Giovanni 15:18

18 Se il mondo vi odia, sappiate che egli mi ha odiato prima di voi.

Giovanni 15:18 Meaning and Commentary

John 15:18

If the world hate you
After our Lord had signified how much he loved his disciples and what great things he had done for them, he faithfully acquaints them with the world's hatred of them, and what they must expect to meet with from that quarter, and says many things to fortify their minds against it; his words do not imply any doubt about it, but he rather takes it for granted, as a thing out of question; "if", or "seeing the world hate you"; they had had some experience of it already, and might look for more, when their master was gone from them: wherefore, he, in order to engage their patience under it, says,

ye know that it hated me before it hated you;
which words are an appeal of Christ to his apostles, for the usage he had met with from the wicked and unbelieving world of the Jews; how they had expressed their hatred, not only by words, calling him a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a sinner, a Samaritan, a madman, one that had a devil, yea, Beelzebub himself, but by deeds; taking up stones to stone him more than once, leading him to the brow of an hill, in order to cast him down headlong, consulting by various means to take away his life, as Herod did in his very infancy; which was done, before they showed so much hatred to his disciples; and perhaps reference may be had to the original enmity between the seed of the woman, and the seed of the serpent, mentioned ( Genesis 3:15 ) ; as well as to these instances. Moreover, the words (prwton umwn) , rendered "before you", may be translated "the first" or "chief of you", your Lord and head; and denotes the dignity, excellency, and superiority of Christ; wherefore it is suggested, that if he, who was so much before them in personal worth and greatness, was hated by the world, they should not think it hard, or any strange thing, that this should be their case.

Giovanni 15:18 In-Context

16 Voi non avete eletto me, ma io ho eletti voi; e vi ho costituiti, acciocchè andiate, e portiate frutto, e il vostro frutto sia permanente; acciocchè qualunque cosa chiederete al Padre nel mio nome, egli ve la dia.

17 Io vi comando queste cose, acciocchè vi amiate gli uni gli altri.

18 Se il mondo vi odia, sappiate che egli mi ha odiato prima di voi.

19 Se voi foste del mondo, il mondo amerebbe ciò che sarebbe suo; ma, perciocchè voi non siete del mondo, anzi io vi ho eletti dal mondo, perciò vi odia il mondo.

20 Ricordatevi delle parole che io vi ho dette: Che il servitore non è da più del suo signore; se hanno perseguito me, perseguiranno ancora voi; se hanno osservate le mie parole, osserveranno ancora le vostre.