← H8129 H8131 →

שָׂנֵא

𐤔𐤍𐤀

sânêʼ

H8130 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To hate, feel intense or active dislike or enmity toward a person, group, behavior, or object. Also, to be an enemy or act with animosity. The term can reflect an emotional state, an established attitude, or active hostility. Depending on context, it can indicate interpersonal antagonism, social or political opposition, or divine disapproval.

Semantic Range

to hate emotionally, to despise, to be hostile toward, to maintain an enmity, to reject, to be an enemy, to act as an adversary, to be odious or abhorred, to be hateful; to indicate divine rejection or disapproval

Root / Etymology

Root/etymology: The root שׂנא (שׂ-נ-א) carries the fundamental meaning of 'to hate' or 'to feel hostility.' The verb שָׂנֵא is the qal form from this root and expresses direct hatred or enmity. Its use is attested from the earliest strata of Biblical Hebrew and remains relatively stable semantically throughout the biblical period.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, שָׂנֵא is used to describe both human and divine emotions and stances. On an interpersonal level, it can range from personal animosity between individuals (e.g., Joseph's brothers hating him, Genesis 37:4, 5) to broader social conflicts (e.g., enmity between tribes or nations). The word can also denote divine posture: God is described as hating certain behaviors or persons (e.g., Psalm 5:6; Malachi 2:16), reflecting disapproval or rejection. The verb may denote an enduring attitude (e.g., Proverbs 8:36) or a specific act or moment of enmity (e.g., Deuteronomy 19:11). The noun forms from this root (שֹׂנֵא, 'enemy, adversary') also appear frequently. Compared to other Hebrew words such as אָיַב (H340, 'enemy in legal or military sense'), שָׂנֵא generally conveys an emotional or relational quality rather than just formal opposition. In later periods, the term maintains its negative connotation but enters more abstract moral discourse. English translations usually prefer 'hate,' 'enemy,' or 'foe,' though these may sometimes flatten the range of intensity or kinds of enmity described in Hebrew. In post-biblical Hebrew, the usage broadens, but the core meanings remain anchored in biblical traditions.

Translation Consistency

primary "hate" 40 occurrences

שָׂנֵא primarily expresses active emotional dislike, enmity, or hostile attitude; the natural, common English verb that covers this full semantic range is "hate." It fits emotional hatred, hostile action, and established enmity, and is far more idiomatic than formal alternatives (e.g., "detest," "abhor") or noun forms. Using "hate" ensures consistent, natural rendering across all forms of H8130.

Alternatives (10 occurrences):
"haters" (5x) "haters of" (3x) "female haters" (1x) "hater" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to hate (personally); enemy, foe, (be) hate(-ful, -r), odious, [idiom] utterly.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

שנא (sânêʼ) — to hate, to be at enmity, to show hostility

Root שנא to hate, to be at enmity, to show hostility
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H8131 שְׂנֵא to your haters
H8146 שָׂנִיא to the hated woman

Word Forms

72 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H8130-39 שֹׂנֵ֥א sone HVqrmsa hating the one hating the one hating 15
H8130-18 שָׂנֵ֥אתִי saneti HVqp1cs I hate I hated I hated 14
H8130-44 שֹׂנְאֶ֔י/ךָ soneeykha HVqrmpc/Sp2ms haters-your your haters your haters 6
H8130-14 שָׂנֵ֤א sane HVqp3ms hates he hated he hates 5
H8130-40 שֹׂנְאַ֥/י soneay HVqrmpc/Sp1cs those who hate me my haters those who hate me 5
H8130-33 שְׂנוּאָ֔ה senuah HVqsfsa an unloved woman hated woman hated woman 4
H8130-07 לִ/שְׂנֹ֔א liseno HR/Vqc and hated to hate to hate 3
H8130-13 מִ/שֹּׂ֣נְאַ֔/י misoneay HR/Vqrmpc/Sp1cs from my haters from my haters from those who hate me 3
H8130-17 שָׂנֵ֖אתָ saneta HVqp2ms you have hated you hated you hated 3
H8130-42 שֹׂ֣נְאֵי soneey HVqrmpc who hate haters of haters of 3

