רָעַע
to do evil
‘to do evil’ is one of 2 main senses fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
See every Hiphil verb in the Hebrew Bible →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Verb
- An action or state-of-being word.
- Adjective
- A word that describes or qualifies a noun.
Stem
- Hiphil
- The causative active stem (“he caused / brought about”). Here: ‘do an injury’
- Qal
- The basic, simple active stem — the plain form of the verb (“he wrote”). Here: ‘be displeasing’
- Niphal
- Usually the simple passive or reflexive of the Qal (“he was written”). Here: ‘suffer hurt’
- Hithpolel
- The reflexive counterpart of the Polel.
Form
- Participle Active
- A verbal adjective expressing ongoing or characteristic action (“writing / one who writes”).
- Sequential Imperfect
- An imperfect with prefixed waw — the standard past-narrative form (waw-consecutive imperfect).
- Infinitive Construct
- A bound verbal noun, frequently with prepositions (“to write / in writing”).
- Imperfect
- An incomplete, ongoing, or future action (“he will / would write”).
- Perfect
- A completed action or state — Hebrew marks aspect (completeness) more than strict tense (“he wrote”).
- Jussive
- A third- or second-person volitional form expressing wish or command (“let him write”).
- Sequential Perfect
- A perfect with prefixed waw continuing a preceding imperfect or command (waw-consecutive perfect).
- Infinitive Absolute
- An unbound verbal noun, often intensifying or standing in for a finite verb.
- Imperative
- A direct command (“write!”).
State
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
Person
- 3rd Person
- The one spoken about (“he / she / it / they”).
- 2nd Person
- The one addressed (“you”).
- 1st Person
- The speaker (“I / we”).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
- Common
- Either gender — not distinguished for this form.
- Feminine
- Grammatically feminine.
Number
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
- Singular
- One.
Grammatical forms 36 distinct
- Verb, Hiphil, Participle Active, Masculine, Plural, Absolute 16 times (16%)
- Verb, Qal, Sequential Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular 12 times (12%)
- Verb, Hiphil, Infinitive Construct 11 times (11%)
- Verb, Hiphil, Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Plural 4 times (4%)
- Verb, Hiphil, Perfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular 4 times (4%)
- Verb, Hiphil, Jussive, 2nd Person, Masculine, Plural 3 times (3%)
- Verb, Hiphil, Perfect, 1st Person, Common, Singular 3 times (3%)
- Verb, Hiphil, Perfect, 2nd Person, Masculine, Plural 3 times (3%)
+28 more forms (46 occurrences)
Parsed forms decoded from the imported morphology (morphhb / Westminster Leningrad Codex — WLC text public domain, morphhb tagging CC BY 4.0), counted across 102 parsed occurrences — not distinct verses.
Every verse where H7489 appears — 99 distinct verses across 23 books. 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.
Genesis 9 verses
- Genesis 19:7 תָּרֵֽעוּ Hiphil impf 2mp He said, "Please, my brothers, don't act so wickedly.
- Genesis 19:9 נָרַ֥ע Hiphil impf 1cp They said, "Stand back!" They said, "This one fellow came in to live as a foreigner, and he appoints himself a judge. Now will we deal worse with you, than with them!" They pressed hard on the man, even Lot, and drew near to break the door.
- Genesis 21:11 וַ/יֵּ֧רַע conj + Qal wimpf 3ms The thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight on account of his son.
- Genesis 21:12 יֵרַ֤ע Qal juss 3ms God said to Abraham, "Don't let it be grievous in your sight because of the boy, and because of your handmaid. In all that Sarah says to you, listen to her voice. For from Isaac will your seed be called.
- Genesis 31:7 לְ/הָרַ֖ע prep + Hiphil inf.cs Your father has deceived me, and changed my wages ten times, but God didn't allow him to hurt me.
- Genesis 38:10 וַ/יֵּ֛רַע conj + Qal wimpf 3ms The thing which he did was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and he killed him also.
- Genesis 43:6 הֲרֵעֹתֶ֖ם Hiphil pf 2mp Israel said, "Why did you treat me so badly, telling the man that you had another brother?"
- Genesis 44:5 הֲרֵעֹתֶ֖ם Hiphil pf 2mp Isn't this that from which my lord drinks, and by which he indeed divines? You have done evil in so doing.'"
- Genesis 48:17 וַ/יֵּ֣רַע conj + Qal wimpf 3ms When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him. He held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head.
Exodus 2 verses
- Exodus 5:22 הֲרֵעֹ֨תָה֙ Hiphil pf 2ms Moses returned to Yahweh, and said, "Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Why is it that you have sent me?
