רֶ֫שַׁע
wickedness
also: wrong, guilt 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
- Noun
- A naming word — a person, place, thing, or idea.
Noun type
- Common
- A common noun — a general class of person, place, or thing (“king,” “city,” “water”), not a specific name.
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).
Gender
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
Number
- Singular
- One.
Grammatical forms
- Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Absolute 23 times (77%)
- Noun, Common, Masculine, Singular, Construct 7 times (23%)
Parsed forms decoded from the imported morphology (morphhb / Westminster Leningrad Codex — WLC text public domain, morphhb tagging CC BY 4.0), counted across 30 parsed occurrences — not distinct verses.
Every verse where H7562 appears — 29 distinct verses across 11 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.
Deuteronomy 1 verse
1 Samuel 1 verse
Job 3 verses
- Job 34:8 רֶֽשַׁע n c ms Who goes in company with the workers of iniquity, And walks with wicked men?
- Job 34:10 מֵ/רֶ֗שַׁע prep + n c ms "Therefore listen to me, you men of understanding: Far be it from God, that he should do wickedness, From the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity.
- Job 35:8 רִשְׁעֶ֑/ךָ n c ms cs + sfx pers 2ms Your wickedness may hurt a man as you are; And your righteousness may profit a son of man.
Psalms 6 verses
- Psalms 5:4 רֶ֥שַׁע n c ms For you are not a God who has pleasure in wickedness. Evil can't live with you.
- Psalms 10:15 רִשְׁע֥/וֹ n c ms cs + sfx pers 3ms Break the arm of the wicked. As for the evil man, seek out his wickedness until you find none.
- Psalms 45:7 רֶ֥שַׁע n c ms You have loved righteousness, and hated wickedness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows.
- Psalms 84:10 רֶֽשַׁע n c ms For a day in your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, Than to dwell in the tents of wickedness.
- Psalms 125:3 הָ/רֶ֗שַׁע ptcl def.art + n c ms For the scepter of wickedness won't remain over the allotment of the righteous; So that the righteous won't use their hands to do evil.
- Psalms 141:4 בְּ/רֶ֗שַׁע prep + n c ms Don't incline my heart to any evil thing, To practice deeds of wickedness with men who work iniquity. Don't let me eat of their delicacies.
Proverbs 5 verses
- Proverbs 4:17 רֶ֑שַׁע n c ms For they eat the bread of wickedness, And drink the wine of violence.
- Proverbs 8:7 רֶֽשַׁע n c ms For my mouth speaks truth. Wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
- Proverbs 10:2 רֶ֑שַׁע n c ms Treasures of wickedness profit nothing, But righteousness delivers from death.
- Proverbs 12:3 בְּ/רֶ֑שַׁע prep + n c ms A man shall not be established by wickedness, But the root of the righteous shall not be moved.
- Proverbs 16:12 רֶ֑שַׁע n c ms It is an abomination for kings to do wrong, For the throne is established by righteousness.
Ecclesiastes 3 verses
- Ecclesiastes 3:16 הָ/רֶ֔שַׁע הָ/רָֽשַׁע ptcl def.art + n c ms ptcl def.art + n c ms Moreover I saw under the sun, in the place of justice, that wickedness was there; and in the place of righteousness, that wickedness was there.
- Ecclesiastes 7:25 רֶ֣שַׁע n c ms I turned around, and my heart sought to know and to search out, and to seek wisdom and the scheme of things, and to know that wickedness is stupidity, and that foolishness is madness.
- Ecclesiastes 8:8 רֶ֖שַׁע n c ms There is no man who has power over the spirit to contain the spirit; neither does he have power over the day of death. There is no discharge in war; neither shall wickedness deliver those who practice it.
Isaiah 2 verses
- Isaiah 58:4 רֶ֑שַׁע n c ms Behold, you fast for strife and contention, and to strike with the fist of wickedness: you don't fast this day so as to make your voice to be heard on high.
- Isaiah 58:6 רֶ֔שַׁע n c ms Isn't this the fast that I have chosen: to loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke?
Jeremiah 1 verse
Ezekiel 4 verses
- Ezekiel 3:19 מֵֽ/רִשְׁע֔/וֹ prep + n c ms cs + sfx pers 3ms Yet if you warn the wicked, and he doesn't turn from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered your soul.
- Ezekiel 7:11 רֶ֑שַׁע n c ms Violence is risen up into a rod of wickedness; none of them [shall remain], nor of their multitude, nor of their wealth: neither shall there be eminency among them.
