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Somebody did you wrong. They lied about you, or cheated you, or smiled at you on Sunday and tore you down on Monday. And somebody older and wiser leaned back in their chair, shook their head, and said it:
“God don’t like ugly.”
It felt good to hear. It meant: this isn’t over. Somebody is keeping score. But is “God don’t like ugly” in the Bible? It sounds like it should be. The short answer is no. The longer answer is better, because the Bible does have a list of the “ugly” things God hates. Not one of them is about how anybody looks. And one of them might surprise the person who is waiting for payback.
Is “God Don’t Like Ugly” in the Bible?
No. You won’t find the words “God don’t like ugly” anywhere in scripture, in the King James Version or any other translation. It’s a folk saying, not a verse.
But “not in the Bible” doesn’t mean “not biblical.” The saying was never about faces. “Ugly” here means ugly behaviour: cruelty, lying, spite, betrayal, looking down on people. And the Bible has a lot to say about that kind of ugly. It even gives us a list.
Where the Saying Comes From
“God don’t like ugly” grew up in African American homes and churches in the United States, passed down by word of mouth for generations. Nobody knows who said it first, and no one should pretend to. It belongs to the grandmothers.
That is not a figure of speech. In 2000, Dr. Teresa L. Fry Brown, a teacher of preaching, wrote a whole book named after the saying: God Don’t Like Ugly: African American Women Handing On Spiritual Values. Her point was that sayings like this one were how women in families and churches quietly passed moral wisdom to the next generation.
And here is the part that often gets lost. People who grew up hearing it remember it first as a warning to them. A child getting sassy, selfish, or mean would hear “God don’t like ugly” right before the consequences arrived. The saying pointed at the child’s own heart before it ever pointed at an enemy.
Some families add a second half, saying God isn’t too fond of “pretty” either. That half matters too. It means: don’t think looking good on the outside gets you off the hook.
The Seven Ugly Things God Hates: Proverbs 6:16-19
If you want the closest thing in the Bible to “God don’t like ugly,” this is it:
“These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, A false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.” (Proverbs 6:16-19, KJV)
Read the list slowly. Here’s what’s on it:
- A proud look — eyes that look down on people
- A lying tongue
- Hands that shed innocent blood
- A heart that plans wicked things
- Feet that run fast toward trouble
- A false witness — someone who lies about another person
- Someone who stirs up fights between people who should be family
Notice what is not there. Nothing about your nose, your weight, your skin, your clothes, or your teeth. The Bible said this out loud long before our grandmothers did: “man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). If you have ever wondered whether God sees you as ugly, we wrote about that honestly in Why Did God Make Me Ugly? The Verse Nobody Quotes.
The List Starts With the Eyes and Ends With the Family
Two small details make this list come alive.
First, the list starts with a look. In Hebrew, “a proud look” is literally “high eyes.” It is the way someone looks at you when they think they are above you. Before any lie is told or any hand is raised, ugly starts with how we see people.
Second, notice the odd counting: “six things… yea, seven.” That is a pattern Hebrew poets used. Say a number, then bump it up by one, and the last item lands with extra weight. So the list ends on the one that hits hardest: “he that soweth discord among brethren.” The person who splits families, churches, and friendships apart.
So the list runs from the eyes to the family. From a private look of contempt to a whole community torn in two. That’s the shape of ugly. It starts small, in the eyes, and it spreads.
The Saying Cuts Both Ways
Here’s where it gets personal.
Most of the time, when we say “God don’t like ugly,” we mean them. The one who hurt us. And that’s fair. God does see what they did. Paul wrote, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Galatians 6:7). Nobody gets away with ugly forever.
But look back at the list. A proud look. A heart that plans wicked things. Stirring up discord. Those can grow in the hurt person too. Quietly. While we’re waiting.
The Bible sees this coming. There’s another verse in Proverbs that almost nobody quotes next to this saying:
“Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth: Lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he turn away his wrath from him.” (Proverbs 24:17-18, KJV)
Read that again. Gloating over someone’s fall is itself a kind of ugly. Sitting on the porch waiting to watch them get what’s coming can turn our own eyes “high.” It can turn us into the very thing on the list.