- Exodus 5:23 הֵרַ֖ע Hiphil pf 3ms For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people; neither have you delivered your people at all."
Leviticus 1 verse
Numbers 5 verses
- Numbers 11:10 רָֽע adj Adjective ms Moses heard the people weeping throughout their families, every man at the door of his tent: and the anger of Yahweh was kindled greatly; and Moses was displeased.
- Numbers 11:11 הֲרֵעֹ֨תָ֙ Hiphil pf 2ms Moses said to Yahweh, Why have you dealt ill with your servant? and why haven't I found favor in your sight, that you lay the burden of all this people on me?
- Numbers 16:15 הֲרֵעֹ֖תִי Hiphil pf 1cs Moses was very angry, and said to Yahweh, "Don't respect their offering: I have not taken one donkey from them, neither have I hurt one of them."
- Numbers 20:15 וַ/יָּרֵ֥עוּ conj + Hiphil wimpf 3mp how our fathers went down into Egypt, and we lived in Egypt a long time; and the Egyptians dealt ill with us, and our fathers:
- Numbers 22:34 רַ֥ע Qal pf 3ms Balaam said to the angel of Yahweh, I have sinned; for I didn't know that you stood in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease you, I will get me back again.
Deuteronomy 5 verses
- Deuteronomy 15:9 וְ/רָעָ֣ה conj + Qal wpf 3fs Beware that there not be a base thought in your heart, saying, The seventh year, the year of release, is at hand; and your eye be evil against your poor brother, and you give him nothing; and he cry to Yahweh against you, and it be sin to you.
- Deuteronomy 15:10 יֵרַ֥ע Qal impf 3ms You shall surely give him, and your heart shall not be grieved when you give to him; because that for this thing Yahweh your God will bless you in all your work, and in all that you put your hand to.
- Deuteronomy 26:6 וַ/יָּרֵ֧עוּ conj + Hiphil wimpf 3mp The Egyptians dealt ill with us, and afflicted us, and laid on us hard bondage:
- Deuteronomy 28:54 תֵּרַ֨ע Qal impf 3fs The man who is tender among you, and very delicate, his eye shall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bosom, and toward the remnant of his children whom he has remaining;
- Deuteronomy 28:56 תֵּרַ֤ע Qal impf 3fs The tender and delicate woman among you, who would not adventure to set the sole of her foot on the ground for delicateness and tenderness, her eye shall be evil toward the husband of her bosom, and toward her son, and toward her daughter,
Joshua 1 verse
Judges 1 verse
Ruth 1 verse
1 Samuel 5 verses
- 1 Samuel 8:6 וַ/יֵּ֤רַע conj + Qal wimpf 3ms But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. Samuel prayed to Yahweh.
- 1 Samuel 12:25 הָרֵ֖עַ תָּרֵ֑עוּ Hiphil inf.abs Hiphil impf 2mp But if you shall still do wickedly, you shall be consumed, both you and your king."
- 1 Samuel 18:8 וַ/יֵּ֤רַע conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?
- 1 Samuel 25:34 מֵ/הָרַ֖ע prep + Hiphil inf.cs For in very deed, as Yahweh, the God of Israel, lives, who has withheld me from hurting you, except you had hurried and come to meet me, surely there wouldn't have been left to Nabal by the morning light so much as one man-child.
- 1 Samuel 26:21 אָרַ֤ע Hiphil impf 1cs Then said Saul, I have sinned: return, my son David; for I will no more do you harm, because my life was precious in your eyes this day: behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly.
2 Samuel 3 verses
- 2 Samuel 11:25 יֵרַ֤ע Qal juss 3ms Then David said to the messenger, Thus shall you tell Joab, Don't let this thing displease you, for the sword devours one as well as another; make your battle more strong against the city, and overthrow it: and encourage you him.
- 2 Samuel 11:27 וַ/יֵּ֧רַע conj + Qal wimpf 3ms When the mourning was past, David sent and took her home to his house, and she became his wife, and bore him a son. But the thing that David had done displeased Yahweh.
- 2 Samuel 19:7 וְ/רָעָ֧ה conj + Qal wpf 3fs Now therefore arise, go forth, and speak comfortably to your servants; for I swear by Yahweh, if you don't go forth, there will not stay a man with you this night: and that will be worse to you than all the evil that has happened to you from your youth until now.
1 Kings 3 verses
- 1 Kings 14:9 וַ/תָּ֣רַע conj + Hiphil wimpf 2ms but have done evil above all who were before you, and have gone and made you other gods, and molten images, to provoke me to anger, and have cast me behind your back:
- 1 Kings 16:25 וַ/יָּ֕רַע conj + Hiphil wimpf 3ms Omri did that which was evil in the sight of Yahweh, and dealt wickedly above all who were before him.
- 1 Kings 17:20 הֲרֵע֖וֹתָ Hiphil pf 2ms He cried to Yahweh, and said, Yahweh my God, have you also brought evil on the widow with whom I sojourn, by killing her son?
2 Kings 1 verse
1 Chronicles 3 verses
- 1 Chronicles 16:22 תָּרֵֽעוּ Hiphil juss 2mp [Saying], Don't touch my anointed ones, Do my prophets no harm.
- 1 Chronicles 21:7 וַ/יֵּ֨רַע֙ conj + Qal wimpf 3ms God was displeased with this thing; therefore he struck Israel.
- 1 Chronicles 21:17 וְ/הָרֵ֣עַ הֲרֵע֔וֹתִי conj + Hiphil inf.abs Hiphil pf 1cs David said to God, Isn't it I who commanded the people to be numbered? It is even I who have sinned and done very wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? Please let your hand, O Yahweh my God, be against me, and against my father's house; but not against your people, that they should be plagued.
Nehemiah 3 verses
- Nehemiah 2:3 יֵרְע֣וּ Qal impf 3mp I said to the king, Let the king live forever: why should not my face be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers' tombs, lies waste, and the gates of it are consumed with fire?
- Nehemiah 2:10 וַ/יֵּ֥רַע conj + Qal wimpf 3ms When Sanballat the Horonite, and Tobiah the servant, the Ammonite, heard of it, it grieved them exceedingly, because a man had come to seek the welfare of the children of Israel.
- Nehemiah 13:8 וַ/יֵּ֥רַֽע conj + Qal wimpf 3ms It grieved me sore: therefore I cast forth all the household stuff of Tobiah out of the chamber.
Job 2 verses
Psalms 16 verses
- Psalms 2:9 תְּ֭רֹעֵ/ם Qal impf 2ms + sfx pers 3mp You shall break them with a rod of iron. You shall dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel."
- Psalms 15:4 לְ֝/הָרַ֗ע prep + Hiphil inf.cs In whose eyes a vile man is despised, But who honors those who fear Yahweh; He who keeps an oath even when it hurts, and doesn't change;
- Psalms 22:16 מְ֭רֵעִים Hiphil ptcp.act mp For dogs have surrounded me. A company of evil-doers have enclosed me. They pierced my hands and my feet.
- Psalms 26:5 מְרֵעִ֑ים Hiphil ptcp.act mp I hate the assembly of evil-doers, And will not sit with the wicked.
- Psalms 27:2 מְרֵעִים֮ Hiphil ptcp.act mp When evil-doers came at me to eat up my flesh, Even my adversaries and my foes, they stumbled and fell.
- Psalms 37:1 בַּ/מְּרֵעִ֑ים prep det + Hiphil ptcp.act mp Don't fret because of evil-doers, Neither be envious against those who work unrighteousness.
- Psalms 37:8 לְ/הָרֵֽעַ prep + Hiphil inf.cs Cease from anger, and forsake wrath. Don't fret, it leads only to evildoing.
- Psalms 37:9 מְ֭רֵעִים Hiphil ptcp.act mp For evildoers shall be cut off, But those who wait for Yahweh shall inherit the land.
- Psalms 44:2 תָּרַ֥ע Hiphil impf 2ms You drove out the nations with your hand, But you planted them. You afflicted the peoples, But you spread them abroad.
- Psalms 64:2 מְרֵעִ֑ים Hiphil ptcp.act mp Hide me from the conspiracy of the wicked, From the noisy crowd of the ones doing evil;
- Psalms 74:3 הֵרַ֖ע Hiphil pf 3ms Lift up your feet to the perpetual ruins, All the evil that the enemy has done in the sanctuary.
- Psalms 92:11 מְרֵעִ֗ים Hiphil ptcp.act mp My eye has also seen my enemies. My ears have heard of the wicked enemies who rise up against me.
- Psalms 94:16 מְרֵעִ֑ים Hiphil ptcp.act mp Who will rise up for me against the wicked? Who will stand up for me against the evil-doers?
- Psalms 105:15 תָּרֵֽעוּ Hiphil juss 2mp "Don't touch my anointed ones! Do my prophets no harm!"
- Psalms 106:32 וַ/יֵּ֥רַע conj + Qal wimpf 3ms They angered him also at the waters of Meribah, So that Moses was troubled for their sakes;
- Psalms 119:115 מְרֵעִ֑ים Hiphil ptcp.act mp Depart from me, you evildoers, That I may keep the commandments of my God.
Proverbs 8 verses
- Proverbs 4:16 יָרֵ֑עוּ Hiphil impf 3mp For they don't sleep, unless they do evil. Their sleep is taken away, unless they make someone fall.
- Proverbs 11:15 יֵ֭רוֹעַ Niphal impf 3ms He who is collateral for a stranger will suffer for it, But he who refuses pledges of collateral is secure.
- Proverbs 13:20 יֵרֽוֹעַ Niphal impf 3ms One who walks with wise men grows wise, But a companion of fools suffers harm.
- Proverbs 17:4 מֵ֭רַע Hiphil ptcp.act ms An evil-doer heeds wicked lips. A liar gives ear to a mischievous tongue.
- Proverbs 18:24 לְ/הִתְרֹעֵ֑עַ prep + Hithpolel inf.cs A man of many companions may be ruined, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.
- Proverbs 24:8 לְ/הָרֵ֑עַ prep + Hiphil inf.cs One who plots to do evil Will be called a schemer.
- Proverbs 24:18 וְ/רַ֣ע conj + Qal wpf 3ms Lest Yahweh see it, and it displease him, And he turn away his wrath from him.
- Proverbs 24:19 בַּ/מְּרֵעִ֑ים prep det + Hiphil ptcp.act mp Don't fret yourself because of evildoers; Neither be envious of the wicked:
Isaiah 11 verses
- Isaiah 1:4 מְרֵעִ֔ים Hiphil ptcp.act mp Ah sinful nation, A people loaded with iniquity, A seed of evil-doers, Children who deal corruptly! They have forsaken Yahweh. They have despised the Holy One of Israel. They are estranged and backward.
- Isaiah 1:16 הָרֵֽעַ Hiphil inf.abs Wash yourselves, make yourself clean. Put away the evil of your doings from before my eyes; Cease to do evil.
- Isaiah 8:9 רֹ֤עוּ Qal impv 2mp Make an uproar, O you peoples, and be broken in pieces! And give ear, all you of far countries: gird yourselves, and be broken in pieces! Gird yourselves, and be broken in pieces!
- Isaiah 9:17 וּ/מֵרַ֔ע conj + Hiphil ptcp.act ms Therefore the Lord will not rejoice over their young men, neither will he have compassion on their fatherless and widows; for everyone is profane and an evil-doer, and every mouth speaks folly. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.
- Isaiah 11:9 יָרֵ֥עוּ Hiphil impf 3mp They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of Yahweh, as the waters cover the sea.
- Isaiah 14:20 מְרֵעִֽים Hiphil ptcp.act mp You shall not be joined with them in burial, because you have destroyed your land, you have killed your people; the seed of evil-doers shall not be named forever.
- Isaiah 24:19 רֹ֥עָה הִֽתְרֹעֲעָ֖ה Qal inf.abs Hithpolel pf 3fs The earth is utterly broken, the earth is torn apart, the earth is shaken violently.
- Isaiah 31:2 מְרֵעִ֔ים Hiphil ptcp.act mp Yet he also is wise, and will bring evil, and will not call back his words, but will arise against the house of the evil-doers, and against the help of those who work iniquity.
- Isaiah 41:23 וְ/תָרֵ֔עוּ conj + Hiphil impf 2mp Declare the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that you are gods: yes, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and see it together.
- Isaiah 59:15 וַ/יֵּ֥רַע conj + Qal wimpf 3ms Yes, truth is lacking; and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey. Yahweh saw it, and it displeased him who there was no justice.
- Isaiah 65:25 יָרֵ֧עוּ Hiphil impf 3mp The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox; and dust shall be the serpent's food. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, says Yahweh.
Jeremiah 14 verses
- Jeremiah 4:22 לְ/הָרַ֔ע prep + Hiphil inf.cs For my people are foolish, they don't know me; they are foolish children, and they have no understanding; they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.
- Jeremiah 7:26 הֵרֵ֖עוּ Hiphil pf 3cp yet they didn't listen to me, nor inclined their ear, but made their neck stiff: they did worse than their fathers.
- Jeremiah 10:5 יָרֵ֔עוּ Hiphil impf 3mp They are like a palm tree, of turned work, and don't speak: they must be carried, because they can't go. Don't be afraid of them; for they can't do evil, neither is it in them to do good."
- Jeremiah 11:16 וְ/רָע֖וּ conj + Qal pf 3cp Yahweh called your name, A green olive tree, beautiful with goodly fruit: with the noise of a great tumult he has kindled fire on it, and the branches of it are broken.
- Jeremiah 13:23 הָרֵֽעַ Hiphil inf.cs Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? then may you also do good, who are accustomed to do evil.
- Jeremiah 15:12 הֲ/יָרֹ֨עַ ptcl inter + Qal impf 3ms Can one break iron, even iron from the north, and brass?
- Jeremiah 16:12 הֲרֵעֹתֶ֥ם Hiphil pf 2mp 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 20:13 מְרֵעִֽים Hiphil ptcp.act mp Sing to Yahweh, praise you Yahweh; for he has delivered the soul of the needy from the hand of evil-doers.
- Jeremiah 23:14 מְרֵעִ֔ים Hiphil ptcp.act mp In the prophets of Jerusalem also I have seen a horrible thing: they commit adultery, and walk in lies; and they strengthen the hands of evil-doers, so that none does return from his wickedness: they are all of them become to me as Sodom, and the inhabitants of it as Gomorrah.
- Jeremiah 25:6 אָרַ֖ע Hiphil impf 1cs and don't go after other gods to serve them or worship them, and don't provoke me to anger with the work of your hands; and I will do you no harm.
- Jeremiah 25:29 לְ/הָרַ֔ע prep + Hiphil inf.cs For, behold, I begin to work evil at the city which is called by my name; and should you be utterly unpunished? You shall not be unpunished; for I will call for a sword on all the inhabitants of the earth, says Yahweh of Hosts.
- Jeremiah 31:28 וּ/לְ/הָרֵ֑עַ conj + prep + Hiphil inf.cs It shall happen that, like as I have watched over them to pluck up and to break down and to overthrow and to destroy and to afflict, so will I watch over them to build and to plant, says Yahweh.
- Jeremiah 38:9 הֵרֵ֜עוּ Hiphil pf 3cp My lord the king, these men have done evil in all that they have done to Jeremiah the prophet, whom they have cast into the dungeon; and he is likely to die in the place where he is, because of the famine; for there is no more bread in the city.
- Jeremiah 40:4 רַ֧ע Qal pf 3ms Now, behold, I loose you this day from the chains which are on your hand. If it seem good to you to come with me into Babylon, come, and I will look well to you; but if it seem ill to you to come with me into Babylon, forbear: behold, all the land is before you; where it seems good and right to you to go, there go.
Jonah 1 verse
Micah 2 verses
- Micah 3:4 הֵרֵ֖עוּ Hiphil pf 3cp Then they will cry to Yahweh, But he will not answer them. Yes, he will hide his face from them at that time, Because they made their deeds evil."
- Micah 4:6 הֲרֵעֹֽתִי Hiphil pf 1cs "In that day," says Yahweh, "I will assemble that which is lame, And I will gather that which is driven away, And that which I have afflicted;
Zephaniah 1 verse
Zechariah 1 verse
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.
רעע (râʻaʻ) is a Hebrew verb most often rendered “to do evil.” The King James Version usually renders it “do evil,” while modern versions prefer “wicked” (Berean Standard Bible) — see the renderings breakdown. With 99 verses in 23 books, it is a moderately common word in the Hebrew Bible. Debuting at Genesis 19:7, it then recurs through the corpus. Read the stem: it spans 4 stems, including Qal and Niphal. For the data behind this summary, explore the sense tree and the renderings breakdown below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H7489 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 →
- 99
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 99 distinct verses.
- 23 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 23 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #418
- by frequency
- Top 500 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 418 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 99 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 99 distinct verses.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 44 verses · 44%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 33 verses · 33%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 22 verses · 22%
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 4 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†: Do evil 6×, Evildoers 6×, Wicked 3×
- American Standard Version†: Evil-doers 8×, Do evil 6×, Do my prophets no harm 2×
- Berean Standard Bible†: Wicked 7×, Evildoers 6×, Harm 6×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text†: Evildoers 10×, And 8×, Do evil 7×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H7489 across 83† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 60 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H7489 across 82† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 52 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 H7489 across 97† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 62 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 5 further occurrences.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H7489 across 130† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 68 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
13 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 one or more reduplicated stems (the Pōlēl/Pilpēl type), which for hollow or geminate roots behave much like Piel — often intensive or iterative.
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 13 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.