- Ezekiel 31:11 כְּ/רִשְׁע֖/וֹ prep + n c ms cs + sfx pers 3ms I will even deliver him into the hand of the mighty one of the nations; he shall surely deal with him; I have driven him out for his wickedness.
- Ezekiel 33:12 מֵֽ/רִשְׁע֑/וֹ prep + n c ms cs + sfx pers 3ms You, son of man, tell the children of your people, The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him in the day of his disobedience; and as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not fall thereby in the day that he turns from his wickedness; neither shall he who is righteous be able to live thereby in the day that he sins.
Hosea 1 verse
Micah 2 verses
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.
רשע (reshaʻ) is a Hebrew noun most often rendered “wickedness.” Beyond its headline sense, its full sense range takes in “wrong” and “guilt”. With 29 verses in 11 books, it is a moderately common word in the Hebrew Bible. It first appears in Deuteronomy 9:27. It clusters with רשע, מרשעת and רשע under a shared root. The sections below give every sense, occurrence, and version rendering.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H7562 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 →
- 29
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 29 distinct verses.
- 11 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 11 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #1,139
- by frequency
- Top 2500 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 1,139 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 29 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 29 distinct verses.
- Writings (Ketuvim) 17 verses · 59%
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 11 verses · 38%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 1 verse · 3%
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).
- King James Version: Wickedness 23×, Wicked 4×
- American Standard Version: Wickedness 21×, Wicked 2×
- Berean Standard Bible: Wickedness 20×, Wicked 4×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text: Wickedness 26×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H7562 across 30 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 3 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 H7562 across 30 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 7 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 H7562 across 30 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 6 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H7562 across 30 tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus 4 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Senses in the full BDB
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 3 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.
- 1. wickedness, as violence and crime against civil law Ec 3:16(×2); אֶגְרֹף ר׳ Is 58:4 fist of wickedness; חַרְצֻבּוֹת ר׳ v 6; לֶחֶם ר׳ Pr 4:17; מַטֵּה ר׳ Ez 7:11; מֹאזְנֵי ר׳ Mi 6:11; אֹצְרוֹת ר׳ v 10, cf. Pr 10:2; בְּרֶשַׁע ψ 141:4; Pr 12:3; עשׂות ר׳ 16:12; מִרְשָׁעִים יֵצֵא ר׳ 1 S 24:14 (proverb). e.g. Ecclesiastes 3:16
- 2. wickedness of enemies: of Egypt Ez 31:11 (dub. Co; gloss Toy); שֵׁבֶט הר׳ ψ 125:3 (𝔊 SS רָשָׁע). e.g. Ezekiel 31:11
- 3. wickedness, in ethical relations: ‖ חטאת Dt 9:27 (D2); ‖ עון Je 14:20; ‖ עולה Ho 10:13; opp. צֶדֶק ψ 45:8, אֱמֶת Pr 8:7; v. also ψ 5:5; 10:15; Jb 34:10; 35:8; Ec 7:25; 8:8; אַנְשֵׁי ר׳ Jb 34:8; אָהֳלֵי ר׳ ψ 84:11; שׁוּב מֵרִשְׁעוֹ Ez 3:19; 33:12 (v. רִשְׁעָה 3). e.g. Deuteronomy 9:27
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
n.m. 1 S 24:14 wickedness;—abs. ר׳ Mi 6:10 +, רָ֑שַׁע Ec 3:16; cstr. (perhaps) רֶ֫שַׁע 7:25; sf. רִשְׁעוֹ Dt 9:27 +, etc.;—
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Derived from רשע (râshaʻ) (H7561) — to be wicked.
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.
