Proverbs 4:27 — Word Study
WLCאַֽל־ תֵּט־ יָמִ֥ין וּשְׂמֹ֑אול הָסֵ֖ר רַגְלְךָ֣ מֵרָֽע׃
BSADo notʼal [in no way, under no circumstances] swervenâṭâh▸ [turn aside, deviate] to the rightyâmîyn [the direction of prosperity, blessing] or to the leftsᵉmôʼwl [the direction of adversity, curse] turnçûwr [remove, depart from] your feet {away}regel from evilraʻ [completely, utterly, bad, morally wrong, wicked]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| אַֽל־ | may not | Particle |
| תֵּט־ | you turn aside | Verb, Qal, jussive second person masculine singular |
| יָמִ֥ין | right | Noun common, feminine singular absolute |
| וּשְׂמֹ֑אול | and left | Conjunction, noun common masculine singular absolute |
| הָסֵ֖ר | turn aside | Verb, Hiphil, imperative second person masculine singular |
| רַגְלְךָ֣ | foot your | Noun common feminine singular construct, suffix |
| מֵרָֽע׃ | from evil | Preposition |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your feet away from evil. |
| KJV | Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil. |
| ASV | Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: Remove thy foot from evil. |
| YLT | Incline not [to] the right or to the left, Turn aside thy foot from evil! |
| WEB | Don’t turn to the right hand nor to the left. Remove your foot from evil. |
| BBE | Let there be no turning to the right or to the left, keep your feet from evil. |
Where they part company is in the interpretation of the term for 'swerve' — see How Translations Differ.
The main clause sets a prohibition, followed by a directive on how to act, creating a clear instruction.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
verbנָטָה
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Proverbs 4:27
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — Instructions for Righteous Livinggenerated
Proverbs 4:27 is part of a larger discourse on the importance of maintaining a straight path in life. The preceding verses emphasize the need to avoid deceptive speech and to focus on what lies ahead. This verse culminates the thought by urging the reader to avoid distractions and to turn away from evil, reinforcing the theme of moral integrity throughout the chapter.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Deuteronomy 5:32 | So be careful to do as the LORD your God has commanded you; you are not to turn aside to the right or to the left. |
| 2 | Deuteronomy 12:32 | See that you do everything I command you; do not add to it or subtract from it. |
| 3 | Deuteronomy 28:14 | Do not turn aside to the right or to the left from any of the words I command you today, and do not go after other gods to serve them. |
| 4 | Joshua 1:7 | Above all, be strong and very courageous. Be careful to observe all the law that My servant Moses commanded you. Do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may prosper wherever you go. |
| 5 | Proverbs 16:17 | The highway of the upright leads away from evil; he who guards his way protects his life. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 7 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — נָטָה, tet-generated
The verb נָטָה (natah) means to stretch out or turn aside. It can refer to physical movement or metaphorical moral deflection, indicating a deviation from a righteous path.
In this verse, it is used in the jussive form, which expresses a command or wish, emphasizing the importance of not turning aside from the right path.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The main verb הָסֵ֖ר (ha.ser), meaning 'turn aside,' governs the sentence, with two clauses providing the actions to avoid and the object of the action. The structure emphasizes a clear directive to remove one's feet from evil.
The sentence is constructed with a negative particle אַל (al) at the beginning, which sets a prohibitive tone, followed by the imperative verbs that outline the actions to take.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
The Septuagint translates נָטָה as ἐκκλίνῃς (ekklinēs), which means 'to turn aside.' This choice aligns closely with the Hebrew meaning but may carry a slightly more active connotation of deviation.
The use of ἀπόστρεψον (apostrepson) for הָסֵ֖ר emphasizes the act of turning away, reinforcing the instruction to depart from evil.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Proverbs 4:27 advises not to turn to the right or left, but to turn your feet away from evil. This means to stay focused on the right path and avoid any actions that are morally wrong.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
To swerve means to deviate from the straight path of righteousness, which can lead to moral failure.
Turning away from evil is essential to maintain a life of integrity and righteousness, avoiding harm and wrongdoing.
You can apply this verse by being mindful of your choices and avoiding situations that may lead you away from good.
