Consider my enemies for they are multiplied, and have hated me with an unjust hatred.
רְאֵֽה־אוֹיְבַ֥י כִּי־רָ֑בּוּ וְשִׂנְאַ֖ת חָמָ֣ס שְׂנֵאֽוּנִי׃
6 Church Fathers comment on this verse · 7 commentaries
The presence of adversaries Within both the wider world and the church, there are many who harbor an unjust animosity towards me. They despise me for my love for you.
There is an abundance of them, not just externally but also within the inner community of the church. They harbor unjust animosity towards me, displaying hatred even towards those who extend love to them.
The Prophet states, if I seem undeserving of human dignity due to the many afflictions I face, consider the unjust animosity of my foes and bestow upon me Your grace. I have sinned against You by violating Your commands, and they oppose me without any rightful cause.
Consider the multitude of my adversaries, both physical and spiritual. The unjust animosity directed towards me is evident. I proclaim that I have given no cause for offense, neither to those who oppose me in the flesh nor to the unseen spirits that torment me. My actions have not transgressed against them. Thus, the disdain they harbor against me lacks justification; it stems solely from their envy and wrath.
The perspective of transformation In expressing the phrase Look upon my adversaries, he petitions for their conversion, as he does not hesitate to change the hearts of those he observes: in the Gospel, the Lord gazed at Peter - and he wept. For he holds the belief that while a few may face condemnation, the burden of many lost souls is a source of profound sorrow.
To inspire God’s compassion, the plea is made by highlighting the overwhelming nature and severity of his adversaries. It is as though it is proclaimed, ‘Lord, You have witnessed my humility and toil; look also upon my foes, their numbers, their cruelty, and their injustice. If I am unworthy of Your grace due to the weight of my transgressions, then let my enemies’ unjust hostility compel You to extend Your mercy towards me. My sins are solely against You, for I have violated Your commandments; yet they, having been provoked by nothing, irrationally despise and pursue me. Unjust hatred arises when one harbors animosity towards another without justification; this is hatred without provocation.
Furthermore, hatred can be deemed unjust when it seeks to harm someone purely out of malice, rather than for any personal gain. Such is the nature of the devil’s hatred for humanity. Humanity has not wronged him, yet from the very beginning, out of envy, he has sought to destroy mankind, as articulated in the wise saying: by envy of the devil, death entered the world (Prem. 2:24). Even now, he torments the faithful through temptation, not for his own benefit, but because he revels in the ruin of the righteous.
The adversaries of Christ, comprising both demons and the Jewish leaders, intensified their hostility during His suffering. The Just One, unjustly reviled, returned good for evil to His Creator and Sustainer.
Passages read together with this verse.
THEOSIS