Occurrences in Scripture

148 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H8130-57 Isaiah 60:15 וּ/שְׂנוּאָ֖ה usenuah HC/Vqsfsa and hated hated one and hated one
H8130-39 Isaiah 61:8 שֹׂנֵ֥א sone HVqrmsa hate the one hating the one hating
H8130-45 Isaiah 66:5 שֹׂנְאֵי/כֶ֜ם soneeykhem HVqrmpc/Sp2mp who hate you your haters those hating you
H8130-25 Jeremiah 12:8 שְׂנֵאתִֽי/הָ senetiha HVqp1cs/Sp3fs I hate her I hated her I hated her
H8130-18 Jeremiah 44:4 שָׂנֵֽאתִי saneti HVqp1cs I hate I hated I hated
H8130-47 Ezekiel 16:27 שֹׂנְאוֹתַ֨יִ/ךְ֙ soneotayikhe HVqrfpc/Sp2fs haters-of-you your female haters your female haters
H8130-16 Ezekiel 16:37 שָׂנֵ֑את sanet HVqp2fs you hated you hated you hated
H8130-16 Ezekiel 23:28 שָׂנֵ֑את sanet HVqp2fs you-hate you hated you hated
H8130-17 Ezekiel 35:6 שָׂנֵ֖אתָ saneta HVqp2ms you have hated you hated you hated
H8130-27 Hosea 9:15 שְׂנֵאתִ֔י/ם senetim HVqp1cs/Sp3mp I hated them I have hated them I have hated them
H8130-19 Amos 5:10 שָׂנְא֥וּ saneu HVqp3cp They hate they hated they hated
H8130-37 Amos 5:15 שִׂנְאוּ sineu HVqv2mp Hate Hate! Hate!
H8130-18 Amos 5:21 שָׂנֵ֥אתִי saneti HVqp1cs I hate I hated I hate
H8130-18 Amos 6:8 שָׂנֵ֑אתִי saneti HVqp1cs I hate I hated I hated
H8130-42 Micah 3:2 שֹׂ֥נְאֵי soneey HVqrmpc who hate haters of haters of
H8130-18 Zechariah 8:17 שָׂנֵ֖אתִי saneti HVqp1cs I-hate I hated I hated
H8130-18 Malachi 1:3 שָׂנֵ֑אתִי saneti HVqp1cs I have hated I hated I hated
H8130-14 Malachi 2:16 שָׂנֵ֣א sane HVqp3ms he-hates he hated he hates
H8130-17 Psalms 5:6 שָׂ֝נֵ֗אתָ saneta HVqp2ms you have hated you hated you hated
H8130-13 Psalms 9:14 מִ/שֹּׂנְאָ֑/י misoneay HR/Vqrmpc/Sp1cs from-my-haters from my haters from those who hate me
H8130-15 Psalms 11:5 שָֽׂנְאָ֥ה saneah HVqp3fs hates she hated he hates
H8130-54 Psalms 18:18 וּ֝/מִ/שֹּׂנְאַ֗/י umisoneay HC/R/Vqrmpc/Sp1cs and from those hating me and from my haters and from those hating me
H8130-50 Psalms 18:41 וּ֝/מְשַׂנְאַ֗/י umesaneay HC/Vprmpc/Sp1cs and my haters and my haters and my haters
H8130-44 Psalms 21:9 שֹׂנְאֶֽי/ךָ soneeykha HVqrmpc/Sp2ms those who hate you your haters your haters
H8130-30 Psalms 25:19 שְׂנֵאֽוּ/נִי seneuni HVqp3cp/Sp1cs they hate me they have hated me they have hated me
H8130-18 Psalms 26:5 שָׂ֭נֵאתִי saneti HVqp1cs I have hated I hated I hated