Evil can include dishonest actions, harmful behaviors, or anything that goes against moral principles.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- What are some ways I can ensure I stay on the right path in my life?
- How do I recognize when I am being tempted to turn aside from good?
- What practical steps can I take to turn my feet away from evil?
- How can I encourage others to stay focused on righteousness?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
The early Church Fathers referenced this verse to discuss moral conduct and the importance of maintaining a righteous path.
Virtue occupies the middle position; whence also he says, that manly courage is the mean between boldness and cowardice. And now he mentions the "right," not meaning thereby things which are right by nature, such as the virtues,Early Church Fathers on Proverbs 4 →
We must really walk on the King’s highway and take care not to turn aside from it either to the right hand or to the left, as the Proverbs say.Early Church Fathers on Proverbs 4 →
Mark well the counsel which the Holy Spirit gives us by Solomon: “Make straight paths for your feet, and order your ways aright.Early Church Fathers on Proverbs 4 →
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Proverbs 4:27 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleTurn not to the right hand nor to the left,.... Either into the road of immorality and profaneness, or into that of error, superstition, and false worship; but attend to the way of holiness and
Read John Gill on Proverbs 4 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryTurn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left - (Proverbs 4:25.) The image is from the king's highway (Numbers 20:17; Deuteronomy 2:27).
Read Robert Jamieson on Proverbs 4 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleFly all extremes, and neither add to God’ s commands, nor take from them.
Read Matthew Poole on Proverbs 4 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsProverbs 4:27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.Ver. 27. Turn not to the right.] Keep the king’ s highway; keep within God’ s precincts, and ye keep under his protection. The heathen orator could say, A recta conscientia ne latum quidem unguem discedendum; A man may not depart a hair’ s breadth all his life long from the dictates of a good conscience. Remove thy foot from evil.] Bestir thee no otherwise than if thou hadst trod upon a snake. "Abhor that which is evil"; "abstain from all appearance," all shows and shadows of it. Run from the occasions of it; "come not near the doors of her house." Cic. in Offic.
Read John Trapp on Proverbs 4 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(27) Turn not aside . . .—Comp. the direction of Jos 1:7, and the praise accorded to David (1 Kings 15:5).
Read Charles John Ellicott on Proverbs 4 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 27. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left] Avoid all crooked ways. Be an upright, downright, and straight-forward man. Avoid tricks, wiles, and deceptions of this kind. To this the Septuagint and Vulgate add the following verse: Αυτοςδεορθαςποιησειταςτροχιαςσου, ταςδεπορειαςσουενειρηνηπροαξει. Ipse autem rectos faciet cursus tuos; itinera autem tua in pace producet. "For himself will make thy paths straight and thy journeyings will he conduct in prosperity." The Arabic has also a clause to the same effect. But nothing like this is found in the Hebrew, Chaldee, or Syriac; nor in the Vulgate, as printed in the Complutensian Polyglot; nor in that of Antwerp or of Paris; but it is in…
Read AdamClarke on Proverbs 4 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges27. At the end of this verse the LXX. add: “For the ways on the right God knoweth, But the ways on the left are crooked. And He will make straight thy paths, And thy goings will He conduct in peace.”
Read Cambridge on Proverbs 4 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleThe ever-recurring image of the straight road on which no one ever loses his way represents here as elsewhere the onward course through life of the man who seeks and finds wisdom.
Read Albert Barnes on Proverbs 4 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your feet away from evil.
Don’t turn to the right hand nor to the left. Remove your foot from evil.
Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your feet away from evil.
Do not turn to the right or to the left; turn yourself away from evil.
Tyndale line
Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.
Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: Remove thy foot from evil.
Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.
Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.
Turne not to the right hande, nor to the left, but remooue thy foote from euill.
Strictly literal
Turn not to the right hand nor to the left; remove thy foot from evil.
Incline not [to] the right or to the left, Turn aside thy foot from evil!
Do not incline [to] the right or to the left, || Turn aside your foot from evil!
Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.
Do not turn aside to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.
From the Latin
Decline not to the right hand, nor to the left: turn away thy foot from evil. For the Lord knoweth the ways that are on the right hand: but those are perverse which are on the left hand. But he will make thy courses straight, he will bring forward thy ways in peace.
Simplified
Don't deviate to the right or the left, and turn away from evil.
Let there be no turning to the right or to the left, keep your feet from evil.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text and the Septuagint agree in their wording for this verse, with all seven words matched in the Hebrew and Greek texts. This shows a consistent understanding of the instruction to avoid evil.
אַֽל־ תֵּט־ יָמִ֥ין וּשְׂמֹ֑אול הָסֵ֖ר רַגְלְךָ֣ מֵרָֽע׃
7 of the 7 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Proverbs 4:27
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
אַל (al) is a negative particle meaning 'not' or 'no,' often used to express a wish or prohibition rather than an objective fact. It can also function as a noun meaning 'nothing.' The lexicons highlight its use in various contexts, including deprecative forms, but do not show significant disagreement.
אַל adv. of negation, denying however, not objectively as a fact, but subjectively as a wish, expressing therefore a deprecation or prohibition
base
H408 אַל adv. of negation, denying however, not objectively as a fact, but subjectively as a wish, expressing therefore a deprecation or prohibition
408 'al al
a negative particle (akin to 3808); not (the qualified
negation, used as a deprecative); once (Job 24:25) as a noun,
nothing:--nay, neither, + never, no ,nor, not, nothing
(worth), rather than.
see HEBREW for 03808
אַל (al) — not.
1) not, no, nor, neither, nothing (as wish or preference)
1a) do not, let not (with a verb)
1b) let there not be (with a verb understood)
1c) not, no (with substantive)
1d) nothing (as substantive)
Aramaic equivalent: al (אַל "not" H0409)
Part — ParticleHTn
נָטָה (natah) is a Hebrew verb meaning to stretch out, spread out, or extend. It encompasses a wide range of actions, including bending, inclining, and pitching a tent. The word can also imply moral deflection or turning aside. The entries suggest various applications, from physical actions to metaphorical uses, but do not indicate significant disagreement among the lexicons.
נָטָה 215 vb. stretch out, spread out, extend, incline, bend
Qal
stretch out, extend, hand, rod
stretch line and plummet
= offer
Spread out, i.e. pitch, tent
Bend, turn, incline
Niph. be stretched out
Hiph.
rarely stretch out, hand
rarely spread out cloth on rock
usu. turn, incline
base
H5186 נָטָה stretch out, spread out, extend, incline, bend .. . stretch out, extend, hand, rod
. stretch line and plummet
. = offer
. Spread out, i.e. pitch, tent
. Bend, turn, incline
. be stretched out
. . rarely stretch out, hand
. rarely spread out cloth on rock
. usu. turn, incline
5186 natah naw-taw'
a primitive root; to stretch or spread out; by implication,
to bend away (including moral deflection); used in a great
variety of application (as follows):--+ afternoon, apply, bow
(down, - ing), carry aside, decline, deliver, extend, go down,
be gone, incline, intend, lay, let down, offer, outstretched,
overthrown, pervert, pitch, prolong, put away, shew, spread
(out), stretch (forth, out), take (aside), turn (aside, away),
wrest, cause to yield.
נָטָה (na.tah) — to stretch.
1) to stretch out, extend, spread out, pitch, turn, pervert, incline, bend, bow
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to stretch out, extend, stretch, offer
1a2) to spread out, pitch (tent)
1a3) to bend, turn, incline
1a3a) to turn aside, incline, decline, bend down
1a3b) to bend, bow
1a3c) to hold out, extend (fig.)
1b) (Niphal) to be stretched out
1c) (Hiphil)
1c1) to stretch out
1c2) to spread out
1c3) to turn, incline, influence, bend down, hold out, extend, thrust aside, thrust away
V-Qal-Juss-2ms — Verb · Qal · jussive second person masculine singularHVqj2ms
a-sid': "Distinct from others," "privately," such is the sense of the word in 2Ki 4:4; Mr 7:33. Also "to withdraw" (Lu 9:10 the King James Version; Ac 23:19: hupochoreo, also anachoreo). One is said to have turned aside when he departs from the path of rectitude (Ps 14:3; Sirach 2:7; 1Ti 1:6). In a figurative sense it is used to express the thought of putting aside, to renounce, every hindrance or impediment to a consecrated earnest Christian life (Heb 12:1: apotithemi).
The Hebrew word יָמִין (*yamiyn*) means 'right hand' or 'right side,' and it can also refer to the direction south, as the right hand points south when facing east. It is derived from the root word for 'to be strong' and covers various contexts, including body parts and directional references.
יָמִין 137 n.f. right hand
right hand
of situation on, or direction toward the right
of other parts of the body
= south, because when facing east the right hand is toward the south
base
H3225 יָמִין right hand . right hand
. of situation on, or direction toward the right
. of other parts of the body
. = south, because when facing east the right hand is toward the south
3225 yamiyn yaw-meen'
from 3231; the right hand or side (leg, eye) of a person or
other object (as the stronger and more dexterous); locally,
the south:--+ left-handed, right (hand, side), south.
see HEBREW for 03231
יָמִין (ya.min) — right.
1) right, right hand, right side
1a) right hand
1b) right (of direction)
1c) south (the direction of the right hand when facing East)
Also means: ya.min (יָמִין ": south" H3225H)
יָמִין (ya.min) — right: south.
1) right, right hand, right side
1a) right hand
1b) right (of direction)
1c) south (the direction of the right hand when facing East)
יָמִין (ya.min) — [Ben]jamin.
A man of the tribe of Benjamin living at the time of the Patriarchs, first mentioned at Gen.35.18;
son of: Israel (H3478) and Rachel (H7354);
brother of: Joseph (H3130);
half-brother of: Reuben (H7205), Simeon (H8095), Levi (H3878), Judah (H3063), Dan (H1835H), Naphtali (H5321), Gad (H1410), Asher (H0836), Issachar (H3485), Zebulun (H2074) and Dinah (H1783);
N-fs — Noun common · feminine singular absoluteHNcfsa
rit (yashar, mishpaT; dikaios, euthus): Many Hebrew words are translated "right," with different shades of meaning. Of these the two noted are the most important: yashar, with the sense of being straight, direct, as "right in the sight" of Yahweh (Ex 15:26; De 12:25, etc.), in one's own eyes (Jud 17:6), "right words" (Job 6:25 the King James Version, yosher), "right paths" (Pr 4:11 the King James Version); and mishpaT "judgment" "cause" etc., a forensic term, as "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Ge 18:25). In
שְׂמֹאל (semol) means 'left' and can refer to the left hand or side. It also denotes the direction north when facing east. The word is derived from the idea of darkness or being enveloped, suggesting a connection to the north. The entries consistently highlight these meanings without significant disagreement.
שְׂמֹאל, שְׂמֹאול 54 n.[m.] the left (√ dub.)
left, region on the left
left hand
= north (on left of one facing east)
base
H8040 שְׂמֹאל, שְׂמֹאול the left (√ dub.) . left, region on the left
. left hand
. = north (on left of one facing east)
8040 smo'wl sem-ole'
or smosl {sem-ole'}; a primitive word (rather perhaps from
the same as 8071 (by insertion of the aleph) through the idea
of wrapping up); properly, dark (as enveloped), i.e. the
north; hence (by orientation), the left hand:--left (hand,
side).
see HEBREW for 08071
שְׂמֹאל (se.mo.l) — left.
1) the left, the left hand, the left side
1a) left
1b) left hand
1c) north (as one faces east)
שְׂמֹאל (se.mo.l) — left: north.
1) the left, the left hand, the left side
1a) left
1b) left hand
1c) north (as one faces east)
Conj | N-ms — Conjunction · noun common masculine singular absoluteHC/Ncmsa
left (sama'l, "to go to the left," "to turn to the left," semo'l, "the left hand," sema'li, "belonging to the left," "situated on the left"; aristeros, and euphemistically euonumos, literally, "having a good name," "of good omen"): The words are chiefly used in orientation with or without the addition of the word "hand." So Abraham says to Lot: "If thou wilt take the left hand (semo'l), then I will go to the right; or if thou take the right hand, then I will go to the left (sama'l)" (Ge 13:9). Frequently in Hebrew idiom the right hand and the left are mentioned together in order to express the idea "everywhere," "anywhere," "altogether" (Ge 24:49; Ex 14:22,29; Nu 22:26…
סוּר (sur) is a Hebrew verb meaning to turn aside or depart. It encompasses a range of actions including removal, avoidance, and coming to an end. The word can be used in various forms, such as causing something to turn aside or be taken away. It appears in contexts involving both literal and figurative departures.
