While the Bible does not use the word “bullying,” it clearly condemns behaviors that align with it—oppression, mockery, violence, and cruelty. Proverbs 6:16-19 lists several things the Lord hates, including “a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil,” and “one who sows discord among brethren.”
Bullying is rooted in pride and often fueled by a desire to dominate or belittle others, which is the opposite of how God commands us to treat people. Ephesians 4:29-32 instructs, “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification… Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you… and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.”
Mocking others is condemned in Proverbs 17:5, “He who mocks the poor reproaches his Maker.” Zechariah 7:10 also warns, “Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. Let none of you plan evil in his heart against his brother.”
Christ calls His followers to humility, mercy, and love. Matthew 7:12 says, “Whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them.” This is the heart of how believers should treat others.
God is a defender of the weak, and His people must never participate in or ignore mistreatment. Psalm 82:3-4 calls us to “Defend the poor and fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy; free them from the hand of the wicked.”