πονηρός G4190
Evil, wicked, morally bad; substantivized as 'the Evil One' (Satan) or 'evil/wickedness' as abstract concept; rarely, physically harmful.
One of the New Testament's primary adjectives for moral evil, poneros describes persons, actions, thoughts, and spiritual realities as wicked, worthless, or harmful. Its most distinctive theological use is the substantivized ho poneros — 'the Evil One' — referring to Satan as a personal agent of corruption (Matt 13:19, 38; 1 John 5:19). The petition in the Lord's Prayer, 'deliver us from evil' (Matt 6:13), is famously ambiguous between abstract evil and the Evil One. Spanish distinguishes malo (evil) from maligno (the Malignant One), while German böse covers both senses, mirroring the Greek ambiguity. A single Revelation passage (16:2) preserves the classical physical sense of 'painful, grievous.'
Senses
1. evil, wicked (adjectival) — The dominant adjectival sense: evil, wicked, morally bad. Describes persons (Matt 7:11 'you who are evil'), actions (Matt 9:4 'evil thoughts'), spiritual conditions (Matt 6:23 'if your eye is evil'), and fruit or outcomes (Matt 7:17–18). Spanish malo/mala, French mauvais, and German böse all render this broad moral quality consistently across the Gospels and Epistles. 62×
AR["أَشرارًا", "أَيُّها-الـ", "الشِّرَّ", "الشِّرِّ", "الشِّرِّيرُ", "الشِّرّيرُ", "شَرًّا", "شُرُورٍ", "شِرِّيرٌ", "شِرِّيرَةً", "شِرِّيرُ", "شِرِّيرِ", "شِرّيرٍ", "شِرّيرَةً", "شِرّيرَةٌ", "شِرّيرَةٍ"]·ben["দুষ্ট", "মন্দ"]·DE["böse"]·EN["evil", "wicked"]·FR["mauvais"]·heb["הָרָע", "רָע", "רָעִים", "רָעָה", "רָעוֹת"]·HI["दुष्ट", "दुष्ट-से", "बुरअ", "बुरा", "बुराई", "बुरि", "बुरी", "बुरे", "बुरेए"]·ID["jahat"]·IT["malvagio"]·jav["ala", "awon", "awon.", "jahat"]·KO["악하고", "악하냐", "악하면", "악한", "악한-것들", "악한-것을", "종아"]·PT["coisas-más", "malignos", "mau", "má", "más"]·RU["злого", "злое", "злой", "злым", "злых", "лукавому", "лукавый"]·ES["mala", "males", "malo", "malos", "malvada", "malvado", "malvados"]·SW["baya", "hazina", "kiovu", "kiovu.", "mabaya", "mbaya", "mwovu", "ni", "wabaya", "waovu"]·TR["kötü", "kötü,", "kötü-şeyler", "kötüden,", "kötülerin", "kötüyü."]·urd["ابنِ-آدم", "اور", "اے-برے", "برا", "بری", "بری-کو", "برے", "بُری", "بُرے", "دل", "شریر", "منہ", "کیونکہ"]
Matt 6:23, Matt 7:11, Matt 7:17, Matt 7:18, Matt 9:4, Matt 12:34, Matt 12:35, Matt 12:35, Matt 12:39, Matt 12:45, Matt 15:19, Matt 16:4 (+38 more)
2. the Evil One (substantivized) — The substantivized masculine ho poneros: 'the Evil One,' referring to Satan as a personal agent. Jesus identifies the Evil One as snatching the seed of the word (Matt 13:19), sowing weeds (Matt 13:38), and John declares 'the whole world lies in the Evil One' (1 John 5:19). Spanish maligno and Korean 악한 자 ('the evil one') treat this as a personal title. The Lord's Prayer petition (Matt 6:13) remains exegetically debated between this sense and the abstract. 14×