That’s the gift hidden in the grandmother’s warning. It was never only a promise that they would pay. It was a warning to you: don’t let what they did make you ugly too.
What to Do With the Hurt While You Wait
So if you’re not supposed to sit and wait for payback, what do you do? Paul answers that right after the part about reaping:
“And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” (Galatians 6:9, KJV)
This is the freedom in it. You don’t have to be the judge. You don’t have to track their downfall. God is keeping honest books, and God is fair. That frees your hands to do good — to sow something better — instead of spending your life watching someone else’s field.
That doesn’t mean pretending it didn’t hurt. It means putting the account in God’s hands and walking away lighter. If that feels hard right now, it’s worth thinking about why Jesus quoted a psalm written for people watching cheats win. And if you’re not sure you’re there yet, our free Am I Ready to Forgive? tool can help you see where you honestly stand.
Actions to Take
- Name it. Write down the one person you’ve been waiting to see “get theirs.” Just the name. Seeing it on paper helps you stop carrying it in your head.
- Check your eyes. Read the seven things in Proverbs 6:16-19 out loud. Ask honestly: is any of this growing in me because of what they did? Circle one if it is.
- Sow one good thing today. Do one small kind thing for someone who can’t pay you back — a message, a meal, a thank-you. That’s “well doing,” and it moves your eyes off the other person’s field.
Journaling Prompts
- When you picture the person who hurt you falling, what do you feel in your body — relief, satisfaction, or something heavier?
- Which of the seven things on the list is easiest for you to see in other people and hardest to see in yourself?
- What would you do with your time and energy if you truly believed God was keeping the score?
“Ugly doesn’t start with a face. It starts with how we look at people.”
A Prayer
God, you know what they did, and you know how much it hurt. I’m tired of waiting to watch them fall, and I don’t want what they did to make me ugly too. Take the score out of my hands, because you are fairer than I could ever be. Clean out my eyes where I’ve started looking down on people. Help me not grow weary in doing good today. Amen.
Discussion Question
Do you think “God don’t like ugly” is mostly a comfort for people who’ve been wronged, or mostly a warning for all of us? Tell us in the comments — we’d love to hear how the saying was used in your home.
Share This
- “God don’t like ugly” isn’t in the Bible. But Proverbs 6 lists 7 things God hates, and not one is about how you look. It starts with a proud look.
- My grandmother used to say “God don’t like ugly.” I always thought she meant the people who hurt me. Turns out she meant me too.
- Proverbs 24:17 — “Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth.” Waiting for payback can make you the ugly one. Let God keep the score.
Questions People Ask About “God Don’t Like Ugly”
Is “God don’t like ugly” a Bible verse?
No. “God don’t like ugly” is not a Bible verse and does not appear in any translation of the Bible. It is a folk saying from African American family and church tradition. Its meaning, that God hates cruel and dishonest behaviour, is close to Proverbs 6:16-19, which lists seven things the Lord hates.
What does “God don’t like ugly” mean?
“God don’t like ugly” means God is displeased by ugly behaviour, not ugly looks. “Ugly” in the saying refers to things like lying, cruelty, spite, betrayal, and pride. It is often said when someone has done wrong, and traditionally it was also used as a warning to children to watch their own behaviour.
What are the seven things God hates in Proverbs 6?
Proverbs 6:16-19 lists seven things the Lord hates: a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked imaginations, feet that are swift in running to mischief, a false witness that speaks lies, and one who sows discord among brethren. None of the seven are about physical appearance.
Where did the saying “God don’t like ugly” come from?
The saying “God don’t like ugly” comes from African American oral tradition in the United States, passed down in homes and Black churches for generations. No one knows who first said it. Dr. Teresa L. Fry Brown’s 2000 book “God Don’t Like Ugly: African American Women Handing On Spiritual Values” explores how sayings like it carried moral wisdom between generations.
Is it wrong to want God to punish someone who hurt me?
Wanting justice when someone hurts you is normal, and the Bible says God sees every wrong (Galatians 6:7). But Proverbs 24:17-18 warns against rejoicing when an enemy falls, because gloating displeases God. The Bible invites hurt people to leave judgment to God and keep doing good (Galatians 6:9) rather than waiting to watch someone suffer.
