1 John 3:15 (DBY)

Passage

Every one that hates his brother is a murderer, and ye know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

Nearby Context

1 John 3:13 Do not wonder, brethren, if the world hate you.

1 John 3:14 *We* know that we have passed from death to life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love [his] brother abides in death.

1 John 3:15 Every one that hates his brother is a murderer, and ye know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.

1 John 3:16 Hereby we have known love, because *he* has laid down his life for us; and *we* ought for the brethren to lay down [our] lives.

1 John 3:17 But whoso may have the world's substance, and see his brother having need, and shut up his bowels from him, how abides the love of God in him?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "hates", "brother", "murderer", "eternal", "life", and "abiding". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "hates" and "brother", 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 we have known love because he...", so "hates" and "brother" 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 "hates" and "brother" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.