
"If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.
John 15:18 nlt
"If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first.
John 15 18 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| John 7:7 | "The world cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about its works..." | The world's inherent hatred of Jesus' truth |
| John 16:33 | "In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world." | Forewarning of tribulation and ultimate victory |
| John 17:14 | "I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world..." | World's hatred due to believers not belonging to it |
| Matthew 10:22 | "You will be hated by all for my name's sake..." | General persecution for Christ's name |
| Luke 6:22 | "Blessed are you when people hate you... for the Son of Man's sake!" | Beatitude for being hated for Christ |
| 1 John 3:13 | "Do not be surprised, brothers, that the world hates you." | Expectation of world's hatred as normative |
| Romans 8:7 | "For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God..." | World's inherent hostility towards God's Spirit |
| 2 Timothy 3:12 | "Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." | Persecution as a guarantee for godly living |
| Isaiah 53:3 | "He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering and familiar with pain." | Prophecy of Christ's rejection and suffering |
| Psalm 69:4 | "More in number than the hairs of my head are those who hate me without cause." | Prophetic of Jesus' unjust and causeless hatred |
| Luke 12:51-53 | "Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division." | Christ bringing spiritual division, not worldly peace |
| John 15:19 | "If you were of the world, the world would love its own. But because you are not of the world..." | Distinction between believers and the world |
| 1 Peter 4:4 | "With respect to this, they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of dissipation..." | World's surprise and alienation at believers' distinct lifestyle |
| Matthew 5:11-12 | "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you... for my sake." | Blessing and reward for the persecuted for Christ's sake |
| Romans 5:3-5 | "...we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance..." | Finding purpose and joy in suffering through hope |
| 2 Corinthians 4:8-10 | "We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing..." | Resilience and enduring life in Christ amid persecution |
| Hebrews 12:2-3 | "fixing our eyes on Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith... who endured hostile opposition..." | Christ's example of enduring hostility |
| James 1:2-4 | "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds..." | Finding joy and spiritual growth in trials |
| John 3:16 | "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son..." | God's redemptive love for "world" (humanity) in contrast |
| 1 John 2:15-17 | "Do not love the world or the things in the world... the world is passing away..." | Warning against loving the "world" (system) |
| Colossians 1:24 | "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up..." | Believers participating in Christ's sufferings |
| Acts 14:22 | "Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God." | Necessity of tribulations for entering the kingdom |
| Philippians 3:10 | "...that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings..." | Desire to experience and share Christ's sufferings |
John 15 verses
John 15 18 Meaning
This verse conveys a foundational truth for disciples: that they will experience the world's hatred, just as Jesus Himself did. It serves as both a predictive warning and a profound source of comfort, indicating that rejection by the world validates their intimate connection to Christ and identifies them as distinct from the world's values and systems. Their suffering for His name is a shared experience with their Lord.
John 15 18 Context
John 15:18 is nestled within Jesus' Farewell Discourse (John 13-17), a pivotal section where Jesus imparts His final teachings and comfort to His disciples on the eve of His crucifixion. This specific verse follows the profound "Vine and Branches" metaphor (John 15:1-17), which emphasizes the vital union between Christ and His followers and the imperative to bear fruit through abiding in Him. The world's hatred, therefore, is presented not as an unfortunate accident but as a direct consequence and evidence of this spiritual distinctiveness and the fruit-bearing that flows from it. Jesus prepares them for a life of discipleship that will be characterized by both intimate connection with Him and inherent opposition from a world that rejected its Creator and now rejects His representatives. This theme ties into the broader Johannine theological dualism, portraying a conflict between light and darkness, truth and falsehood, God's kingdom and the fallen world system.
John 15 18 Word analysis
"If" (Εἰ, Ei): In this specific Johannine context, this particle acts less as a conditional "if" (implying possibility) and more as "since" or "given that." It establishes an expected reality—that the world's hatred is not just a possibility, but a certainty for authentic followers.
"the world" (ὁ κόσμος, ho kosmos): Within Johannine theology, kosmos here refers not to the physical creation or humanity as the object of God's love (e.g., John 3:16), but specifically to the fallen, anti-God human system, its values, and its ruling powers that stand in opposition to God and His truth.
