17 Bible Verses on Abuse

Throughout the Bible God makes his relational position with abusers clear: those who stir up strife, love violence, oppress others, will not inherit God’s kingdom and do not have His Spirit that bears the fruit of a believer. Those who experience abuse can find comfort in the Lord and know that He sees their suffering and will not let the wicked go unpunished. Only after true repentance and the work of the Spirit can they be in right standing before God. These verses highlight some of the things that God says about abuse.

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What Does the Bible Say About Abuse?

Old Testament

Psalm 11:5
The LORD tests the righteous,
but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.

Psalm 103:6
The LORD works righteousness
and justice for all who are oppressed.

Proverbs 3:29
Do not plan evil against your neighbor,
who dwells trustingly beside you.

Proverbs 10:11
The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life,
but the mouth of the wicked conceals violence.

Proverbs 22:10
Drive out a scoffer, and strife will go out,
and quarreling and abuse will cease.

Proverbs 22:24
Make no friendship with a man given to anger,
nor go with a wrathful man,

Isaiah 1:15
When you spread out your hands,
I will hide my eyes from you;
even though you make many prayers,
I will not listen;
your hands are full of blood.

New Testament

Luke 6:28
bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.

1 Corinthians 13:4–5
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;

Galatians 5:19–21
Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Ephesians 4:31
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.

Ephesians 6:4
Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger, but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.

Colossians 3:19
Husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them.

James 1:26
If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless.