רַע
evil
‘evil’ is one of 3 main senses fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
See every Absolute-state word in the Hebrew Bible →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Adjective
- A word that describes or qualifies a noun.
- Noun
- A naming word — a person, place, thing, or idea.
- Verb
- An action or state-of-being word.
Noun type
- Common
- A common noun — a general class of person, place, or thing (“king,” “city,” “water”), not a specific name.
Stem
- Qal
- The basic, simple active stem — the plain form of the verb (“he wrote”). Here: ‘trans.’
Form
- Perfect
- A completed action or state — Hebrew marks aspect (completeness) more than strict tense (“he wrote”).
State
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
- Construct
- A noun bound to a following noun in a possessive / “of” relationship (the construct chain).
Person
- 3rd Person
- The one spoken about (“he / she / it / they”).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
- Feminine
- Grammatically feminine.
Number
- Singular
- One.
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
86 verses where H7451 appears in the Absolute state in the Book of Jeremiah. Filtered view — show all forms. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
Jeremiah
- Jeremiah 1:14 הָ/רָעָ֔ה ptcl def.art + n c fs Then Yahweh said to me, Out of the north evil shall break forth on all the inhabitants of the land.
- Jeremiah 2:3 רָעָ֛ה n c fs Israel [was] holiness to Yahweh, the first fruits of his increase: all who devour him shall be held guilty; evil shall come on them, says Yahweh.
- Jeremiah 2:13 רָע֖וֹת n c fp For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the spring of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.
- Jeremiah 2:19 רָעָתֵ֗/ךְ רַ֣ע n c fs cs + sfx pers 2fs adj Adjective ms Your own wickedness shall correct you, and your backsliding shall reprove you: know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and a bitter, that you have forsaken Yahweh your God, and that my fear is not in you, says the Lord, Yahweh of Hosts.
- Jeremiah 2:33 הָ/רָע֔וֹת ptcl def.art + n c fp How trimmest you your way to seek love! therefore even the wicked women have you taught your ways.
- Jeremiah 3:5 הָ/רָע֖וֹת ptcl def.art + n c fp Will he retain [his anger] forever? will he keep it to the end? Behold, you have spoken and have done evil things, and have had your way.
- Jeremiah 3:17 הָ/רָֽע ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms At that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of Yahweh; and all the nations shall be gathered to it, to the name of Yahweh, to Jerusalem: neither shall they walk any more after the stubbornness of their evil heart.
- Jeremiah 4:6 רָעָ֗ה n c fs Set up a standard toward Zion: flee for safety, don't stay; for I will bring evil from the north, and a great destruction.
- Jeremiah 4:14 מֵ/רָעָ֤ה prep + n c fs Jerusalem, wash your heart from wickedness, that you may be saved. How long shall your evil thoughts lodge within you?
- Jeremiah 5:12 רָעָ֔ה n c fs They have denied Yahweh, and said, It is not he; neither shall evil come on us; neither shall we see sword nor famine:
- Jeremiah 5:28 רָ֔ע adj Adjective ms They are grew fat, they shine: yes, they overpass in deeds of wickedness; they don't plead the cause, the cause of the fatherless, that they may prosper; and the right of the needy they don't judge.
- Jeremiah 6:1 רָעָ֛ה n c fs Flee for safety, you children of Benjamin, out of the midst of Jerusalem, and blow the trumpet in Tekoa, and raise up a signal on Beth Haccherem; for evil looks forth from the north, and a great destruction.
- Jeremiah 6:19 רָעָ֛ה n c fs Hear, earth: behold, I will bring evil on this people, even the fruit of their thoughts, because they have not listened to my words; and as for my law, they have rejected it.
- Jeremiah 6:29 וְ/רָעִ֖ים conj + Adjective Adjective mp The bellows blow fiercely; the lead is consumed of the fire: in vain do they go on refining; for the wicked are not plucked away.
- Jeremiah 7:6 לְ/רַ֥ע prep + Adjective Adjective ms if you don't oppress the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow, and don't shed innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your own hurt:
- Jeremiah 7:24 הָ/רָ֑ע ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms But they didn't listen nor turn their ear, but walked in [their own] counsels [and] in the stubbornness of their evil heart, and went backward, and not forward.
- Jeremiah 7:30 הָ/רַ֛ע ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms For the children of Judah have done that which is evil in my sight, says Yahweh: they have set their abominations in the house which is called by my name, to defile it.
- Jeremiah 8:3 הָֽ/רָעָ֖ה ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective fs Death shall be chosen rather than life by all the residue that remain of this evil family, that remain in all the places where I have driven them, says Yahweh of Hosts.
- Jeremiah 9:3 מֵ/רָעָ֨ה רָעָ֧ה prep + n c fs n c fs They bend their tongue, [as it were] their bow, for falsehood; and they are grown strong in the land, but not for truth: for they proceed from evil to evil, and they don't know me, says Yahweh.
- Jeremiah 11:8 הָ/רָ֑ע ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms Yet they didn't obey, nor turn their ear, but walked everyone in the stubbornness of their evil heart: therefore I brought on them all the words of this covenant, which I commanded them to do, but they didn't do them.
- Jeremiah 11:11 רָעָ֔ה n c fs Therefore thus says Yahweh, Behold, I will bring evil on them, which they shall not be able to escape; and they shall cry to me, but I will not listen to them.
- Jeremiah 11:17 רָעָ֑ה רָעַ֨ת n c fs n c fs cs For Yahweh of Hosts, who planted you, has pronounced evil against you, because of the evil of the house of Israel and of the house of Judah, which they have worked for themselves in provoking me to anger by offering incense to Baal.
- Jeremiah 11:23 רָעָ֛ה n c fs and there shall be no remnant to them: for I will bring evil on the men of Anathoth, even the year of their visitation.
- Jeremiah 12:14 הָֽ/רָעִ֔ים ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective mp Thus says Yahweh against all my evil neighbors, who touch the inheritance which I have caused my people Israel to inherit: behold, I will pluck them up from off their land, and will pluck up the house of Judah from among them.
- Jeremiah 13:10 הָ/רָ֜ע ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms This evil people, who refuse to hear my words, who walk in the stubbornness of their heart, and are gone after other gods to serve them, and to worship them, shall even be as this belt, which is profitable for nothing.
- Jeremiah 15:11 רָעָ֛ה adj Adjective fs Yahweh said, Most assuredly I will strengthen you for good; most assuredly I will cause the enemy to make supplication to you in the time of evil and in the time of affliction.
- Jeremiah 15:21 רָעִ֑ים adj Adjective mp I will deliver you out of the hand of the wicked, and I will redeem you out of the hand of the terrible.
- Jeremiah 16:10 הָ/רָעָ֤ה ptcl def.art + n c fs It shall happen, when you shall show this people all these words, and they shall tell you, Why has Yahweh pronounced all this great evil against us? or what is our iniquity? or what is our sin that we have committed against Yahweh our God?
- Jeremiah 16:12 הָ/רָ֔ע ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms and you have done evil more than your fathers; for, behold, you walk every one after the stubbornness of his evil heart, so that you don't listen to me:
- Jeremiah 17:17 רָעָֽה n c fs Don't be a terror to me: you are my refuge in the day of evil.
- Jeremiah 17:18 רָעָ֔ה n c fs Let them be disappointed who persecute me, but let not me be disappointed; let them be dismayed, but don't let me be dismayed; bring on them the day of evil, and destroy them with double destruction.
- Jeremiah 18:8 מֵ/רָ֣עָת֔/וֹ הָ֣/רָעָ֔ה prep + n c fs cs + sfx pers 3ms ptcl def.art + n c fs if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turn from their evil, I will repent of the evil that I thought to do to them.
- Jeremiah 18:10 ה/רעה הָ/רַע֙ ptcl def.art + n c fs ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms if they do that which is evil in my sight, that they not obey my voice, then I will repent of the good, with which I said I would benefit them.
- Jeremiah 18:11 רָעָ֔ה הָֽ/רָעָ֔ה n c fs ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective fs Now therefore, speak to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, Thus says Yahweh: Behold, I frame evil against you, and devise a device against you: return you now everyone from his evil way, and amend your ways and your doings.
- Jeremiah 18:12 הָ/רָ֖ע ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms But they say, It is in vain; for we will walk after our own devices, and we will do everyone after the stubbornness of his evil heart.
- Jeremiah 18:20 רָעָ֔ה n c fs Shall evil be recompensed for good? for they have dug a pit for my soul. Remember how I stood before you to speak good for them, to turn away your wrath from them.
- Jeremiah 19:3 רָעָה֙ n c fs and say, Hear you the word of Yahweh, kings of Judah, and inhabitants of Jerusalem: thus says Yahweh of Hosts, the God of Israel, Behold, I will bring evil on this place, which whoever hears, his ears shall tingle.
- Jeremiah 19:15 הָ֣/רָעָ֔ה ptcl def.art + n c fs Thus says Yahweh of Hosts, the God of Israel, Behold, I will bring on this city and on all its towns all the evil that I have pronounced against it; because they have made their neck stiff, that they may not hear my words.
- Jeremiah 21:10 לְ/רָעָ֛ה prep + n c fs For I have set my face on this city for evil, and not for good, says Yahweh: it shall be given into the hand of the king of Babylon, and he shall burn it with fire.
- Jeremiah 23:10 רָעָ֔ה adj Adjective fs For the land is full of adulterers; for because of swearing the land mourns; the pastures of the wilderness are dried up. Their course is evil, and their might is not right;
- Jeremiah 23:12 רָעָ֛ה n c fs Therefore their way shall be to them as slippery places in the darkness: they shall be driven on, and fall therein; for I will bring evil on them, even the year of their visitation, says Yahweh.
- Jeremiah 23:17 רָעָֽה n c fs They say continually to those who despise me, Yahweh has said, You shall have peace; and to everyone who walks in the stubbornness of his own heart they say, No evil shall come on you.
- Jeremiah 23:22 הָ/רָ֔ע ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms But if they had stood in my council, then had they caused my people to hear my words, and had turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.
- Jeremiah 24:2 רָע֣וֹת adj Adjective fp One basket had very good figs, like the figs that are first-ripe; and the other basket had very bad figs, which could not be eaten, they were so bad.
- Jeremiah 24:3 וְ/הָֽ/רָעוֹת֙ רָע֣וֹת conj + ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective fp adj Adjective fp Then said Yahweh to me, What see you, Jeremiah? I said, Figs; the good figs, very good; and the bad, very bad, that can't be eaten, they are so bad.
- Jeremiah 24:8 הָֽ/רָע֔וֹת ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective fp As the bad figs, which can't be eaten, they are so bad, surely thus says Yahweh, So will I give up Zedekiah the king of Judah, and his princes, and the residue of Jerusalem, who remain in this land, and those who dwell in the land of Egypt,
- Jeremiah 24:9 לְ/רָעָ֔ה prep + n c fs I will even give them up to be tossed back and forth among all the kingdoms of the earth for evil; to be a reproach and a proverb, a taunt and a curse, in all places where I shall drive them.
- Jeremiah 25:5 הָֽ/רָעָה֙ ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective fs saying, Return you now everyone from his evil way, and from the evil of your doings, and dwell in the land that Yahweh has given to you and to your fathers, from of old and even forevermore;
- Jeremiah 25:7 לְ/רַ֥ע prep + Adjective Adjective ms Yet you have not listened to me, says Yahweh; that you may provoke me to anger with the work of your hands to your own hurt.
- Jeremiah 25:32 רָעָ֛ה n c fs Thus says Yahweh of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great tempest shall be raised up from the uttermost parts of the earth.
- Jeremiah 26:3 הָ/רָעָ֑ה הָ/רָעָ֗ה ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective fs ptcl def.art + n c fs It may be they will listen, and turn every man from his evil way; that I may repent me of the evil which I purpose to do to them because of the evil of their doings.
- Jeremiah 26:13 הָ֣/רָעָ֔ה ptcl def.art + n c fs Now therefore amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of Yahweh your God; and Yahweh will repent him of the evil that he has pronounced against you.
- Jeremiah 26:19 הָ/רָעָ֖ה רָעָ֥ה ptcl def.art + n c fs n c fs Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him to death? Didn't he fear Yahweh, and entreat the favor of Yahweh, and Yahweh repented him of the evil which he had pronounced against them? Thus should we commit great evil against our own souls.
