יֵרַ֤ע
𐤉𐤓𐤏
yera
let it be evil
a primitive root; properly, to spoil (literally, by breaking to pieces); figuratively, to make (or be) good fornothing, i.e. bad (physically, socially or morally); afflict, associate selves (by mistake for רָעָה), break (down, in pieces), [phrase] displease, (be, bring, do) evil (doer, entreat, man), show self friendly (by mistake for רָעָה), do harm, (do) hurt, (behave self, deal) ill, [idiom] indeed, do mischief, punish, still, vex, (do) wicked (doer, -ly), be (deal, do) worse.
Genesis 21:12 · Word #6
Lexicon H7489
| Lemma | רָעַע |
| Lemma (Paleo) | 𐤓𐤏𐤏 |
| Transliteration | râʻaʻ |
| Strong's | H7489 |
| In-context | let it be evil |
Morphology HVqj3ms
All morphology codes
| Part of Speech | V — Verb — An action or state |
| Binyan | q — Qal — Simple active |
| Conjugation | j — Jussive — Third-person wish or command |
| Person | 3 — 3rd person — Third person ("he/she/they") |
| Gender | m — Masculine — Masculine |
| Number | s — Singular — Singular |
SIBI-P1
he does harm
| Root | רעע (r-ʿ-ʿ) |
| Core Meanings | badness, harm, injury, spoiling, breaking, acting wickedly |
| Semantic Range | to do evil, act wickedly, cause harm, injure, spoil, deal badly with, bring adversity, behave in a morally or socially corrupt manner |
| Conceptual Significance | This root encapsulates the biblical concept of moral and relational corruption—actions that fracture wholeness and covenantal harmony. It describes both ethical evil and tangible harm, underscoring how wrongdoing disrupts individuals, communities, and one’s standing before God. |
| Morphological Notes | Qal imperfect (yiqtol/jussive form) 3rd masculine singular of רעע. The imperfect may express habitual action ("he does harm"), future ("he will do harm"), or jussive nuance ("may he do harm") depending on context. |
| Rendering Rationale | The root רעע carries the sense of spoiling, injuring, or acting in a bad or harmful way. In the Qal imperfect 3rd masculine singular, the verb expresses a simple active action performed by "he," hence "he does harm," preserving both the active force of the stem and the masculine singular subject indicated by the morphology. |
AI-generated (openai/gpt-5.2-chat-latest)
Words from Root רעע (badness, harm, injury, spoiling, breaking, acting wickedly)
| SILEX Code | Transliteration | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
H7489-01 |
ara | I cause harm |
H7489-02 |
bamereim | because of the harm-causers |
H7451-01 |
baraah | calamity |
H7451-02 |
bera | bad, harmful (masculine singular) |
H7451-03 |
beraah | in badness |
H7451-04 |
beraatam | in their evil |
H7451-05 |
beraatekha | in your badness |
H7451-06 |
beraati | in my calamity |
H7451-07 |
beraato | in his evil |
H7451-08 |
beraoteyhem | in their evils |
H7451-09 |
hara | the harmful one |
H7451-10 |
haraah | the badness |
H7451-11 |
haraim | the evil ones |
H7451-12 |
haraot | the bad-things |
H7489-04 |
hareota | have you caused harm |
|
hareotah | have you caused harm? |
H7489-05 |
hareotem | you men have caused harm |
H7489-06 |
hareoti | Have I caused harm? |
H7489-07 |
hera | he has caused harm |
H7489-08 |
hereu | they have caused harm |
H7451-13 |
hrh | the badness |
H7451-14 |
keraato | according to his badness |
H7451-15 |
lara | to badness |
H7451-16 |
laraah | to evil |
H7489-09 |
lehara | to cause harm |
H7489-10 |
leharea | to cause harm |
H7489-11 |
lehiteroea | to ruin oneself |
H4827-01 |
lemera | for harm |
H7451-17 |
lera | to what-is-bad |
H7451-18 |
leraah | for badness |
H7451-19 |
leraato | to his harm |
H7451-20 |
mera | from evil |
H7451-21 |
meraah | from calamity |
H7451-22 |
meraat | from the evil of |
H7451-23 |
meraatam | from their evil |
H7451-24 |
meraato | from his evil |
H7489-12 |
mereim | those causing harm |
H7455-01 |
meroa | from badness |
H7451-25 |
ra | a harmful one |
|
ra | harmful |
H7451-26 |
raah | calamity |
H7451-27 |
raat | evil-of |
H7451-28 |
raatam | their evil |
H7451-29 |
raatekha | your evil |
H7451-30 |
raatekhe | your evil |
H7451-31 |
raatekhem | your evil |
H7451-32 |
raatekhi | your harm |
H7451-33 |
raati | my evil |
H7451-34 |
raato | his evil |
H7451-35 |
raey | bad ones of |
H7451-36 |
raim | evil ones |
H7451-37 |
raot | evil things |
H7451-38 |
raotekhem | your evils |
H7451-39 |
raoteykhem | your evils |
H7451-40 |
rh | evil thing |
H7455-02 |
roa | badness of |
H7489-13 |
tareu | you will cause harm |
H7489-14 |
tera | she will act badly |
H7451-41 |
uleraah | and to calamity |
H7455-03 |
umeroa | and from badness |
H7451-42 |
uveraatam | and in their evil |
H7451-43 |
uveraatekhe | and in your evil |
H1283-01 |
uveriah | and Beriah (“In-Adversity”) |
H7451-44 |
vara | and bad |
|
vara | and bad |
H7451-45 |
varaah | in the calamity |
H7489-15 |
vayareu | and they did harm |
|
vayera | and he did evil |
H7451-46 |
vehara | and the evil (one) |
H7451-47 |
veharaot | and the evils |
H7451-48 |
vera | evil (masculine singular) |
H7451-49 |
veraat | and the badness of |
H7451-50 |
veraatekhe | in your evil |
H7451-51 |
veraato | and his badness |
H7451-52 |
veraim | and evil ones |
H7451-53 |
veraot | (and/in) evils |
H7464-02 |
vereoteyha | and her companion-women |
H1283-02 |
veriah | In-Calamity (feminine name) |
H7455-04 |
veroa | in the badness of |
H7327-02 |
verut | and Ruth (Companion) |
|
vetareu | and you men will cause harm |
H7490-01 |
veteroa | and she will shatter |
H7489-16 |
yarea | he will cause harm |
|
yareu | they caused harm |
H7489-17 |
yaroa | he spoils |
H7489-18 |
yeroa | he will be made broken (harmed) |
Word Usage (102 occurrences of H7489)
| Location | Form | Transliteration | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Genesis 19:7 | תָּרֵֽעוּ | tareu | do wickedly |
| Genesis 19:9 | נָרַ֥ע | nara | we will deal worse / we will do evil |
| Genesis 21:11 | וַ/יֵּ֧רַע | vayera | was very displeasing |