1 John 3:15 (KJV)

Passage

Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

Nearby Context

1 John 3:13 Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.

1 John 3:14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

1 John 3:15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

1 John 3:16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

1 John 3:17 But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "whosoever", "hateth", "brother", "murderer", "hath", "eternal", and "life". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "whosoever" and "hateth", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "We know that we have passed from..." into verse 16's "Hereby perceive we the love of God...", so "whosoever" and "hateth" belong inside that flow. In 1 John context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "whosoever" and "hateth" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.