Hebrews 13:1 tells Christians to keep loving one another as family, and to let that love go on without interruption. The verse is a short, direct command, not a long argument. The writer of Hebrews addresses a community of believers who are being urged to stay faithful, and this is one of the closing exhortations of the letter.
Let brotherly love continue.
Hebrews 13:1 (WEB)
What Hebrews 13:1 Means
The word translated “brotherly love” comes from the Greek philadelphia, which means love between siblings or fellow members of a household. The writer is describing the affection believers are meant to have for one another as members of God’s family. It is not romantic love and it is not a feeling the writer expects to appear automatically. It is a commitment that has to be practiced.
The phrase “let it continue” is a present imperative in the original Greek, which means the command is ongoing. The writer is not asking for a single act of kindness but for a steady pattern that does not fade. That is why the verse is useful for a church that may be tired, divided, or discouraged. Love is expected to keep going even when it is inconvenient.
The verse does not promise that every relationship in the church will feel warm or easy. It also does not say that brotherly love will always be returned in the same measure. What it does say is that love among believers is a responsibility the community must keep choosing, and that God expects it to continue as part of faithful life together.
The Context of Hebrews 13:1
The letter to the Hebrews is anonymous, and although early tradition sometimes linked it to Paul, most scholars today do not think he wrote it. Its audience seems to be a group of Jewish Christians who were facing pressure, possibly including hardship, rejection, or the temptation to drift away from their commitment to Christ. The writer spends most of the letter explaining why Jesus is greater than the angels, Moses, and the old priesthood, and then turns in chapter 13 to practical instructions for daily life.
The verses that follow Hebrews 13:1 make the command concrete. Believers are told to show hospitality to strangers, to remember those in prison, and to honor marriage. Brotherly love, in this setting, is not an abstract mood but a way of acting toward people who are vulnerable, far from home, or under strain. Seeing the verse in that light shows that it is the opening line of a set of practical examples rather than a standalone slogan.
Key Phrases in Hebrews 13:1
John 13:34-35
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
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Jesus gives his disciples a new command to love one another as he has loved them, and he says this love will be the mark that identifies them as his followers. Reading it beside Hebrews 13:1 shows that brotherly love is rooted in the example and command of Christ himself.
1 Thessalonians 4:9-10
9 But concerning brotherly love, you have no need that one write to you. For you yourselves are taught by God to love one another, 10 for indeed you do it toward all the brothers who are in all Macedonia. But we exhort you, brothers, that you abound more and more…
(WEB)
Paul tells the Thessalonians that they have already been taught by God to love one another, and he encourages them to keep growing in that love. This passage echoes the idea in Hebrews 13:1 that brotherly love is a continuing practice, not a finished accomplishment.
A Short Prayer From Hebrews 13:1
Lord, you have made us part of your family through Jesus, and you have called us to love one another as brothers and sisters. Some days that love comes easily, and some days it feels like a weight. Help us not to let it fade. Where we have grown tired or careless, renew our hearts, and where we have been hurt, give us the grace to keep reaching toward one another. Let the love we have received from you keep flowing through us to the people you place around us. Amen.