סוּר and [שׂוּר] 300 vb. turn aside
Qal
turn aside, out of one's course
depart
of lifeless things = be removed
= come to an end
Pô‛lēl he turned aside my ways (my steps)
Hiph.
cause to (turn aside,) depart, common word for remove, take away
rarer uses
Pô‛lēl be taken away, removed
base
H5493 סוּר, שׂוּר turn aside .. turn aside, out of one's course
. depart
. of lifeless things = be removed
. = come to an end
.he turned aside my ways (my steps)
. . cause to (turn aside,) depart, common word for remove, take away
. rarer uses
.be taken away, removed
5493 cuwr soor
or suwr (Hosea 9:12) {soor}; a primitive root; to turn off
(literal or figurative):--be(-head), bring, call back,
decline, depart, eschew, get (you), go (aside), X grievous,
lay away (by), leave undone, be past, pluck away, put (away,
down), rebel, remove (to and fro), revolt, X be sour, take
(away, off), turn (aside, away, in), withdraw, be without.
סוּר (sur) — to turn aside: remove.
: remove
1) to turn aside, depart
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to turn aside, turn in unto
1a2) to depart, depart from way, avoid
1a3) to be removed
1a4) to come to an end
1b) (Polel) to turn aside
1c) (Hiphil)
1c1) to cause to turn aside, cause to depart, remove, take away, put away, depose
1c2) to put aside, leave undone, retract, reject, abolish
1d) (Hophal) to be taken away, be removed
סוּר (sur) — to turn aside: depart.
: depart
1) to turn aside, depart
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to turn aside, turn in unto
1a2) to depart, depart from way, avoid
1a3) to be removed
1a4) to come to an end
1b) (Polel) to turn aside
1c) (Hiphil)
1c1) to cause to turn aside, cause to depart, remove, take away, put away, depose
1c2) to put aside, leave undone, retract, reject, abolish
1d) (Hophal) to be taken away, be removed
סוּר (sur) — to turn aside: turn aside.
: turn_aside/deflect
V-Hiphil-Impv-2ms — Verb · Hiphil · imperative second person masculine singularHVhv2ms
a-sid': "Distinct from others," "privately," such is the sense of the word in 2Ki 4:4; Mr 7:33. Also "to withdraw" (Lu 9:10 the King James Version; Ac 23:19: hupochoreo, also anachoreo). One is said to have turned aside when he departs from the path of rectitude (Ps 14:3; Sirach 2:7; 1Ti 1:6). In a figurative sense it is used to express the thought of putting aside, to renounce, every hindrance or impediment to a consecrated earnest Christian life (Heb 12:1: apotithemi).
רֶ֫גֶל (regel) means 'foot' and can refer to a foot or leg in various contexts, including anthropomorphic references to God and other beings. It also implies steps or paces. The word is derived from a root meaning related to walking, and it appears in multiple forms, such as feet and paces.
רֶ֫גֶל 247 n.f. foot
foot
three times (feet, paces)
base
H7272 רֶ֫גֶל foot . foot
. three times (feet, paces)
7272 regel reh'-gel
from 7270; a foot (as used in walking); by implication, a
step; by euphem. the pudenda:--X be able to endure, X
according as, X after, X coming, X follow,
((broken-))foot((-ed, -stool)), X great toe, X haunt, X
journey, leg, + piss, + possession, time.
see HEBREW for 07270
רֶ֫גֶל (re.gel) — foot.
1) foot
1a) foot, leg
1b) of God (anthropomorphic)
1c) of seraphim, cherubim, idols, animals, table
1d) according to the pace of (with prep)
1e) three times (feet, paces)
Aramaic equivalent: re.gal (רְגַל "foot" H7271)
N-fs | Suff — Noun common feminine singular construct · suffixHNcfsc/Sp2ms
רַע (ra) is a Hebrew word meaning bad or evil, encompassing a range of negative qualities such as distress, misery, and ethical wrongdoing. It can describe unpleasantness, harm, or low value, and is used in various contexts, including emotional states and moral judgments. The entries also note its comparative form, indicating worse than or worst. The word has feminine forms, such as רָעָה (ra.ah), which similarly convey concepts of evil and distress.