- Jeremiah 28:8 וּ/לְ/רָעָ֥ה conj + prep + Adjective Adjective fs The prophets who have been before me and before you of old prophesied against many countries, and against great kingdoms, of war, and of evil, and of pestilence.
- Jeremiah 29:11 לְ/רָעָ֔ה prep + n c fs For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says Yahweh, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you hope in your latter end.
- Jeremiah 32:23 הָ/רָעָ֖ה ptcl def.art + n c fs and they came in, and possessed it, but they didn't obey your voice, neither walked in your law; they have done nothing of all that you commanded them to do: therefore you have caused all this evil to come on them.
- Jeremiah 32:30 הָ/רַ֛ע ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms For the children of Israel and the children of Judah have done only that which was evil in my sight from their youth; for the children of Israel have only provoked me to anger with the work of their hands, says Yahweh.
- Jeremiah 32:42 הָ/רָעָ֥ה ptcl def.art + n c fs For thus says Yahweh: Like as I have brought all this great evil on this people, so will I bring on them all the good that I have promised them.
- Jeremiah 35:15 הָ/רָעָ֜ה ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective fs I have sent also to you all my servants the prophets, rising up early and sending them, saying, Return you now every man from his evil way, and amend your doings, and don't go after other gods to serve them, and you shall dwell in the land which I have given to you and to your fathers: but you have not inclined your ear, nor listened to me.
- Jeremiah 35:17 הָ֣/רָעָ֔ה ptcl def.art + n c fs therefore thus says Yahweh, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will bring on Judah and on all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the evil that I have pronounced against them; because I have spoken to them, but they have not heard; and I have called to them, but they have not answered.
- Jeremiah 36:3 הָ֣/רָעָ֔ה הָ/רָעָ֔ה ptcl def.art + n c fs ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective fs It may be that the house of Judah will hear all the evil which I purpose to do to them; that they may return every man from his evil way; that I may forgive their iniquity and their sin.
- Jeremiah 36:7 הָ/רָעָ֑ה ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective fs It may be they will present their supplication before Yahweh, and will return everyone from his evil way; for great is the anger and the wrath that Yahweh has pronounced against this people.
- Jeremiah 36:31 הָ/רָעָ֛ה ptcl def.art + n c fs I will punish him and his seed and his servants for their iniquity; and I will bring on them, and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and on the men of Judah, all the evil that I have pronounced against them, but they didn't listen.
- Jeremiah 38:4 לְ/רָעָֽה prep + n c fs Then the princes said to the king, Let this man, we pray you, be put to death; because he weakens the hands of the men of war who remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words to them: for this man doesn't seek the welfare of this people, but the hurt.
- Jeremiah 39:12 רָּ֑ע adj Adjective ms Take him, and look well to him, and do him no harm; but do to him even as he shall tell you.
- Jeremiah 39:16 לְ/רָעָ֖ה prep + n c fs Go, and speak to Ebedmelech the Ethiopian, saying, Thus says Yahweh of Hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will bring my words on this city for evil, and not for good; and they shall be accomplished before you in that day.
- Jeremiah 40:2 הָ/רָעָ֣ה ptcl def.art + n c fs The captain of the guard took Jeremiah, and said to him, Yahweh your God pronounced this evil on this place;
- Jeremiah 41:11 הָֽ/רָעָה֙ ptcl def.art + n c fs But when Johanan the son of Kareah, and all the captains of the forces who were with him, heard of all the evil that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah had done,
- Jeremiah 42:6 רָ֔ע adj Adjective ms Whether it be good, or whether it be evil, we will obey the voice of Yahweh our God, to whom we send you; that it may be well with us, when we obey the voice of Yahweh our God.
- Jeremiah 42:10 הָ֣/רָעָ֔ה ptcl def.art + n c fs If you will still abide in this land, then will I build you, and not pull you down, and I will plant you, and not pluck you up; for I repent me of the evil that I have done to you.
- Jeremiah 42:17 הָֽ/רָעָ֔ה ptcl def.art + n c fs So shall it be with all the men who set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there: they shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence; and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring on them.
- Jeremiah 44:2 הָֽ/רָעָה֙ ptcl def.art + n c fs Thus says Yahweh of Hosts, the God of Israel: You have seen all the evil that I have brought on Jerusalem, and on all the cities of Judah; and, behold, this day they are a desolation, and no man dwells therein,
- Jeremiah 44:7 רָעָ֤ה n c fs Therefore now thus says Yahweh, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: Why commit you [this] great evil against your own souls, to cut off from you man and woman, infant and suckling, out of the midst of Judah, to leave you none remaining;
- Jeremiah 44:11 לְ/רָעָ֑ה prep + n c fs Therefore thus says Yahweh of Hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will set my face against you for evil, even to cut off all Judah.
- Jeremiah 44:17 וְ/רָעָ֖ה conj + n c fs But we will certainly perform every word that is gone forth out of our mouth, to burn incense to the queen of the sky, and to pour out drink-offerings to her, as we have done, we and our fathers, our kings and our princes, in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem; for then had we plenty of food, and were well, and saw no evil.
- Jeremiah 44:23 הָ/רָעָ֥ה ptcl def.art + n c fs Because you have burned incense, and because you have sinned against Yahweh, and have not obeyed the voice of Yahweh, nor walked in his law, nor in his statutes, nor in his testimonies; therefore this evil is happened to you, as it is this day.
- Jeremiah 44:27 לְ/רָעָ֖ה prep + n c fs Behold, I watch over them for evil, and not for good; and all the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by the famine, until there be an end of them.
- Jeremiah 44:29 לְ/רָעָֽה prep + n c fs This shall be the sign to you, says Yahweh, that I will punish you in this place, that you may know that my words shall surely stand against you for evil:
- Jeremiah 45:5 רָעָ֤ה n c fs Seek you great things for yourself? Don't seek them; for, behold, I will bring evil on all flesh, says Yahweh; but your life will I give to you for a prey in all places where you go.
- Jeremiah 48:2 רָעָ֔ה n c fs The praise of Moab is no more; in Heshbon they have devised evil against her: Come, and let us cut her off from being a nation. You also, Madmen, shall be brought to silence: the sword shall pursue you.