"hates" (μισεῖ, misei): From the Greek verb miseō, meaning to intensely dislike, abhor, or reject with strong animosity. This denotes an active, hostile opposition, not merely indifference or disagreement.
"you" (ὑμᾶς, hymas): This plural pronoun primarily refers to the Eleven disciples present, but by extension, includes all who authentically follow Jesus throughout history.
"you know" (γινώσκετε, ginōskete): This is an imperative verb, commanding the disciples (and believers) to fully grasp and understand this truth. It suggests not just intellectual recognition but a deeper, experiential awareness that should shape their expectations and resolve.
"that" (ὅτι, hoti): A conjunction introducing the direct statement or reason for the previous clause.
"it hated" (μεμίσηκεν, memisēken): This verb is in the perfect tense. It describes an action that was completed in the past (the world's rejection of Jesus during His earthly ministry) but has ongoing, enduring results in the present. This signifies a settled, deep-seated, characteristic state of animosity towards Jesus.
"me" (ἐμὲ, eme): An emphatic form of the personal pronoun, stressing that the primary target of this profound, inherent hatred was Jesus Himself. This highlights the solidarity of the disciples' experience with His own.
"before" (πρῶτον ὑμῶν, prōton hymōn): Literally "first of you." It establishes a chronological and preeminent precedence: Jesus endured the world's hatred first and in the ultimate degree, setting the pattern for His followers.
"If the world hates you": This phrase establishes the inevitability and reality of the animosity true disciples will face. It prepares them mentally and spiritually for opposition, rooting it in the fundamental antagonism between God's truth and the fallen world's system.
"you know that it hated me before it hated you": This central declaration offers profound comfort and explanation. The disciples' impending persecution is not arbitrary; it is a direct continuation of the world's deep-seated opposition to Jesus Himself. Their suffering is a participation in Christ's experience, providing solidarity, validation of their identity with Him, and the understanding that the hatred is fundamentally directed at Him through them.
John 15 18 Bonus section
The profound distinction between "the world" (κόσμος, kosmos) in John 15:18 (as an anti-God system) and John 3:16 (as humanity loved by God) is fundamental to understanding Johannine theology. Here, "world" is presented not as an object of God's redemptive love, but as the source of antagonism and spiritual darkness from which believers have been called out. This highlights the deep dualism within John's Gospel, where light confronts darkness and truth faces falsehood. The world’s hatred for Jesus originated because His life and teaching exposed its spiritual blindness and wickedness (Jn 7:7), a pattern now extended to His disciples. The perfect tense of "hated" (memisēken) when referring to Jesus, underscores the permanent and defining characteristic of the world's animosity towards Him, establishing it as a foundational reality for those who identify with Him. This teaching provides an essential realism to discipleship, challenging any expectation of universal acceptance or worldly acclaim, and instead inviting believers into a shared experience with their rejected Lord. The command "you know" (ginōskete) elevates this insight from mere information to a core, formative truth meant to deeply settle in the disciples' hearts, providing them with perspective and resilience amidst persecution.
John 15 18 Commentary
John 15:18 offers a stark, yet ultimately comforting, reality for followers of Jesus. It reveals that authentic discipleship, characterized by abiding in Christ and bearing spiritual fruit, will inevitably provoke antagonism from "the world"—the societal system that operates contrary to God's values. This hatred is not a sign of failure, but rather an affirmation of their true identity and spiritual distinctiveness. Jesus preemptively shares His own experience of rejection, reassuring His disciples that their future trials mirror His past. This foresight disarms surprise, transforms potential despair into perseverance, and solidifies their bond with Him, allowing them to face hostility with the profound understanding that their suffering is a shared privilege, echoing their Lord's own path of fidelity amidst rejection.
- Example: A student standing firm on biblical truth might face ridicule or social exclusion from peers for their beliefs, not due to personal fault, but specifically for their association with Christ and His counter-cultural teachings.
- Example: A business committed to operating by biblical ethical principles might experience boycotts or resistance from consumer groups because its values challenge the prevailing moral landscape of the marketplace.