"Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters."
— Hebrews 13:1 (NIV)
Hebrews 13:1 is one short command that opens the letter's closing instructions: keep the family love among believers going. This page gives the verse, what the key words mean, where it sits in Hebrews 13, and a plain reading. For more on the theme, see Bible verses about brotherly love, Bible verses about hospitality, and Bible verses about loving others.
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The verse
The King James reads: "Let brotherly love continue."
"Brotherly love" is philadelphia (G5360), the warm love of brothers and sisters in one family. "Continue" or "keep on" is menō (G3306), to remain, stay, or last. The verse assumes the love is already there and asks that it not fade.
Where it sits in Hebrews 13
Verse 1 starts a list of practical commands. The next verse widens the circle: "Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it" (Hebrews 13:2). "Hospitality" there is philoxenia (G5381), love of strangers, a deliberate echo of philadelphia.
Then comes, "Continue to remember those in prison as if you were together with them in prison, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering" (Hebrews 13:3). Earlier the writer urged, "let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds" (Hebrews 10:24).
What the verse is saying
The first readers of Hebrews were under pressure, and some were drifting from meeting together. The writer does not ask them to start loving each other; he asks them to keep at it. Family love among believers is something you keep practicing, not a feeling you have once.
The next verses show what that looks like: opening your home to strangers, visiting people in prison, and standing with those who are mistreated. Paul gives the same charge in Romans 12:10: "Be devoted to one another in love," and Peter in 1 Peter 1:22: "love one another deeply, from the heart."
Questions people ask
What does Hebrews 13:1 say?
In the NIV it says, "Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters." The KJV says, "Let brotherly love continue."
What is brotherly love in Hebrews 13:1?
The Greek word is philadelphia, the love between brothers and sisters. In the New Testament it describes the family affection believers have for one another because they share one Father.
What does Hebrews 13:2 add to verse 1?
Verse 2 moves from loving fellow believers to loving strangers: "Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers." The Greek word for hospitality, philoxenia, means love of strangers, so the two verses pair family love with welcome for outsiders.
Why does Hebrews say "continue"?
The word means to remain or last. The readers already loved each other, but hardship and pressure could wear that love down, so the writer tells them not to let it fade.
What verses go with Hebrews 13:1?
Romans 12:10 (be devoted to one another in love), 1 Peter 1:22 (love one another deeply), and John 13:34-35 (love one another as I have loved you) are close companions.