AR["الشَّرَّ", "الشِّرِّيرِ", "الشِّرّيرَ", "الشِّرّيرِ", "شِرِّيرُ", "شِرِّيرِ", "شِرّيرِ", "شِّرّيرُ"]·ben["দুষ্ট", "দুষ্ট-এর", "দুষ্টকে", "দুষ্টের", "মন্দ", "মন্দের", "মন্দের;", "মন্দের।"]·DE["boese", "böse"]·EN["evil", "evil-one"]·FR["mauvais"]·heb["הָרָע", "רָע"]·HI["दुशत", "दुष्ट", "बुरअ", "बुराई-से", "बुरे", "बुरे-का", "बुरे-के", "बुरे-से"]·ID["jahat", "jahat.", "si-jahat.", "yang-jahat"]·IT["malvagio"]·jav["Si-Jahat", "ala.", "awon.", "ingkang-ala", "ingkang-awon", "ingkang-jahat", "jahat", "piawon", "si-jahat;"]·KO["악에서", "악한-자", "악한-자-가", "악한-자-를", "악한-자-의", "악한-자가", "악한-자로부터.", "악한-자의"]·PT["maligno", "maligno."]·RU["злому", "лукавого", "лукавого.", "лукавом", "лукавый"]·ES["maligno", "malo"]·SW["-wa-mwovu", "mwovu", "yule-mwovu"]·TR["-nin-", "kötü-olan", "kötü-olanda", "kötü-olanın", "kötüden", "kötüye"]·urd["برا", "برے-کے", "برے۔", "بُرائی", "شریر", "شریر۔"]
Matt 5:37, Matt 5:39, Matt 6:13, Matt 13:19, Matt 13:38, Luke 11:4, John 17:15, Eph 6:16, 2 Thess 3:3, 1 John 2:13, 1 John 2:14, 1 John 3:12 (+2 more)
3. evil, wickedness (abstract noun) — The substantivized neuter to poneron: evil or wickedness as an abstract concept. Paul urges believers to 'abhor evil' (Rom 12:9) and to 'abstain from every form of evil' (1 Thess 5:22). Here evil is a category or force rather than a quality of a specific person or thing. French le mal and German das Böse capture this abstract nominalization. 2×
AR["الشَّرَّ", "شَرٍّ"]·ben["মন্দ", "মন্দকে;"]·DE["boese"]·EN["evil", "of-evil"]·FR["mauvais"]·heb["רָע"]·HI["बुरी", "बुरे"]·ID["kejahatan", "yang-jahat"]·IT["malvagio"]·jav["ala", "awon;"]·KO["악을", "악한"]·PT["do-mal", "mal;"]·RU["-благому", "злого"]·ES["de-mal", "malo"]·SW["uovu;", "ya-uovu"]·TR["kötüden", "kötülüğün"]·urd["برائی-سے", "بُری"]
4. painful, harmful (physical) — The rare physical sense preserved from classical Greek: painful, harmful, malignant. In Revelation 16:2, the first bowl produces a 'painful and harmful sore' (helkos kakon kai poneron) on those bearing the mark of the beast. Spanish maligna and the pairing with kakon ('bad') confirm that poneros here denotes physical affliction rather than moral evil. 1×
AR["خَبيثٌ"]·ben["দুষ্ট"]·DE["boese"]·EN["painful"]·FR["mauvais"]·heb["מַזִּיק"]·HI["दुष्ट"]·ID["berbahaya"]·IT["malvagio"]·jav["ala"]·KO["사나운"]·PT["maligna"]·RU["лютая,"]·ES["maligna"]·SW["ovu,"]·TR["acı-veren"]·urd["دردناک"]
Related Senses
H2896a 1. good (quality or moral) (305×)H7563 1. wicked person (259×)H7451c 1. moral evil or wickedness (234×)H5771 1. iniquity, sin, wrongdoing (222×)H6662 1. righteous person (substantive) (195×)G0266 1. sin, failure, transgression (173×)H2403b 1. sin, transgression (170×)H2617a 1. Covenant faithfulness, steadfast love (167×)H2398 1. Qal: to sin, commit sin (165×)H6666 1. righteousness, moral uprightness (145×)G5485 1. grace, divine favor (141×)H7451a 1. morally evil, wicked (129×)H2403b 2. sin-offering, sacrifice for sin (120×)G2570 1. good, right, excellent (98×)H6588 1. transgression, offense against God (88×)G0018 1. good (moral quality) (85×)H2896b 1. good, what is good (85×)H7451b 1. evil, wickedness (moral) (83×)H7451a 2. evil, harm, calamity (80×)G1342 1. righteous, upright (of persons) (70×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
πονηρός, ά, όν, in physical sense, oppressed by toils, πονηρότατος καὶ ἄριστος, of Heracles, Refs 8th c.BC+ __2 of things, toilsome, painful, grievous, ἔργα Refs 8th c.BC+ __II in bad case, in sorry plight, useless, good-for-nothing, σύμμαχοιRefs 5th c.BC+; κύων, ἱππάριον, Refs 5th c.BC+; δίαιτα, τροφή, σιτία, injurious, Refs 5th c.BC+; π. σῶμα, opposed to χρηστόν, Refs; π. σκώμματα sorry jests,…