רעע I friend, companion (strange formation
רעע II denom. be evil, bad
Qal
- Pf. 3 ms. רַע Nu 22:34 + 3 times, רָ֑ע 11:10; 3 fs. רָעָה Dt 15:9 (Ex 21:8 v. i. רַע); Impf. 3 ms. יֵרַע (Ges§ 67 p) Gn 21:12 +; 3 fs. תֵּרַע Dt 28:54, 56; 3 mpl. יֵרְעוּ Ne 2:3;— e.g. Numbers 22:34
- 1. be displeasing: רַע בְּעֵינֵי Nu 11:10; 22:34 (J), Jos 24:15 (E), Je 40:4; Pr 24:18 (c. וְ consec.) impf. יֵרַע בְּעֵינֵי Gn 21:11, 12 (E), 48:17 (J), 1 S 8:6; 18:8; 2 S 11:25; later, וַיֵּרַע אֶל Jon 4:1 or וירע לְ Ne 2:10 (intensified by רָעָה גְדוֹלָה), וַיֵּרַע לִי מְאֹד 13:8. e.g. Numbers 11:10
- 2. be sad: ירע לבב Dt 15:10; 1 S 1:8; יֵֽרְעוּ פָנַי Ne 2:3. e.g. Deuteronomy 15:10
- 3. be injurious, evil: וַיֵּרַע לְ ψ 106:32 it went ill with Moses, pers. subj. 2 S 20:6; רַעָה עַיִן be grudging, c. ב pers., Dt 15:9; 28:54, 56. e.g. Psalms 106:32
- 4. be evil, wicked, ethically: וַיֵּרַע בְּעֵינֵי י׳ Gn 38:10 (J); 2 S 11:27; Is 59:15; בְּעֵינֵי אֱלֹהִים 1 Ch 21:7. e.g. Genesis 38:10
Niphal
- suffer hurt: Impf. 3 ms. יֵרוֹעַ (רַע) Pr 11:15; 13:20. e.g. Proverbs 11:15
Hiphil
- 70 Pf. 3 ms. הֵרַע Ex 5:23 +; 2 ms. הֲרֵעוֹתָ 1 K 17:20, etc.; Impf. 3 ms. יָרֵעַ Zp 1:12, וַיָּ֫רַע 1 K 16:25; 2 ms. תָּרַע ψ 44:3 +, etc. inf. abs. הָרֵעַ 1 S 12:25 1 Ch 21:17; cstr.הָרַע Gn 31:7 + 8 times, הָרֵ֑עַ Is 1:16 + 4 times; Pt. מֵרַע Is 9:16; Pr 17:4; pl. מְרֵעִים Is 1:4 +;— e.g. Exodus 5:23
- 1. do an injury, hurt: abs. Gn 44:5 (J), Is 11:9 = 65:25; Je 31:28; Pr 4:16; 24:8; opp. היטיב Is 41:23; Je 10:5; Zp 1:12 (all in prov. phr. = do anything at all, cf. רָע 2); הרע ל Gn 19:9; 43:6; Ex 5:22, 23; Nu 11:11 (J) 20:15; Jos 24:20 (E) + 5 times; c. acc. pers. Nu 16:15 (J) + 4 times; c. בְּ, 1 Ch 16:22 = ψ 105:15 (c. ל), Je 25:29 ψ 74:3; c. עִמָּדִי Gn 31:7 (E); c. על 1 K 17:20; c. ל + inf. Je 16:12; swear לְהָרַע, = to one’s hurt, ψ 15:4; Lv 5:4 (P); Pt. = subst. לְבָבָם לְמֵרָע Dn 11:27 (shall be) for mischief. e.g. Genesis 44:5
- 2. do evil, wickedly: abs. Gn 19:7 (J) 1 S 12:25(×2) + 6 times; opp. היטיב Je 4:22; 13:23; c. מִן comp., 1 K 14:9; 16:25; 2 K 21:11; Je 7:26; 16:12; c. acc. הֵרֵעוּ מַעַלְלֵיהֶם Mi 3:4, cf. 1 S 25:3; Pt. מֵרַע evil doer, Is 9:16; Pr 17:4; pl. Je 20:13; 23:14 ψ 27:2 + 7 times; זֶרַע מ׳ Is 1:4; 14:20; בית מ׳ 31:2; עֲדַת מ׳ ψ 22:17; קְהַל מ׳ 26:5; סוֹד מ׳ 64:3. e.g. Genesis 19:7
רעע III break (Aramaic loan-word = Heb. רָצַץ q.v.)