- Jeremiah 49:23 רָעָ֛ה adj Adjective fs Of Damascus. Hamath is confounded, and Arpad; for they have heard evil news, they are melted away: there is sorrow on the sea; it can't be quiet.
- Jeremiah 49:37 רָעָ֛ה n c fs I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies, and before those who seek their life; and I will bring evil on them, even my fierce anger, says Yahweh; and I will send the sword after them, until I have consumed them;
- Jeremiah 51:2 רָעָֽה n c fs I will send to Babylon strangers, who shall winnow her; and they shall empty her land: for in the day of trouble they shall be against her round about.
- Jeremiah 51:60 הָ/רָעָ֛ה ptcl def.art + n c fs Jeremiah wrote in a book all the evil that should come on Babylon, even all these words that are written concerning Babylon.
- Jeremiah 51:64 הָ/רָעָ֗ה ptcl def.art + n c fs and you shall say, Thus shall Babylon sink, and shall not rise again because of the evil that I will bring on her; and they shall be weary. Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.
- Jeremiah 52:2 הָ/רַ֖ע ptcl def.art + Adjective Adjective ms He did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, according to all that Jehoiakim had done.
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
The Hebrew word רע centers on the idea of “evil.” Its earliest occurrence is Genesis 2:9. It appears 623 verses across 36 books of the Hebrew Bible, among its most common vocabulary. Its meaning spans more than one sense — see its full sense range. It clusters with רעע, מרע and רע under a shared root. Dig into 623-verse concordance and the renderings breakdown below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H7451 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 623
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 623 distinct verses.
- 36 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 36 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #73
- by frequency
- Top 100 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 73 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 623 occurrences in the concordance →
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 623 distinct verses.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 312 verses · 50%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 221 verses · 35%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 90 verses · 14%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
BDB lists this Strong’s number as 6 distinct words (homographs). Each count above pools all of them and is not split by sense — see the Senses section below. A low-frequency rendering may belong to a different one of those words, not the primary meaning.
- King James Version†: Evil 308×, Wickedness 39×, Was evil 26×
- American Standard Version†: Evil 241×, Was evil 51×, Wickedness 32×
- Berean Standard Bible†: Evil 247×, Disaster 72×, Harm 28×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text†: Evil 341×, Harm 49×, Bad 34×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H7451 across 657† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 118 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 6 further occurrences.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H7451 across 655† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 165 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H7451 across 651† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 98 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 13 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H7451 across 644† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 46 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
36 senses and sub-senses in the full BDB
Hebrew verbs can shift meaning by stem (binyan): Qal is the basic action, Niphal is often passive or reflexive, Piel often intensifies or makes it factitive, and Hiphil is typically causative. The senses below are grouped under the stem BDB assigns to each. This entry also uses Hithpael (reflexive or reciprocal).
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 36 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
רע I pasture, tend, graze (Assyrian rêʾû vb. pasture, n. ruler, TelAm. ruh̬i (as Canaanism) WklNo. 181, 11
Qal
- Pf. 3 ms. consec. וְרָעָה Mi 5:3 +, 1 s. sf. consec. וּרְעִיתִים Ez 34:13, 3 pl. sf. consec. וְרָעוּם Je 23:4, etc.; Impf. 3 ms. יִרְעֶה Is 27:10 +, juss. יֵרַע Jb 20:26, sf. יִעֶנָּה ψ 80:14, וַיִּרְעֵם ψ 78:72 (וַיִּר׳ Hiph. van d. H.), etc.; Imv. ms. רְעֵה Mi 7:14 +, sf. רְעֵם ψ 28:9; fs. רְעִי Ct 1:8; mpl. רְעוּ Gn 29:7; Inf. cstr. לִרְעוֹת 37:12 +, etc.; Pt. רֹעֶה 30:36 +, sf. רֹעִי ψ 23:1 +; fs. רֹעָה Gn 29:9 Pr 25:19, etc.;— e.g. Micah 5:3
