Bible Verses on Sibling Rivalry

The Bible has a lot to say about loving one another, and that includes your brother or sister. Sometimes that gets a little tough. After all, you have to share so much, and sometimes we just get a little too jealous of one another. Still, here are some Bible verses about sibling rivalry that remind us how we’re called to love our siblings more than we argue with them:

Loving Your Brother and Sister

We sometimes hurt the ones we love the most, and sometimes the ones we love are the easiest to hurt. That’s not exactly what God has in mind for our relationship with our siblings. He calls us to love one another.

1 John 3:15
If you hate each other, you are murderers, and we know that murderers do not have eternal life. (CEV)

1 John 3:17
If we have all we need and see one of our own people in need, we must have pity on that person, or else we cannot say we love God. (CEV)

1 Corinthians 13:4-6
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. (NLT)

1 Peter 2:17
Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor. (NIV)

Arguing with a Sibling
It’s so easy to push our sibling’s buttons. We know one another better than anyone, so why wouldn’t we be able to know exactly what it is that hurts them the most, and vice versa. Also, we tend not to have as much as a filter with what we say when we’re with those closest to us, which can take us down a darker path with our siblings.

Proverbs 15:1
A gentle answer deflects anger, but harsh words make tempers flare. (NLT)

Matthew 5:21-22
You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’ But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell. (NLT)

James 4:1
What causes quarrels and what causes fights among you? Is it not this, that your passions[a] are at war within you? (ESV)

James 5:9
Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door. (ESV)

Be a Good Older Sibling
There is a certain level of responsibility when it comes to being a good older sibling, and the Bible reminds us of that. We set the example for younger siblings that look up to us. It’s up to the older sibling to avoid the pitfalls of sibling rivalry that can so easily happen when dealing with a younger brother or sister that doesn’t have our same level of maturity.

Ephesians 4:32
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. (NASB)

Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. (NKJV)

Matthew 18:6
It will be terrible for people who cause even one of my little followers to sin. Those people would be better off thrown into the deepest part of the ocean with a heavy stone tied around their necks! (CEV)

1 Thessalonians 5:15
Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else. (NIV)