Qal
- Pf. 3 pl. רָעוּ Je 11:16; Impf. 3 ms. יָרֹעַ Je 15:12; Jb 34:24, 2 ms. sf. תְּרֹעֵם ψ 2:9 (but v. infr.); inf. abs. רֹ֫עָה Is 24:19 (del. ה as dittogr. and read רֹעַ, v. Hithpōʿ.); Pt. f. רֹעָה (? for רֹעֲעָה) Pr 25:19:— e.g. Jeremiah 11:16
- 1. trans. הֲיָרֹעַ כַּרְזֶל בַּרְזֶל וגו׳ Je 15:12 can one break iron, iron out of the north? cf. יָרֹעַ כַּבִּירִים Jb 34:24; תְּרֹעֵם בְּשֵׁבֶט בַּרְזֶל ψ 2:9 (but read תִּרְעֵם, v. I. רעה, 𝔊 𝔖 𝔙 Hup-Now al.). e.g. Jeremiah 15:12
- 2. intrans. break = be broken, of branches Je 11:16 (in fig.; Gf Or al.; > Hi Gie are in a sad state, √ I. רעע); שֵׁן רֹעָה Pr 25:19 a broken tooth (ר׳ = רֹעֲעָה?; Frankenb Niph. Pt. נְרָעָה, cf. Toy, but Niph. not elsewhere; Vrss רָעָה bad).—רֹ֫עוּ Is 8:9 read דְּעוּ (𝔊 Lo Che al., ‖ הַאֲזִינוּ). e.g. Jeremiah 11:16
Hithpōʿ
- Pf. 3 fs. + Qal inf. abs. (v. supr.) רֹעַ הִתְרֹעֲעָה הָארץ Is 24:19 the earth is broken asunder (‖ פּוֹר הִתְפּוֹרְרָה, מוֹט הִתְמוֹטְטָה); also inf. cstr. לְהִתְרוֹעֵעַ Pr 18:24 will be broken in pieces (Ges§ 114 i), ruined, De al., but לְהִתְרָעוֹת Vrss Toy al., v. II. רעה Hithp. (see, however, DrExpos. Times xi (1899–1900), 230 f.). e.g. Isaiah 24:19
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
II. n.m. friend, companion (strange formation; orig. dub.; Wetzst Syriac Dreschtafel, ZEthnol. 1873, 289 cp. مرياع miryâʿ, name of bell-wether among Syriac nomads (proposes [inseparable] companion), and der. from ריע, proposes closely joined; cf. Gerber 97, 162);—sf. מֵרֵעֵ֫הוּ Gn 26:26 +, מְרֵעֵ֫הוּ Pr 19:7, מֵרֵעֶ֑ךָ Ju 15:2; pl. מֵרֵעִים 14:11;—companion, confidential friend, Gn 26:26 (J; cf. רֵעֶה); of bridegroom’s escort Ju 14:11; ‘bestman’ (GFM) v 20; 15:2, 6; more gen. friends (‖ אחים) 2 S 3:8 Pr 19:7; 12:26 is dub., Död Hi De al. מִרְעֵהוּ; Toy conj. poss. מֵרָעָה (יָסֻר), v. further תור.
I. vb. denom. be evil, bad;—
II. vb. break (Aramaic loan-word = Heb. רָצַץ q.v.);—
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Origin: a primitive root
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.
רָעַע
- (b. h.) [to bring in close contact, v. רֵיעַ,]
- 1. to strike against, shatter, impair. —Part. pass. רָעוּעַ; f. רְעוּעָה; pl. רְעוּעִים, רְעוּעִין; רְעוּעוֹת impaired, defective; in a ruinous state, threatening, opp. בריא sound. Kidd. 39ᵇ סולם ר׳ a broken ladder. Kel. III, 5 הר׳ a cracked vessel. Taan. 20ᵇ מפולת שאמרו בריאות ולא ר׳ the falling of houses which they mention (ib. III, 4) means the falling of sound buildings, but not of such as were out of repair; a. fr.
- 2. (neut. verb) רַע, imperf. יֵרַע to be injurious, evil; רע ל־ to grieve, displease. B. Mets. 84ᵇ בני אל ירע לך my son, let it not grieve thee; a. e.
- to shatter, break.—Part. pass. מְרוֹעָע; f. מְרוֹעַעַת; pl. מְרוֹעָעִים, מְרוֹעָעִין; מְרוֹעָעוֹת. Koh. R. to III, 2 השרוי בבית המר׳ he who dwells in a threatening house; Y. Sabb. II, 5ᵇ top מְרוֹעֲרַע (fr. רִעְרֵעַ). Gen. R. s. 32 קנקנים מר׳, v. קַנְקָן I. Y. Taan. III, 66ᵈ top מְרוֹעֲרָעִים threatening buildings; a. fr.
