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רָשַׁע

𐤓𐤔𐤏

râshaʻ

H7561 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To act wickedly, to behave in a morally evil or criminal manner; to violate ethical, social, or legal standards; by extension, to be guilty, to be condemned, to be declared culpable or in the wrong.

Semantic Range

to act wickedly, to do wrong, to act criminally, to commit injustice, to violate ethical or social norms, to be guilty, to be condemned, to be declared culpable, to disturb social order, to vex, to treat unjustly

Root / Etymology

Root: רשע. The root ר-ש-ע (resh-shin-ayin) conveys the basic idea of acting with wickedness or criminality. The verb רָשַׁע derives directly from this root, signifying action that is morally or legally wrong. Nouns and adjectives from the same root (e.g. רַשָּׁע) refer to evil people, criminal conduct, or wrongdoing.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, רָשַׁע primarily describes acts of moral evil or social injustice—behaviors that break covenantal, communal, or divine law. It contrasts strongly with the root צ-ד-ק (צדק 'to be just, righteous'), highlighting the opposition between 'wickedness' and 'righteousness.' While commonly translated in English Bibles as 'to be wicked' or 'to act wickedly,' the term encompasses a wide variety of behaviors, from personal immorality to social oppression, or legal injustice. In legal settings, it can mean to declare someone guilty (cf. Deut 25:1; Ex 23:7), whereas in poetic and prophetic literature, it often refers more generally to living in a way that opposes the ethical values of the Israelite community. Over time, the sense of 'being wicked' broadened to include both overt criminal acts and more subtle violations of societal norms. The word is not specific to any one period of Israelite history but is used in texts from throughout the Hebrew Bible, both in narrative and in legal, poetic, and prophetic genres. Standard English translations such as 'do wickedly,' 'be guilty,' or 'act criminally' do not always capture the breadth of social and legal offense entailed by the Hebrew term.

Translation Consistency

primary "sin" 4 occurrences

רָשַׁע most commonly denotes doing wrong or acting wickedly; the single-word verb 'sin' naturally and concisely covers the typical moral/ethical action (commit wrongdoing, be guilty) found across contexts. It is idiomatic in biblical English and works better for consistent inflection than narrower senses like 'condemn' or 'declare.'

Alternatives (32 occurrences):
"acted wickedly" (8x) "declare me guilty" (4x) "condemn" (3x) "declare guilty" (3x) "sinned" (3x) "vexed" (1x) "wicked ones" (1x) "declare him guilty" (1x) "condemned" (1x) "who condemns" (1x) "wicked" (1x) "declare you guilty" (1x) "declared guilty" (1x) "act wickedly" (1x) "those who act wickedly" (1x) "wicked will act wickedly" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to be (causatively, do or declare) wrong; by implication, to disturb, violate; condemn, make trouble, vex, be (commit, deal, depart, do) wicked(-ly, -ness).

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

רשע (r-š-ʿ) — to be wicked, act criminally, be guilty, violate norms

Root רשע to be wicked, act criminally, be guilty, violate norms
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1306 בִּרְשַׁע In-Wickedness
H3573 כּוּשַׁן רִשְׁעָתַיִם Kushan of double-wickedness
H4849 מִרְשַׁעַת the wicked woman
H7562 רֶשַׁע from unjustness
H7563 רָשָׁע the guilty man

Word Forms

23 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H7561-18 יַרְשִֽׁיעַ yareshia HVhi3ms can condemn he will declare guilty he will cause to sin 4
H7561-02 הִרְשָֽׁעְנוּ hireshaenu HVhp1cp have acted wickedly we have acted wickedly we have sinned 3
H7561-07 רָשַׁ֖עְתִּי rashaeti HVqp1cs acted wickedly I acted wickedly I acted wickedly 3
H7561-01 אֶרְשָׁ֑ע eresha HVqi1cs I am wicked I will act wickedly I am wicked 2
H7561-09 תַּרְשִׁיעֵ֑/נִי tareshieni HVhj2ms/Sp1cs condemn me may you declare me guilty declare me guilty 2
H7561-04 לְ/הַרְשִׁ֣יעַ lehareshia HR/Vhc to-condemn to declare guilty to declare guilty 2
H7561-06 רָשָֽׁעְנוּ rashaenu HVqp1cp we have acted wickedly we acted wickedly we have acted wickedly 2
H7561-15 וְ/הִרְשִׁ֖יעוּ vehireshiu HC/Vhq3cp and condemn and they declared guilty and the wicked will act wickedly 2
H7561-20 יַרְשִׁיעֵ֑/נִי yareshieni HVhi3ms/Sp1cs will condemn me he will declare me guilty he will declare me guilty 2
H7561-23 יַרְשִׁיעֻ/ן֙ yareshiun HVhi3mp/Sn God shall condemn they will declare guilty shall condemn 1

Occurrences in Scripture

36 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H7561-23 Exodus 22:8 יַרְשִׁיעֻ/ן֙ yareshiun HVhi3mp/Sn God shall condemn they will declare guilty shall condemn
H7561-15 Deuteronomy 25:1 וְ/הִרְשִׁ֖יעוּ vehireshiu HC/Vhq3cp and condemn and they declared guilty and they declare guilty
H7561-18 1 Samuel 14:47 יַרְשִֽׁיעַ yareshia HVhi3ms he vexed them he will declare guilty he vexed
H7561-05 1 Samuel 24:14 מֵ/רְשָׁעִ֖ים mereshaim HR/Aampa from the wicked from wicked ones from wicked ones
H7561-07 2 Samuel 22:22 רָשַׁ֖עְתִּי rashaeti HVqp1cs acted wickedly I acted wickedly I acted wickedly
H7561-04 1 Kings 8:32 לְ/הַרְשִׁ֣יעַ lehareshia HR/Vhc to-condemn to declare guilty to declare guilty
H7561-06 1 Kings 8:47 רָשָֽׁעְנוּ rashaenu HVqp1cp we have acted wickedly we acted wickedly we have acted wickedly
H7561-20 Isaiah 50:9 יַרְשִׁיעֵ֑/נִי yareshieni HVhi3ms/Sp1cs will declare me guilty he will declare me guilty he will declare me guilty
H7561-10 Isaiah 54:17 תַּרְשִׁ֑יעִי tareshii HVhi2fs you shall condemn you will declare guilty you shall condemn
H7561-07 Psalms 18:22 רָ֝שַׁ֗עְתִּי rashaeti HVqp1cs I have acted wickedly I acted wickedly I acted wickedly
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