רָשַׁע
- [to be powerful,] to do violence, be wicked. Yalk. Koh. 976 (ref. to Koh. VII, 17) אלא אם רָשַׁעְתָּ אל תִּרְשַׁע הרבה (omitted in Sabb. 31ᵇ) but it means, if thou hast once done wrong, do not therefore do more wrong. e.g. Ecclesiastes 7:17
- 1. to declare in the wrong, to condemn. Snh. 10ᵃ אלא מעתה והצדיקו שנים והִרְשִׁיעוּ שנים וכ׳ if this be so (that you can derive from ושפטום, Deut. XXV, 1, that there must be two judges and one in addition to make a majority vote possible) then ‘and they shall justify’ (ib.) indicates two, ‘and they shall condemn’ (ib.) means two, hence you would require seven judges for a court! e.g. Deuteronomy 25:1
- 2. to charge with wrong-doing, accuse. Ib. עדים שהרשיעו את הצדיק וכ׳ if (false) witnesses accused an innocent person, and other witnesses came and justified him. B. Kam. 64ᵇ (ref. to Ex. XXII, 8) ולא המַרְשִׁיעַ עצמו “he whom the judges shall condemn shall pay double”, but not he who accuses himself. Ib. (ref. to Ex. XXII, 3) פרט למרשיע וכ׳ to the exemption of him who &c.; a. fr.— to do wrong. Tanḥ. D’barim 3; Yalk. Deut. 805 (play on רשעתים, Jud. III, 8) הם הרשיעו עלינו שתי רשעיות they (the Aramæans) did us two wrongs. e.g. Exodus 22:8
רְשַׁע I
- Targ. Deut. XVIII, 23 (some ed. דיַרְ׳ Af.).—Sabb. 31ᵇ (ref. to Koh. VII, 17) הרבה הוא דלא לִירְשַׁע הא מעט לירשע man should not sin much, but little he may?; Yalk. Koh. 976. e.g. Ecclesiastes 7:17
- same. Targ. Deut. I, 43. Targ. Y. Ex. XVIII, 11. Targ. Ps. LXXVIII, 57; a. fr.
- to talk wickedly. Targ. Is. XXVIII, 22 (h. text תתלוצצו).
רְשַׁע II
- m., v. רִשְׁעָא
רָשָׁע
- preced. wds.) wicked man, wrongful claimant. Snh. 27ᵃ (ref. to Ex. XXIII, 1) אל תשת ר׳ עד allow not a wicked man to be witness. Ib. 9ᵇ ר׳ הוא והתורה אמרה וכ׳ he is a (self-confessed) wicked man, and the Law says, allow not &c. Ib. אין אדם משים עצמו ר׳ none can incriminate himself (his testimony against himself has no legal effect). Ib. 27ᵃ ר׳ דחמס בעינן (to be disqualified in court) he must be a wicked man connected with violence (but you cannot disqualify a sinner against ceremonial laws). Gen. R. s. 20 נחש זה ר׳ בעל תשובות that serpent is a wicked creature rich in arguments. Bekh. 8ᵃ ולאותו ר׳ לא וכ׳ and to that wicked creature (the serpent) I find no parallel in nature (as to duration of pregnancy). Ab. V, 19 בלעם הר׳ Balaam the wicked; a. v. fr.—Pl. רְשָׁעִים. Ib. 1 להפרע מן הר׳ וכ׳ in order to punish the wicked who ruin the world &c. Ib. I, 8 וכשיהיו … יהיו בעיניך כר׳ when disputants stand before thee (the judge), look upon both parties as wrongful claimants, opp. זכאין. Ib. IV, 15 אין … משלות הר׳ וכ׳ it is beyond our power to understand why the wicked are prosperous or why the righteous suffer. Snh. 110ᵇ קטני בני רִשְׁעֵי ישראל young children of wicked Israelites; Tosef. ib. XIII, 1 רשעי ארץ (corr. acc.). Ib. 2 (ref. to Ps. IX, 18) אלו ר׳ ישראל this refers to Israelitish sinners. Hor. 10ᵇ (ref. to Koh. VIII, 14) כמעשה חר׳ של עוה"ב like that which happens to the wicked in the world to come. Snh. 93ᵃ רִשְׁעֵיהֶם של ישראל the wicked (idolaters) of the Israelitish people; a. v. fr.—Fem. רְשָׁעָה. Ber. 61ᵇ מלכות הר׳ Ms. M. (v. Rabb. D. S. a. l. note) the wicked (Roman) government. Ex. R. s. 35 אדום הר׳ (sub. מלכות); a. fr. e.g. Exodus 23:1
רֶשַׁע
- preced.) wickedness, guilt. Snh. 47ᵃ נהרג מתוך רִשְׁעוֹ one who is put to death for his wickedness; מת מתוך רשעו who dies (a natural death) for his wickedness; a. e.
רִשְׁעָא
- Targ. O. Deut. XVIII, 22. Targ. Ps. XVIII, 22. Ib. XXXVI, 4. Ib. 5 (some ed. רשיעא, corr. acc.). Targ. Prov. VIII, 7 (some ed. רשיעא, corr. acc.); a. fr.
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 20 distinct written forms H7562 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.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H7562, 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
Derived from this word
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 28 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 29 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
- Deuteronomy 9:27
- 1 Samuel 24:13
- Job 34:8
- Psalms 5:4
- Proverbs 4:17
- Ecclesiastes 3:16
- Isaiah 58:4
- Jeremiah 14:20
- Ezekiel 3:19
- Hosea 10:13
- Micah 6:10
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.
