Enemies
Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament [1]
Enemies ( ἐχθρός).— 1 . Of public enemies: twice in the Benedictus , Luke 1:71; Luke 1:74, where the word implies Gentile persecutors. In Luke 19:43 it is spoken of the Romans and their threatened siege of Jerusalem. In the quotation from Psalms 110:1 which occurs in Matthew 22:44, Mark 12:38, Luke 20:43, Hebrews 1:13; Hebrews 10:13, the same word denotes all the world forces opposing Christ. 2 . Of private enemies, in the correction of the old maxim enjoining hatred, ‘Love your enemies,’ Matthew 5:43-44, Luke 6:27; Luke 6:35. 3 . Of the devil and the powers of evil, in the parable of the Wheat and the Tares, Matthew 13:25; Matthew 13:39. 4 . Of the spiritual forces acting in opposition to Christ, of which the strongest is death, 1 Corinthians 15:25-26. 5 . Of wicked persons hindering the spread of Christ’s influence, the enemies of the cross, Philippians 3:18. The word used in NT for enemies is usually applied elsewhere to private or personal enemies, not to public foes. See, further, artt. Forgiveness, Hatred, Love.
C. H. Prichard.
Webster's Dictionary [2]
(pl.) of Enemy
