H7451b H7451b
Evil, wickedness; bad, harmful; calamity, distress — covering moral evil, qualitative badness, experiential misfortune, and intentional harm.
Ra' as a substantive noun is the great antonym of tov ('good') in Hebrew moral vocabulary, but its range extends well beyond ethics. It names the 'evil' on the tree of knowledge (Gen 2:9), the 'calamity' God creates alongside peace (Isa 45:7), the 'trouble' of hard times (Ps 49:5), and the 'harm' one person inflicts on another (Jer 7:6). This breadth is theologically significant: Hebrew does not compartmentalize moral evil, natural disaster, and experiential suffering into separate lexemes the way many modern languages do. Arabic sharr similarly spans moral wickedness and misfortune, while German distinguishes Böses (moral) from Unheil (calamity). Korean separates 악 (moral evil) from 재앙 (disaster) and 해 (harm), revealing the three-way split that Hebrew holds in a single word — a fact that makes translating Genesis 2:9 or Isaiah 45:7 a perpetual challenge.
Senses
1. evil, wickedness (moral) — Moral evil or wickedness as abstract concept — the dominant sense at 83 occurrences, functioning as the substantive opposite of 'good' in the biblical moral framework. This is the ra' of the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2:9, 17; 3:5, 22), the 'evil in the sight of the LORD' formula throughout Judges and Kings, and the prophetic denunciation of those who 'devise evil' (Mic 2:1). Spanish el mal, French mal, and German Böses all render this with their primary moral-evil terms. Arabic sharr covers this sense exactly, while Korean 악 (ak) is the standard Sino-Korean term for wickedness. The phrase tov va-ra' ('good and evil') becomes a merism for complete moral knowledge, making this sense foundational to biblical anthropology and theodicy. 83×
AR["الشَّرَّ","الشَّرِّ","شَرًّا","شَرٌّ","شَرٍّ","شَرّ"]·ben["ক্ষতি","মন্দ","মন্দ-থেকে","মন্দ-থেকে;","মন্দকে","মন্দে"]·DE["Boeses","Böses","boese","Übel"]·EN["evil"]·FR["mal","mauvais"]·heb["רע"]·HI["बुरा","बुराई","बुराई-की","बुराई-ने","बुराई-में","बुराई-से"]·ID["dengan-kejahatan","jahat","kejahatan","orang-jahat"]·IT["cattivo","male"]·jav["awon","kang-ala","panjenengan-gumunggung","piawon"]·KO["악","악-에","악-에서","악-을","악-이","악을","악의","악이","악한","악한-것을"]·PT["mal","o-mal"]·RU["зла","зла;","зле","зло","зло,","злом"]·ES["el-mal","mal"]·SW["baya","mabaya","mbaya","ra","ubaya","uovu"]·TR["kötü","kötülük","kötülükte","kötülükten","kötülüğü","kötülüğün"]·urd["بدی","بدی-سے","برائی","برائی نے","برائی-سے","برائی-میں","برائی-کے","بُرا","بُرائی","بُرائی-کو"]
2. bad, of poor quality — Bad, of poor quality, defective, or displeasing — 9 occurrences where ra' functions as a qualitative adjective without primary moral judgment. The 'evil woman' of Prov 6:24 may straddle moral and qualitative senses, but Eccl 9:3 ('this is an evil in all that is done under the sun') uses ra' to describe an undesirable condition rather than moral wickedness per se. In 1 Kings 22:8, 18, Micaiah 'never prophesies good concerning me, but evil' — here ra' means 'unfavorable, unpleasant' rather than morally wicked. Spanish mal/mala and German böse both serve double duty for moral and qualitative badness, but Korean distinguishes 나쁜 (nappeun, 'bad quality') from 악한 (akhan, 'morally wicked'), confirming the sense boundary. 9×
AR["الشَّرِّ","رَع","سَيِّئًا","سُوءٍ","شَرًّا","شَرٌّ","شَرّاً"]·ben["মন্দ","মন্দের"]·DE["Boese","Boeses","boese"]·EN["bad","evil"]·FR["mal","mauvais"]·heb["רע"]·HI["बुरा","बुराई-को","बुरी"]·ID["buruk","jahat","orang-jahat","yang-jahat"]·IT["male","malvagio"]·jav["awon","kang-ala","piawon"]·KO["나쁜","나쁜-것을","악의","악이라고","악한-자는"]·PT["mal","mau","má","é-mal"]·RU["зло","злого","злое","злой","злой,","плохо","худой"]·ES["mal","mal?","mala","malo"]·SW["baya","kibaya","mbaya","mwovu","ni-baya"]·TR["kotu","kötü"]·urd["بدی","برا","برائی","بری","بری-سے","بُرا","بُری"]
3. calamity, disaster, trouble — Calamity, disaster, distress, misfortune — 7 occurrences where ra' names experiential suffering or adverse circumstances rather than moral character. The Israelites see they are 'in trouble' (be-ra', Exod 5:19), the Psalmist trusts God in 'the day of trouble' (yom ra', Ps 49:5), and Ps 94:13 speaks of 'days of adversity.' Isaiah 45:7 is the theological high point: God declares 'I form light and create darkness, I make peace and create ra'' — here calamity is attributed to divine sovereignty. Arabic baliyyah/musibah and Korean 재앙 (jaeang, 'disaster') both select disaster-specific vocabulary, and German Unheil/Not distinguishes this from moral Böses. This sense raises the sharpest theodicy questions in the Hebrew Bible. 7×
