H7451 H7451
The evil; the morally wicked thing or behavior that must be purged from the community.
In this particular form — the adjective רַע with the definite article — the expression functions almost as a technical legal phrase in Deuteronomy's covenant law: 'you shall purge the evil from your midst' (Deut 17:12; 19:19; 21:21; 22:21–22, 24). It names not merely a bad quality but the concrete evil deed or person that contaminates the covenant community and must be removed to maintain holiness. The formula recurs with judicial force, marking offenses that carry the death penalty: rebellion against priestly authority, false witness, sexual transgression, and kidnapping. The definite article elevates the adjective to a substantive — 'the evil (thing)' — giving it almost noun-like weight.
Senses
1. the evil — The evil (הָרַע), the substantivized adjective with the definite article designating the morally wicked deed or person that threatens communal holiness. Spanish 'el mal' and French 'le mal' both capture the substantival force. Nearly all 14 occurrences cluster in Deuteronomic purge formulas — 'you shall purge the evil from your midst' (Deut 17:12; 19:19; 21:21; 22:21–22) — functioning as a legal term for covenant-violating behavior warranting capital punishment. The article transforms the adjective into an abstract-yet-concrete noun: not just 'bad' but 'the evil thing itself.' 14×
AR["الشَّرَّ", "الـ-شَّرَّ"]·ben["(মন্দ)", "মন্দ", "মন্দ-", "সেই-মন্দ"]·DE["[(הרע)]", "der-Boeses"]·EN["the-evil"]·FR["[(הרע)]", "le-mal"]·heb["ה-רע"]·HI["बुरा", "बुराई", "बुराई-को"]·ID["(yang-jahat)", "kejahatan", "sang-jahat", "yang-jahat"]·IT["[(הרע)]", "il-male"]·jav["piawon"]·KO["(그-악을)", "그-악을", "그-악한-것", "악을"]·PT["o-mal", "o-mal]"]·RU["-зло", "зло", "злое"]·ES["(lo-malo)", "el-mal"]·SW["(uovu)", "uovu"]·TR["de-kötüyü", "kötü", "kötülüğü"]·urd["بُرا", "بُرائی", "بُرائی-کو", "بُری"]
Deut 17:12, Deut 19:19, Deut 21:21, Deut 22:21, Deut 22:22, Deut 22:24, Judg 3:7, Judg 3:12, Judg 3:12, Judg 4:1, Judg 6:1, Judg 10:6 (+2 more)
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
## H7451 —
*Hebrew Art | Adj-ms* | 14 occurrences | 1 sense
### 1. the evil (14 occ.)
the evil (14 occurrences across 2 original clusters)
**Domain:** MORAL QUALITY > Moral and Ethical Qualities > Evil and Wickedness
**Glosses:** arb: الشَّرَّ, الـ-شَّرَّ | deu: [(הרע)], der-Boeses | eng: the-evil | fra: [(הרע)], le-mal | hin: बुरा, बुराई, बुराई-को | kor: (그-악을), 그-악을, 그-악한-것 | spa: (lo-malo), el-mal | swa: (uovu), uovu
**Refs:** Deut 17:12; Deut 19:19; Deut 21:21; Deut 22:21; Deut 22:22