- 1. trans.
- a. pasture, tend (pascere), lit., c. acc. צֹאן Gn 30:31, 36; 37:12 (all J), Ex 3:1 (E), 1 S 17:15; 25:16 Is 61:5, acc. of asses Gn 36:24 (P), kids Ct 1:8; acc. (צפּאן) om. Gn 29:7; 37:13 (ב loc.) v 16 (all J), Ct 1:7 (‖ חִרְבִּיץ), Jb 24:2 (𝔊 Me Siegf Bu וְרֹעוֹ);—metaph. גֹּרֶן וָיֶקֶב לֹא יִרְעֵם Ho 9:2, but read יֵדָעֵם 𝔊 We Now GASm; מָוֶת יִרְעֵם ψ 49:15. e.g. Genesis 30:31
- b. fig. of י׳, acc. pers., Gn 48:15 (E) God, who shepherded me; c. acc. of people, as flock Ho 4:16 Is 40:11 Mi 7:14 (בְּשִׁבְטֶ֑ן), Ez 34:13 (pregn., c. אֶל loc.), v 14, 15 (+ הִרְבִּיץ), v 16 ψ 28:9. e.g. Genesis 48:15
- c. fig. of ruler, and teacher, acc. of people, as flock, 2 S 5:2 = 1 Ch 11:2; 2 S 7:7 = 1 Ch 17:6, ψ 78:72 Je 3:15; 23:2, 4; Ez 34:2, 3, 8, 10, 23(×2); Zc 11:4, 7(×2), 9; of guiding, שִׂפְתֵי צַדִּיק יִרְעוּ רַבִּים Pr 10:21; c. ב of people ψ 78:71; abs. Mi 5:3; c. acc. pers. reflex. pastured (fed, enriched) themselves Ez 34:2, 8, 10 e.g. 2 Samuel 5:2
- d. especially pt. רֹעֶח, etc., as subst. = shepherd, herdsman: (1) lit., רֹעֵה צֹאן Gn 4:2; 46:32, 34; 47:3 (all J), רֹעֶח בַּצּ׳ 37:2 (E), 1 S 16:11; 17:34; רֹעֵי מִקְנֶה Gn 13:7(×2) (J); (ה)ר׳ alone, sg. Am 3:12 + 7 times (all in sim.); רֹעָה shepherdess, Gn 29:9 (J); כִּלִי רֹעֶה אֱוִילִי Zc 11:15 (v. כְּלִי 2 c), as symbol; pl. (הָ)רֹעִים Am 1:2; Ex 2:17, 19 (J), 1 S 21:8 (אַבִּיר הָר׳; Gr Dr Bu Kit Löhr א׳ הָרָצִים; 𝔊 LagBN 45 HPS אֹבִּיל הָעֲיָרִים, but cf. We) + 8 times + Is 31:4 (sim.), 38:12 (read רֹעִים for רֹעִי Perles29 Du CheHpt cf. Di), cf. (sf.) Gn 13:8(×2) (J); כְּלִי הָרֹעִים 1 S 17:40 (v. כְּלִי 3);—בֵּית־עֵקֶד הָרֹעִים, v. p. 112. (2) fig. of ruler (as often Assyrian; cf. Gk. (Homer) ποιμένα λαῶν), abs. sg. Je 17:16 fig. of prophet (but Aq Symm 𝔖 Gie Du Co מֵרָעָה). Zc 10:2; 11:16; 13:7b + 8 times Je Ez; sf. of י׳, דֹעִי Is 44:28 (of Cyrus), Zc 13:7a (read רֹעִי הָאֱוִילִי We Now GASm); abs. pl. Is 56:11; Je 2:8; 3:15; Mi 5:4 Zc 10:3; 11:5, 8 + 18 times Je Ez 34, + (of Assyrian leaders) Na 3:18; רֹעֵי יִשׂ׳ Ez 34:2; רֹעֵי צֹאנוֹ Is 63:11 (but read רֹעֵה [of Moses] 𝔊 𝔗 Di Du al.). (3) epith. of י׳: י׳ רֹעִי ψ 23:1, רֹעֵה יִשׂ׳ 80:2, רֹעֶה אֶבֶן יִשׂ׳, Gn 49:24 (poem in J; read cstr. רֹעֵה, cf. Comm.); מֵרֹעֶה אֶחָד Ec 12:11 DeWild, president of assembly of sages Siegf SS e.g. Genesis 4:2
- 2. intrans. feed, graze:
- a. lit. of cows, sheep, etc.: c. ב loc. Gn 41:2, 18 (E), 1 Ch 27:29; c. acc. of pasture Is 30:23; c. עַל loc. Zp 2:7 (עֲלֵי הַיָּם for MT עֲלֵיהֶם, v. Now); אֶל־מוּל loc. Ex 34:3 (J); abs. Is 5:17; 11:7 (‖ רבץ; but v. II. רעה infr.) 27:10 (‖ id.), 65:25 Jon 3:7; Jb 1:14. e.g. Genesis 41:2
- b. fig. of idolater, Is 44:20 he feedeth on ashes (acc.); cf. Ho 12:2 Ephr. feedeth on wind (acc.); פִּי כְסִילִים יִר׳ אִוֶּלֶת Pr 15:14 (so Vrss Qr; Kt פני for פי) the mouth of fools feeds on folly (Toy; Buhl √ II. רעה, Gerber 162 sub III. רעה); in Ct, c. ב loc., fig. of lover Ct 2:16; 6:2, 3; of breasts (like gazelles) 4:5. e.g. Isaiah 44:20
- c. fig., of Isr. as flock Is 14:30 (‖ רבץ), read (י—ַ)בְּכָרִי in my pasture(s), for MT בְּכוֹרֵי, Koppe Ew Di Du (otherwise CheHpt., cf. Marti); Zp 3:13 (‖ id.); c. עַל־דְּרָכִים Is 49:9; c. acc. of pasture-land Je 50:19; Mi 7:14; Ez 34:14b (+ אֶל loc.), v 18, 19; hence crop, strip, i.e. devastate, of conqueror, c. acc. of land Mi 5:5, cf. אֶת־יָדוֹ Je 6:3; so יִרְעוּךְ קָדְקֹד 2:16; acc. of Isr. under fig. of vine (subj. foes, as beasts) ψ 80:14. e.g. Isaiah 14:30
- d. subj. wind, c. acc. pers. Je 22:22, i.e. drive them away; subj. fire, c. acc. rei, יֵרַע Jb 20:26, but read perhaps יֵרָע, Niph. (Ol Di Hoffm Siegf Bu; otherwise Du).—רֹעֶה עֲקָרָה 24:21 is difficult; Bu הֵרַע for ר׳; more radical conj. in Du. e.g. Jeremiah 22:22
Niphal
- poss. Jb 20:26, v. 2 d supr. e.g. Job 20:26
Hiphil
- ψ 78:72 van d. H., v. 1 c supr. e.g. Psalms 78:72
רע II ob. associate with (cf. Schulthess69 ff. but also NöZMG liv (1900), 154 f.
Qal
- Imv. ms. וּרְעֵה אֱמוּנָה ψ 37:3 cherish faithfulness (Hup-Now RV Che Du Dr); > feed securely (Bae; i. רעה; feed on (his) faithfulness Am RV); Pt. רֹעֶה כְסִילִים Pr 13:20 one associating with fools, so ר׳ זֹלְלִים 28:7, ר׳ זוֹנוֹת 29:3 (Thes al. think these fig. from I. רעה, v. 2 b). e.g. Psalms 37:3
Hithpael
- 2 ms. אַל־תִּתְרַע אֶת־בַּעַל אָ֑ף Pr 22:24 do not make companionship with a bad-tempered man; perhaps also 3 fpl. תִּתְרָעֶינָה Is 11:7 (LagOr i. 21; Deceased Wife’s Sister 399 Brd Du CheHpt) cow and bear shall be each other’s companions; + Inf. cstr. הִתְרָעֹת Pr 18:24 (Toy, for MT הִתְרֹעֵעַ) there are [יֵשׁ for אִישׁ] friends (merely) to be companions (v. II. רעע ad fin.). e.g. Proverbs 22:24
רע III denom.