AR["الشَّرَّ","الشَّرِّ","شَرّ","في-شَرٍّ","فِي-شَرٍّ","فِي-ضِيقٍ"]·ben["মন্দে","মন্দের"]·DE["Böses","in-Boeses"]·EN["evil","in-evil","into-trouble","trouble"]·FR["dans-mal","mauvais"]·heb["ב-רע","רע","רעה"]·HI["बुराई-के","बुराई-को","बुराई-में","बुरे"]·ID["dalam-keadaan-buruk","dalam-kejahatan","ke-dalam-kesulitan","kejahatan","malapetaka"]·IT["in-male","male"]·jav["bilahi","dhateng-bebasan","ing-kang-ala","piawon","wonten-ing-awon","wonten-ing-kaja’atan"]·KO["나쁘게","악-에","악-의","악에","악한","에-악을","재앙-의"]·PT["em-mal","mal","no-mal"]·RU["бедствия","в-беде","во-зле","во-зло","зло","злое","злых"]·ES["en-mal","mal"]·SW["katika-hali-mbaya","katika-shida","katika-uovu","taabu","ubaya","uovu"]·TR["kotululugu","kötü","kötülük","kötülükle","kötülüğe"]·urd["-برائی-میں","برائی","برائی-میں","برائی-کے","بُرے","مصیبت-کے"]
4. evil, wicked (of persons) — Evil or wicked (of persons) — 3 occurrences where ra' characterizes a person as morally wicked or functions substantively as 'the evil one / evildoer.' In Ps 140:11 'let not an evil man be established in the earth'; in Ps 119:101 'I have restrained my feet from every evil path'; in Prov 29:6 'in the transgression of an evil man there is a snare.' Spanish malo and German Böser both use the adjectival-substantive form for wicked persons. Korean 악인 (akin, 'evil person') lexicalizes this into a compound noun. Though small, this cluster marks a distinct usage where ra' predicates moral character of a human agent rather than naming abstract evil or describing circumstances. 3×
AR["شَرٌّ","شَرٍّ","شِرِّيرٍ"]·ben["মন্দ,","মন্দের"]·DE["Boeses","Böses"]·EN["evil"]·FR["mal","mauvais"]·heb["רע"]·HI["दुष्ट","बुरे-का"]·ID["jahat"]·IT["male"]·jav["awon","duraka"]·KO["길-에서","악한"]·PT["mau","o-mal"]·RU["злого"]·ES["malo"]·SW["kwa","mbaya"]·TR["kötü"]·urd["برا","بُرے-کے","سے"]
5. harm, injury (to persons) — Harm, injury, or detriment directed at persons — 3 occurrences where ra' denotes concrete damage or harmful intent rather than abstract wickedness or natural calamity. In Jer 7:6 Israel is warned not to 'do harm' (le-ra') to the alien, orphan, and widow; in Jer 25:7 they provoked God 'to your own harm'; in Eccl 8:9 one person 'exercises authority over another to his harm.' The preposition le- ('to, for') frequently signals this purposive-harm sense. Spanish para mal and German zu Böses both use directional prepositions marking intended detriment. Arabic darar ('harm, damage') and Korean 해 (hae, 'harm, injury') both select concrete-injury vocabulary distinct from abstract moral evil, confirming that this represents a real sense at the boundary between moral and experiential ra'. 3×
AR["إِنْسَانٍ","لِشَرِّكُمْ","لِـ-شَرٍّ"]·ben["অমঙ্গলের-জন্য","ক্ষতির-জন্য","মন্দের-জন্য"]·DE["zu-Boeses"]·EN["for-evil","for-harm","to-your-harm"]·FR["mal","à-mal"]·heb["ל-רע"]·HI["के-लिए-बुराई","बुराई-के-लिए","हानि-के-लिए"]·ID["untuk-keburukan","untuk-kecelakaanmu","untuk-mendatangkan-malapetaka"]·IT["a-male","male"]·jav["kangge-piawon","kanggé-awon"]·KO["에-재앙을-위하여","에게-해로움","해-에"]·PT["para-mal"]·RU["во-зло","к-злу"]·ES["para-mal"]·SW["kwa-madhara","kwa-ubaya"]·TR["zarar-için","zararinana","zararınıza-"]·urd["برائی-کے-لئے","بُرائی-کے-لئے","کے-لیے-برائی"]
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×)H6664 1. righteousness, justice (116×)G2570 1. good, right, excellent (98×)G1343 1. (92×)H6588 1. transgression, offense against God (88×)G0018 1. good (moral quality) (85×)H2896b 1. good, what is good (85×)H7451a 2. evil, harm, calamity (80×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
II. רַע126 n.m. Jb 30:26 evil, distress, misery, injury, calamity;—abs. רַע Nu 11:1 +, בְּרָע Ex 5:19 +, רָ֑ע Gn 48:16 +;— †1. evil, distress, adversity: יָרֵא רַע fear evil ψ 23:4 Zp 3:15; בּוֹרֵא רָ֑ע Is 45:7 (of God), הביא רע 31:2; מתאננים רַע Nu 11:1 (J) murmuring respecting distress (see Di); אם טוב ואם רע Je 42:6 whether prosperity or adversity; יוֹם רע Am 6:3 day of calamity; יְמֵי רע ψ…