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רַע

𐤓𐤏

raʻ

H7451 adjective

SILEX Entry

Root רעע to be bad, to be evil, to do wrong, to be harmful

Definition

Primarily denotes that which is bad, disagreeable, or harmful, in both physical and ethical senses. As an adjective, רַע describes something undesirable, unpleasant, or malignant, whether referring to quality, experience, or moral character. As a substantive (noun), it can denote evil, wickedness, misfortune, disaster, or moral wrongdoing. The term can refer to misfortune or calamity (events or conditions), personal harm or injury, unpleasant or undesirable qualities, or, especially in moral contexts, wicked conduct or the characteristic of being wicked.

Semantic Range

bad, evil, wicked, harmful, malignant, unpleasant, disagreeable, adversity, misfortune, calamity, harm, injury, moral evil, wrongdoing, trouble, distress, disaster, personal or communal wickedness, wicked person

Root / Etymology

From the Hebrew root רָעַע ( רעע ), meaning 'to be bad,' 'to be evil,' or 'to act wickedly.' The noun and adjective רַע derive from this root, conveying the notion of badness, harm, or evil either as a state or an attribute. While the root can indicate physical badness (as in low quality or damage), it is more frequently extended metaphorically to moral evil or wickedness.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, רַע refers to both natural and moral dimensions of badness. In natural contexts (e.g., famine, disaster), it means something harmful or calamitous, without necessary moral judgment—see, for example, Amos 3:6. In ethical contexts, especially within Deuteronomic and prophetic literature, it often refers to evil conduct or moral wickedness, whether of individuals, groups, or communities. The same word is used of harmful acts (e.g., violence, injustice), general adversity (trouble, distress), or personal wickedness. Notably, the same word is opposed to 'good' (טוֹב, tov), which means beneficial or morally good. The English term 'wicked' or 'evil' often narrows the sense; רַע can mean any harmful or undesirable quality, event, or action, not strictly moral evil. In post-exilic and later Greek translations (LXX: πονηρός, κακός), the word is sometimes rendered 'evil' (as in the English 'evil'), but this may not always reflect the broad Hebrew semantic range. Contrasts sharply with טוֹב, the standard term for goodness or benefit.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from רָעַע; bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral); adversity, affliction, bad, calamity, [phrase] displease(-ure), distress, evil((-favouredness), man, thing), [phrase] exceedingly, [idiom] great, grief(-vous), harm, heavy, hurt(-ful), ill (favoured), [phrase] mark, mischief(-vous), misery, naught(-ty), noisome, [phrase] not please, sad(-ly), sore, sorrow, trouble, vex, wicked(-ly, -ness, one), worse(-st), wretchedness, wrong. (Incl. feminine raaah; as adjective or noun.).

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

רעע (r-ʿ-ʿ) — badness, evil, harm, wrongdoing

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1251 בַּר bad
H1254 בָּרָא bad
H1262 בָּרָה bad
H1283 בְּרִיעָה Beriyyah
H4828 מֵרֵעַ to his associate

Word Forms

58 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H7451-29 רָעָ֗ה raah HNcfsa evil evil 128
H7451-28 רַ֖ע ra HAamsa evil bad 123
H7451-10 הָ/רָ֛ע hara HTd/Aamsa the evil the bad 94
H7451-11 הָ/רָעָ֖ה haraah HTd/Ncfsa the evil the evil 89
H7451-41 רָע֖וֹת raot HAafpa evils evil things 19
H7451-40 רָעִ֖ים raim HAampa evil bad ones 18
H7451-20 לְ/רָעָֽה leraah HR/Ncfsa for harm for harm 15
H7451-32 רָעָתָ֑/ם raatam HNcfsc/Sp3mp their evil their evil 15
H7451-23 מֵ/רָ֖ע mera HR/Aamsa from evil from badness 14
H7451-12 הָ/רָעִ֜ים haraim HTd/Aampa evil the bad ones 13

Occurrences in Scripture

666 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H7451-48 Genesis 2:9 וָ/רָֽע vara HC/Aamsa and evil bad
H7451-48 Genesis 2:17 וָ/רָ֔ע vara HC/Aamsa and evil bad
H7451-48 Genesis 3:5 וָ/רָֽע vara HC/Aamsa and evil bad
H7451-48 Genesis 3:22 וָ/רָ֑ע vara HC/Aamsa and evil bad
H7451-30 Genesis 6:5 רָעַ֥ת raat HNcfsc wickedness evil of
H7451-28 Genesis 6:5 רַ֖ע ra HAamsa evil bad
H7451-28 Genesis 8:21 רַ֖ע ra HAamsa is evil bad
H7451-40 Genesis 13:13 רָעִ֖ים raim HAampa wicked bad ones
H7451-11 Genesis 19:19 הָ/רָעָ֖ה haraah HTd/Ncfsa the evil the evil
H7451-28 Genesis 24:50 רַ֥ע ra HAamsa bad bad
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