Piel
- be a special friend;—Pf. 3 ms. מֵרֵעֵהוּ אֲשֶׁר רֵעָה לוֹ Ju 14:20 his comrade who had been ‘best man’ (GFM) to him. e.g. Judges 14:20
רע IV I. רַע226 adj. bad, evil (distinction from n., and vb. Pf. 3 ms., is sometimes not easy, and opinions differ)
- 1. bad, disagreeable, malignant: of a woman, רָעָה בְּעֵינֵי Ex 21:8 (E; perhaps, with changed accent, vb. 3 fs. רָ֫עָה) disagreeable, unpleasing in the eyes of, pl. Gn 28:8 (P); of poisionous herb 2 K 4:41, malignant boils Dt 28:35; Jb 2:7, diseases Dt 7:15; 28:59; 2 Ch 21:19 Ec 6:2, deadly sword ψ 144:10, arrows Ez 5:16, severe judgments 14:21, wonders Dt 6:22; מַלְאֲכֵי רָעִים ψ 78:49 = fierce messengers (of God; Ew§ 287 a Ges§ 130 e), wild beasts Gn 37:20, 33 (JE) Lv 26:6 (H) Ez 5:17; 14:15, 21; 34:25; unclean thing Dt 23:10. e.g. Exodus 21:8
- 2. bad, unpleasant, giving pain, unhappiness, misery: ימים רעים evil days (of trial and hardship) Gn 47:9 (P) Pr 15:15; עִנְיָן רע Ec 1:13; 5:13; עִנְיַן 4:8, cf. 2:17; 9:3; הַמַּעֲשֶׂה הָרָע 4:3; הדבר הרע evil report Ex 33:4 (J), so דִּבָּה רָעָה Gn 37:2 (JE) Nu 14:37 (P), שׁם רע Dt 22:14, 19; Ne 6:13, שְׁמוּעָה רָעָה Je 49:23 ψ 112:7; of things: painful discipline Pr 15:10, evil occurrence 1 K 5:18, evil(-bringing) net Ec 9:12, instruments Is 32:7: כל הדבר הרע Jos 23:15 (D) all evil (injurious) things; רַע it is bad, harmful Is 3:11; Je 2:19; of speech, דבּר, רע או טוב Gn 24:50 (J) in prov., speak bad or good = anything at all, טטוב עד רע 31:24, 29 (E), לְמֵרָע ועד טוב 2 S 13:22, of the divine spirit as producing an ecstatic state of frenzy and violence 1 S 16:14, 15, 16, 23; 18:10; 19:9 (see רוּחַ 9). e.g. Genesis 47:9
- 3. evil, displeasing עָשָׂה רָ֔ע בְּעֵינֵי סַרְנֵי פְלִשְׁתִּים 1 S 29:7. e.g. 1 Samuel 29:7
- 4. bad of its kind, land Nu 13:19 (J), place 20:5 (JE), waters 2 K 2:19, figs Je 24:2, 3(×2), 8, kine Gn 41:3, 4, 19, 20, 21, 27 (E), מוּם רע Dt 15:21, cf. 17:1. e.g. Numbers 13:19
- 5. bad, i. e. of low value Lv 27:10(×2), 12, 14, 33 (H), cf. Mal 1:8(×2); רַע רַע יֹאמַר הַקּוֹנֶה Pr 20:14(×2). e.g. Leviticus 27:10
- 6. + מִן comp., worse than, 2 S 19:8; as superl., רָעֵי גוֹיִם Ez 7:24 worst of nations (del. Co). e.g. 2 Samuel 19:8
- 7. sad, unhappy: לֶב־רָ֑ע sad heart (cf. opp. טוב, יטב) Pr 25:20; of face Gn 40:7 (E) Ne 2:2; רע לְפָנָין v 1. e.g. Proverbs 25:20
- 8. הָשַׁב מַחֲשֶׁבֶת(ה)רָעָה devise evil (hurtful) device Ez 38:10; Est 9:25. e.g. Ezekiel 38:10
- 9. bad, unkind, vicious in disposition or temper: וְלֵב־רָ֑ע when the mind is vicious, harmful Pr 26:23; רַע עָ֑יִן one evil of eye Pr 23:6; 28:22; רוּחַ רָעָה Ju 9:23 bad temper. e.g. Proverbs 26:23
- 10. ethically bad, evil, wicked:
- a. in gen., אם טוב ואם רע Ec 12:14 whether good or bad. e.g. Ecclesiastes 12:14
- b. of persons, אישׁ רע 1 S 30:22; אדם רע ψ 140:2; המן הרע הזה Est 7:6 this wicked Haman, so רָ֑ע = evil man ψ 10:15, Jb 21:30; Pr 11:21; 12:13; 24:20, רָעִים = evil men Gn 13:13 (J) Je 6:29; 15:21; Ez 30:12 Jb 35:12; Pr 4:14; 12:12; 14:19; 15:3; רָעוֹת evil women Je 2:33; שׁכנים רעים 12:14 evil neighbours; of הַדּוֹר Dt 1:35, הָעָם Je 13:10; הָעֵדָה Nu 14:27, 35 (P), המשׁפחה Je 8:3; רַע כְּעֵינֵי י׳ wicked in the eyes of י׳ Gn 38:7 (JE) = 1 Ch 2:3; עָשָׂה הָרָע בְּעֵינֵי י׳ Nu 32:13 (R) Dt 4:25; 9:18; 17:2; 31:29; Ju 2:11 + 48 times, + (c. sf. of God) 2 K 21:15 Is 65:12; 66:4; Je 7:30; 32:30 ψ 51:6; 2 S 12:9, prob. also Je 18:10 (read הָרָע for הָרָעָה). e.g. 1 Samuel 30:22
- c. of thoughts, יֵצֶר Gn 6:5; 8:21 (J), הַלֵּב הָרָע Je 3:17; 7:24; 11:8; 16:12; 18:12; words, רעות Pr 15:28. e.g. Genesis 6:5
- d. deeds, actions, עשׂה (כ)דבר הרע Dt 13:12; 17:5; 19:20; Ne 13:17; עשׂה הרעות Je 3:5; דבר רע ψ 64:6; 141:4 Ec 8:3, 5; דברים 1 S 2:23; 2 K 17:11; דֶּרֶךְ 1 K 13:33; Je 18:11; 23:22 + 11 times; דרכים 2 K 17:13; 2 Ch 7:14; Ez 20:44; 33:11; 36:31; Zc 1:4; מעשׂינוּ Ezr 9:13; מעללים Zc 1:4 Ne 9:35 (cf. רֹעַ 4); בֶּצַע רע Hb 2:9; מרוצתם Je 23:10; (ה)תועבות (ה)רעות Ez 6:11; 8:9 (del. Co); כִּי רָעוֹת בִּמְגוּרָם ψ 55:16 for evil deeds are in their dwelling. e.g. Deuteronomy 13:12
