What does the Bible say about cruelty?

Top passages, ranked by readers

Rankings: OpenBible.info Topical Bible (CC BY) · Scripture: World English Bible

• Proverbs 11:17

  The merciful man does good to his own soul, But he who is cruel troubles his own flesh.

• Proverbs 21:13

  Whoever stops his ears at the cry of the poor, He will also cry out, but shall not be heard.

• James 4:1-17

  [1] Where do wars and fightings among you come from? Don't they come from your pleasures that war in your members? [2] You lust, and don't have. You kill, covet, and can't obtain. You fight and make war. You don't have, because you don't ask. [3] You ask, and don't receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it for your pleasures. [4] You adulterers and adulteresses, don't you know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. [5] Or do you think that the Scripture says in vain, "The Spirit who lives in us yearns jealously"? [6] But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble." [7] Be subject therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you. [8] Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. [9] Lament, mourn, and weep. Let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to gloom. [10] Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he will exalt you. [11] Don't speak against one another, brothers. He who speaks against a brother and judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge. [12] Only one is the lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge another? [13] Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow let's go into this city, and spend a year there, trade, and make a profit." [14] Whereas you don't know what your life will be like tomorrow. For what is your life? For you are a vapor, that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away. [15] For you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will both live, and do this or that." [16] But now you glory in your boasting. All such boasting is evil. [17] To him therefore who knows to do good, and doesn't do it, to him it is sin.

• Mark 7:21-22

  [21] For from within, out of the hearts of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, sexual sins, murders, thefts, [22] covetings, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, and foolishness.

• Proverbs 11:29

  He who troubles his own house shall inherit the wind. The foolish shall be servant to the wise of heart.

• Isaiah 13:18

  [Their] bows shall dash the young men in pieces; and they shall have no pity on the fruit of the womb; their eye shall not spare children.

• Proverbs 12:10

  A righteous man regards the life of his animal, But the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.

• Luke 12:4

  "I tell you, my friends, don't be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.

• Matthew 10:28

  Don't be afraid of those who kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul. Rather, fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.

• Psalms 11:5

  Yahweh examines the righteous, But the wicked and him who loves violence his soul hates.

Related topics

• animal cruelty
• cruelty to animals