- , Hithpol. הִתְרוֹעֵעַ, Nithpol. נִתְרוֹעֵעַ to be shaken, cracked, become defective. Men. 53ᵇ (ref. to Jer. XI, 16) מקול מיליהן … נִיתְרָעֲעוּ דליותיהן וכ׳ from the sound of the words of the spies were the branches (young men) of Israel broken; Yalk. Jer. 289 נרתעו (read: נִתְרָעוּ). Sot. 48ᵃ (play on ערה, Zeph. II, 14) אפי׳ בית … מִתְרוֹעֵעַ even a house which lies in a thicket of cedars will be shaken; Yalk. Is. 292 מתנועע (corr. acc.). Y. Snh. X, 27ᵈ bot. לכיפה … כיון שנִתְרוֹעֲעָה אחת מהן נִתְרוֹעֲעוּ כולן like a heap of stones, when one of them is shaken (disturbed), all of them are shaken; Y. M. Kat. III, 83ᶜ שנִתְרַעְרְעָה … נִתְרַעְרְעוּ (fr. רערע); Gen. R. s. 100 וכולה מִתְרוֹעַעַת; a. e. e.g. Jeremiah 11:16
- 1. to shake, impair. Y. Shebi. X, 39ᵈ top מֵירַע כוחן it impairs their prerogatives; ib. מוֹרַע (fr. יָרַע). Y. Pes. VII, 34ᵈ top שהוֹרַעְתָּ כחו וכ׳ whose standing thou declarest impaired in the case of an ascertained uncleanness. Ex. R. s. 8 הֵרֵעוּ לנפשם they did harm to themselves; a. e.—V. הֲרָעָה.
- 2. to be evil; ה׳ ל־ to displease. Tanḥ. Sh’laḥ 5; Num. R. s. 167 וה׳ לאביו and it displeased his father; a. e.—[
- 3. to join, combine, v. רָעָהPi.]
- , or הוֹרַע (fr. יָרַע) to be shaken, impaired. Kidd. 20ᵇ, sq. ה׳ כחו his prerogative is impaired, v. יָפֶה. B. Kam. 44ᵃ; a. fr.
רְעַע
- , to shatter, break. Targ. Jud. IX, 53 ורָעַת (Levita ורְעִיעַת; some ed. ורעתת, corr. acc.). Targ. Y. II, Ex. XV, 6 רָעָא (some ed. רעע, corr. acc.). Targ. Job XX, 19 (ed. Wil. רָעַע Pa.); a. e.—Part. pass. רְעִיעַ, רְעִיעָא; f. רְעִיעָא, רְעִיעֲתָא. Targ. Is. XLII, 3. Targ. Koh. XII, 6; a. e.—Taan. 20ᵇ אשיתא ר׳ Ms. M. (ed. רעועה h.) a threatening wall. Ib. ביתא ר׳ a ruinous-looking house; a. fr.
- same. Targ. Job XX, 10. Ib. 19, v. supra; a. e.
- to do harm. Ib. XXIV, 21 מֵרַע (Ms. מְיָירַע; h. text רֹעֶה).
- 1. to be shaken, broken; be afraid. Targ. Y. Deut. XX, 3 (Var. תִּתְיָרְע׳).
- 2. to be shaken, impaired. Hor. 12ᵃ ומִיתְרַע מזליה and his luck may be shaken, v. רִיעַ II. B. Bath. 59ᵃ דתִיתְרַע וכ׳, v. אֲשִׁיתָא. Ḥull. 10ᵃ סכין אִיתְרְעָאִי וכ׳ the status of the knife has been impaired (the knife having been found notched after slaughtering), but the status of the slaughtered animal (the presumption of its ritual fitness) has not been shaken, v. רֵיעוּתָא.
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 79 distinct written forms H7489 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that stem’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; 19 rarer forms follow in the full concordance.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H7489, 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.
Derived from this word
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 5 — not the complete family. They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 89 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 99 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 19:7
- Exodus 5:22
- Leviticus 5:4
- Numbers 11:10
- Deuteronomy 15:9
- Joshua 24:20
- Judges 19:23
- Ruth 1:21
- 1 Samuel 8:6
- 2 Samuel 11:25
- 1 Kings 14:9
- 2 Kings 21:11
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.