רע V
- 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 49:6; 94:13; כי טוב קויתי ויבא רע Jb 30:26; בְּרָע in adversity Ex 5:19 (E) ψ 10:6; יִפֹּל בְּרָ֑ע Pr 13:17; אֶרְאֶה בָרָ֑ע Gn 44:34 (J); בכל־רע Pr 5:14, מכל רע Gn 48:16 (E) ψ 121:7; v. also Mi 1:12 ψ 140:12 Jb 5:19; 31:29; Pr 12:21; 19:23. e.g. Psalms 23:4
- 2. evil, injury, wrong: Hb 2:9; Jb 2:10; Pr 21:10; עשׂה רע, + עִם pers. Gn 31:29 (E); ל pers. Je 39:12; as obj. of חשּׁב Ho 7:15, חרשׁ Pr 6:14; 12:20; 14:22, השׁיב ψ 54:7, גמל 7:5 Pr 31:12, בקּשׁ 17:11, שׁלּם 20:22, אמר ψ 41:6, דבּר 109:20; דבּר בְּרָע 73:8 speak about injury; לֹא יִתְנַכֵּא טוֹב כִּי אִם רָ֑ע 1 K 22:8, 18 = 2 Ch (18:7 לְרָעָה), 18:17 לְרָ֑ע; לרע for harm, injury Is 59:7; Je 7:6; 25:7 ψ 56:6 Pr 1:16; 21:12; Ec 8:9; רַע יֵרוֹעַ Pr 11:15 (but read רֹעַ Gr SS, v. Toy). e.g. Habakkuk 2:9
- 3. ethical evil, Dt 30:15; 2 S 14:17; Is 5:20; Am 5:14; Mi 7:3 + 10 times; עשׂה רע 2 K 21:9; 2 Ch 12:14; 33:9; Ne 9:28 + 8 times; פֹּעֲלֵי רע Mi 2:1; אהב רע 3:2 (Qr), ψ 52:5; שׂנא רע Am 5:15 ψ 97:10 Pr 8:13; מאס רע ψ 36:5; מאס ברע Is 7:15, 16; בִּעֵר הרע מִן consume evil from Dt 13:6 + 8 times Dt; לֹא יְגֻרְךָ רָ֑ע ψ 5:5 (adj. = evil man Hup De al.); ידע טוב ורע Gn 2:9, 17; 3:5, 22 (all J), Dt 1:39; סר מֵרָע Is 59:15 ψ 34:15; 37:27; Pr 3:7 + 8 times; כי ברע הוא Ex 32:22 (J) he is set on evil; רע רשׁעים ψ 7:10; רע מעללים 1 S 25:3, cf. Mi 3:4 (v. רֹעַ 3); דִּבְרֵי רָע deeds of evil Je 5:28; תַּהְפֻּכוֹת רָ֑ע Pr 2:14; אֹרַח רע ψ 119:101; עֲצַת רע Ez 11:2; מֵחְשְׁבוֹת רע Pr 15:26; אִישׁ רע 29:6; אַנְשֵׁי רע 28:5; אֵשֶׁת רע 6:24 (but read רֵעַ Gr Bi Toy). e.g. Deuteronomy 30:15
רע VI evil, misery, distress, injury
- 1. evil, misery, distress: פַּחַד רָעָה Pr 1:33, באה (ה)רעה Ez 7:5(×2); c. עַל Is 47:11 (read באה for בא), Je 5:12 + 5 times; c. אֶל Je 2:3; 51:60; †הביא רעה Je 4:6 1 K 21:29; + אֶל 2 S 17:14 + 8 times K Je; + עַל 1 K 9:9 = 2 Ch 7:22, Je 19:3 + 6 times Je + 8 times; + אֶל et על Je 19:15; 36:31; יוֹם רעה 17:17, 18 + 5 times; יְמֵי הרעה †Ec 12:1 (i.e., spring days, fatal to old people, Wetzst in De Koh. 447); רָעוֹת evils Dt 31:17(×2), 21 (JE), 32:23 (poem), ψ 34:20; 40:13; 88:4; עֵת רָעָה Am 5:13; Je 2:27, 28 + 5 times; †ראה ברעה Nu 11:15 (JE) Ob 13; Est 8:6; †ראה רעה Je 44:17 ψ 90:15; Pr 22:3 = 27:12; †יפול ברעה 17:20; 28:14; †בְּרָעָה Je 44:29 (J) Pr 14:32; 24:16; Ne 1:3; 1 Ch 7:23 ψ 107:26; ברעותיכם 141:5; נִחַם עַל רָעָה Ex 32:12, 14 (J) Je 8:6 + 6 times; c. אֶל 2 S 24:16; Je 26:3, 13, 19; 42:10. e.g. Proverbs 1:33
- 2. evil, injury, wrong: †עשׂה רעה 2 S 12:18; Je 26:19; 41:11; c. עִם Gn 26:29 (J) Ju 15:3; 2 S 13:16; c. את Ju 11:27; c. ל 1 S 6:9; 1 K 2:44 + 4 times; c. אֶל Je 44:7; obj. of vbs. חשׁב Gn 50:20 (E) Je 36:3; 48:2 + 7 times; †חרשׁ 1 S 23:9; Pr 3:29; הֵשִׁיב Gn 50:15 (E) Ju 9:56, 57 + 4 times; †גמל Gn 50:17 (E) 1 S 24:18 (17); Is 3:9; Pr 3:30; בקשׁ Nu 35:23 (P); 1 S 24:10 (9); 25:26 + 4 times; †שׁלּם Gn 44:4 (J); Je 18:20; 51:24 ψ 35:12; 38:21; לְרָעָה for harm Gn 31:52; Ex 23:2 (E); Dt 29:20; Ju 2:15; 2 S 18:32; Je 21:10 + 8 times Je, Am 9:4; Zc 1:15; Pr 6:18; Ec 5:12; בְּרָעָתֶ֑ךָ 2 S 16:8 in thy mischief; בְּרָעָה Ex 32:12 (J) for mischief; רָעָה רַבָּה Ec 2:21; רָעָה חוֹלָה Ec 5:12, 15. e.g. 2 Samuel 12:18
- 3. ethical evil, 1 S 12:17, 19; 24:12; 26:18; Is 47:10; Je 2:19 + 13 times Je, + 18 times, + foll.: עָשָׂה (הָ)רָעָה Gn 39:9; Dt 31:18 (J) + 5 times + Je 18:10 (Kt, but Qr רע); מַעֲשֵׂה רעה Ec 8:11; אהב רעה Mi 3:2 (Kt); שׁוּב מרעה Je 18:8; 23:14; 44:5; בִּעֵר רעה מ׳ Ju 20:13 (v ii. רַע 3); מִפְּנֵי רָעָה Je 7:12; 44:3; מפני רָעַת רעתכם Ho 10:15; בגלל ר׳ Je 11:17; על כל ר׳ 1:16; 32:32; 33:5; מֵר׳ ψ 107:34 Je 12:4; אַנְשֵׁי רָעָה Pr 24:1. e.g. 1 Samuel 12:17
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
I. vb. pasture, tend, graze (Assyrian rêʾû vb. pasture, n. ruler, TelAm. ruh̬i (as Canaanism) WklNo. 181, 11; Arabic رَدَى, Ethiopic ርዕየ Aramaic רְעָא, ܪܥܳܐ, all = BH);—