רַע 228 adj. bad, evil
bad, disagreeable, malignant
bad, unpleasant, giving pain, unhappiness, misery
evil, displeasing
bad of its kind
bad, , i.e. of low value
מִן comp., worse than
sad, unhappy
devise evil (hurtful) device
bad, unkind, vicious in disposition or temper
ethically bad, evil, wicked
base
רַע 126 n.m. evil, distress, misery, injury, calamity
evil, distress, adversity
evil, injury, wrong
ethical evil
base
רָעָה 310 n.f. evil, misery, distress, injury
evil, misery, distress
evil, injury, wrong
ethical evil
base
H7451a רַע bad, evil . bad, disagreeable, malignant
. bad, unpleasant, giving pain, unhappiness, misery
. evil, displeasing
. bad of its kind
. bad, , i.e. of low value
. + מִן comp., worse than
. sad, unhappy
. devise evil (hurtful) device
. bad, unkind, vicious in disposition or temper
. ethically bad, evil, wicked
H7451b רַע evil, distress, misery, injury, calamity . evil, distress, adversity
. evil, injury, wrong
. ethical evil
H7451c רָעָה evil, misery, distress, injury . evil, misery, distress
. evil, injury, wrong
. ethical evil
7451 ra` rah
from 7489; bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral):--
adversity, affliction, bad, calamity, + displease(-ure),
distress, evil((- favouredness), man, thing), + exceedingly, X
great, grief(-vous), harm, heavy, hurt(-ful), ill (favoured),
+ mark, mischief(-vous), misery, naught(-ty), noisome, + not
please, sad(-ly), sore, sorrow, trouble, vex,
wicked(-ly, -ness, one), worse(-st), wretchedness, wrong.
(Incl. feminine raaah; as adjective or noun.).
see HEBREW for 07489
רַע (ra) — bad: harmful.
: harmful
adj
1) bad, evil
1a) bad, disagreeable, malignant
1b) bad, unpleasant, evil (giving pain, unhappiness, misery)
1c) evil, displeasing
1d) bad (of its kind-land, water, etc)
1e) bad (of value)
1f) worse than, worst (comparison)
1g) sad, unhappy
1h) evil (hurtful)
1i) bad, unkind (vicious in disposition)
1j) bad, evil, wicked (ethically)
1j1) in general, of persons, of thoughts
1j2) deeds, actions
רַע (ra) — bad: evil.
1) evil, distress, misery, injury, calamity
1a) evil, distress, adversity
1b) evil, injury, wrong
1c) evil (ethical)
רָעָה (ra.ah) — distress: harm.
: harm
1) evil, misery, distress, injury
1a) evil, misery, distress
1b) evil, injury, wrong
1c) evil (ethical)
רַע (ra) — bad: evil.
: evil
adj
1) bad, evil
1a) bad, disagreeable, malignant
1b) bad, unpleasant, evil (giving pain, unhappiness, misery)
1c) evil, displeasing
Prep | Adj — PrepositionHR/Aamsa
ev'-'-l, e'-vil ra`; poneros, @kakos, @kakon:
In the Bible it is represented as moral and physical. We choose to discuss the subject under these heads. Many of the evils that come upon men have not been intended by those who suffer for them. Disease, individual and national calamity, drought, scarcity of food, may not always be charged to the account of intentional wrong. Many times the innocent suffer with, and even for, the guilty. In such cases, only physical evil is apparent. Even when the suffering has been occasioned by sin or dereliction of duty, whether the wrong is active or passive, many, perhaps the majority of those who are injured, are not accountable in any way for the ills which come upon them. Neither is God the author of moral evil. "God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempteth no man" (Jas 1:13).
→ APPEARANCE OF, TO BE AVOIDED Ro 14:1-23; 1Co 8:7-13; 10:28-33; 1Th 4:11,12; 5:22
→ INSTANCES OF
Paul, in refusing to eat what had been offered to idols 1Co 8:13
In supporting himself 1Co 9:7-23