Enemy
An enemy is a person or power set against someone else. In Scripture, the term can refer to personal opponents, hostile nations, spiritual enemies, and supremely those opposed to God and His people.
At a Glance
An enemy is a person or power set against someone else. In Scripture, the term can refer to personal opponents, hostile nations, spiritual enemies, and supremely those opposed to God and His people.
Description
In biblical usage, an enemy is any person, group, or power that stands opposed to another, especially in hostility against God, His purposes, or His people. The term may describe personal adversaries, foreign nations, persecutors, or broader spiritual realities. Scripture also presents deeper enemies such as Satan, sin, and death, all of which God ultimately defeats through His righteous rule and, climactically, through Christ. At the same time, the Bible does not permit personal hatred as the believer’s response: God’s people are commanded to love their enemies, pray for those who persecute them, and leave final vengeance to the Lord. A careful definition should therefore hold together both themes: God truly judges His enemies, and believers are called to respond to personal enemies with love, faithfulness, and hope in God’s justice.