II. vb. prob. associate with (cf. Schulthess69 ff. but also NöZMG liv (1900), 154 f.; Assyrian ruʾa, ruttu, neighbour, fellow (m. et f.; cf. JägerBAS i.483, 486); so Bed. أُرْعُوَّةٌ master, owner, WallinZMG v (1851), 9 JayakarJA xxi. 851; Ethiopic መርዓ: marriage; Arabic رَاعِى, راعيها, Ethiopic አርዑት: yoke; NH רֵעוּת friendship is from BH רֵעַ);—
II. I. רַע226 adj. bad, evil (distinction from n., and vb. Pf. 3 ms., is sometimes not easy, and opinions differ);—ms. רַע Gn 6:5 +; רָ֑ע 31:24 +; pl. רָעִים 13:13 +; cstr. רָעֵי Ez 7:24 (del. Co); fs. רָעָה Gn 37:2 + 37 times (this form usually noun), pl. רָעוֹת 28:8 + 14 times; רָעֹת 41:27 (18 times noun);—
III. n.m. Jb 30:26 evil, distress, misery, injury, calamity;—abs. רַע Nu 11:1 +, בְּרָע Ex 5:19 +, רָ֑ע Gn 48:16 +;—
IV. n.f. evil, misery, distress, injury;—abs. ר׳ Gn 26:29 +; cstr. רָעַת 6:5 +; sf. רָֽעָתִי ψ 35:4 +; רָעָֽתְךָ 1 K 2:44 +; רָֽעָתֵכִי Je 11:15 (text dub.); רָֽעַתְכֶם 1 S 12:17, etc.; pl. רָעוֹת Dt 31:17 +; רָעֹת Je 44:9 Ex 23:2; sf. רָעוֹתֵיכֶם 1 S 10:19 +, etc.;—
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Derived from רעע (râʻaʻ) (H7489) — to do evil.
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
רַע I
- [shaken,] weak, sick; bad; (noun) evil. Ber. 7ᵃ מפני מה … ורע לו why is there a righteous man who fares well, and another righteous man who fares badly? Ib. 23ᵃ (ref. to Koh. IV, 17) בין טוב לרע וכ׳ they cannot distinguish between good and evil, and want to offer a sacrifice before me? Kidd. 40ᵃ (ref. to Is. III, 11) וכי יש רשע רע ויש שאינו רע is there a bad wicked man and a wicked man that is not bad?; רע לשמים ורע לבריות וכ׳ one bad in his relation to heaven (irreligious) and bad to men is a bad wicked man &c. Ohol. XVIII, 6 שכחן רע whose strength is feeble, v. כֹּחַ. Ab. II, 9 חבר רע a bad companion; לב רע a bad heart; a. v. fr.—Fem. רָעָה bad; (noun) evil. Ib., a. fr. עין ר׳, v. עַיִן. Sabb. 11ᵃ כל ד׳ ולא אשה ר׳ any evil, only not a bad wife. Ber. 61ᵃ אחת … ואחת יועצתו לר׳ one (kidney) counsels for good, the other for evil. Y. Shek. I, beg. 45ᵈ לטובה … לר׳ וכ׳ for a good purpose—‘every liberal-hearted’ (Ex. XXXV, 22), for a bad purpose—‘the whole people’ (ib. XXXII, 3). Hor. 10ᵇ אפי׳ טובתם … ר׳ היא וכ׳ even the good which wicked men do is an evil with the righteous (they do not enjoy it); Yeb. 103ᵃ sq. Koh. R. to V, 12, v. חוֹלָה I. Ber. l. c. (ref. to Koh. IV, 17) אל תהי … אם על ר׳ הם מביאים be not like the fools who sin and offer a sacrifice, not knowing whether they offer it for the good they have done or for the evil; a. v. fr.—Pl. רָעִים; רָעוֹת. Keth. 110ᵇ (quot. fr. Ben Sira) כל ימי עני ר׳ all the days of a poor man are bad; Snh. 101ᵃ. Y. Ber. V, 8ᵈ bot., v. חָצַף. Ex. R. s. 42 (ref. to Jer. II, 13) ושתי ר׳ עשו לבד have they committed no more than two evils?; a. v. fr. e.g. Ecclesiastes 4:17
רַע II
- to be evil, v. רָעַע.
רַע III
- ch. = אֲרַע, v. לרַע
רֵעַ
- , v. רֵיעַ
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 228 distinct written forms H7451 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that state’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
The 60 most common forms are shown; 168 rarer forms follow in the full concordance.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H7451, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derives from
Shares the same root
Proper names from this root
People and places named from this root — a name, not an additional meaning of the word.
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 6 — not the complete family. 1 of the same-root words is a proper name (a person or place). They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 574 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 623 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Genesis 2:9
- Exodus 5:19
- Leviticus 26:6
- Numbers 11:1
- Deuteronomy 1:35
- Joshua 23:15
- Judges 2:11
- 1 Samuel 2:23
- 2 Samuel 3:39
- 1 Kings 1:52
- 2 Kings 2:19
- 1 Chronicles 2:3
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