H8130-18 Psalms 31:7 שָׂנֵ֗אתִי saneti HVqp1cs I have hated I hated I hated
H8130-67 Psalms 34:22 וְ/שֹׂנְאֵ֖י vesoneey HC/Vqrmpc and-the-haters-of and haters of and haters of
H8130-40 Psalms 35:19 שֹׂנְאַ֥/י soneay HVqrmpc/Sp1cs those who hate me my haters those who hate me
H8130-07 Psalms 36:3 לִ/שְׂנֹֽא liseno HR/Vqc and hated to hate to hate
H8130-40 Psalms 38:20 שֹׂנְאַ֣/י soneay HVqrmpc/Sp1cs those who hate me my haters those who hate me
H8130-40 Psalms 41:8 שֹׂנְאָ֑/י soneay HVqrmpc/Sp1cs who hate me my haters those who hate me
H8130-53 Psalms 44:8 וּ/מְשַׂנְאֵ֥י/נוּ umesaneeynu HC/Vprmpc/Sp1cp and haters of us and our haters and our haters
H8130-53 Psalms 44:11 וּ֝/מְשַׂנְאֵ֗י/נוּ umesaneeynu HC/Vprmpc/Sp1cp and-our-haters and our haters and our haters
H8130-58 Psalms 45:8 וַ/תִּשְׂנָ֫א vatisena HC/Vqw2ms and you hated and you hated and you hated
H8130-17 Psalms 50:17 שָׂנֵ֣אתָ saneta HVqp2ms you-have-hated you hated you hated
H8130-12 Psalms 55:13 מְ֭שַׂנְאִ/י mesanei HVprmsc/Sp1cs he that hated me my hater my hater
H8130-09 Psalms 68:2 מְ֝שַׂנְאָ֗י/ו mesaneayv HVprmpc/Sp3ms those hating him his haters those hating him
H8130-40 Psalms 69:5 שֹׂנְאַ֪/י soneay HVqrmpc/Sp1cs those who hate me my haters those who hate me
H8130-13 Psalms 69:15 מִ֝/שֹּֽׂנְאַ֗/י misoneay HR/Vqrmpc/Sp1cs from my haters from my haters from those who hate me
H8130-10 Psalms 81:16 מְשַׂנְאֵ֣י mesaneey HVprmpc haters of haters of haters of
H8130-52 Psalms 83:3 וּ֝/מְשַׂנְאֶ֗י/ךָ umesaneeykha HC/Vprmpc/Sp2ms and those who hate you and those hating you and those who hate you
H8130-40 Psalms 86:17 שֹׂנְאַ֣/י soneay HVqrmpc/Sp1cs my-haters my haters those who hate me
H8130-51 Psalms 89:24 וּ/מְשַׂנְאָ֥י/ו umesaneayv HC/Vprmpc/Sp3ms and those who hate him those hating him those hating him
H8130-37 Psalms 97:10 שִׂנְא֫וּ sineu HVqv2mp hate Hate! Hate!
H8130-18 Psalms 101:3 שָׂנֵ֑אתִי saneti HVqp1cs I hate I hated I hated
H8130-07 Psalms 105:25 לִ/שְׂנֹ֣א liseno HR/Vqc to hate to hate to hate
H8130-39 Psalms 106:10 שׂוֹנֵ֑א sone HVqrmsa of the one hating the one hating the one hating
H8130-43 Psalms 106:41 שֹׂנְאֵי/הֶֽם soneeyhem HVqrmpc/Sp3mp their haters their haters their haters
H8130-66 Psalms 118:7 בְ/שֹׂנְאָֽ/י vesoneay HR/Vqrmpc/Sp1cs on those who hate me in my haters on those who hate me
← H8129 Hebrew Lexicon H8131 →