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person in his own house upon his bed? …” The expression “guilty of death” (
$
) occurs in Num. 35:31 and is applied to a murderer.
Pharaoh and his people are portrayed as “wicked” people guilty of hostility to God
and His people (Exod. 9:27).
(
, 7451), “bad; evil; wicked; sore.” The root of this term is disputed. Some
scholars believe that the Akkadian term
$
(“evil; bad”) may be a cognate. Some
scholars derive from the Hebrew word
(“to break, smash, crush”), which is a
cognate of the Hebrew
(“to smash, break to pieces”);
in turn is related to
the Arabic
(“to crush, bruise”). If this derivation were correct, it would imply that
connotes sin in the sense of destructive hurtfulness; but this connotation is not
appropriate in some contexts in which is found.
refers to that which is “bad” or “evil,” in a wide variety of applications. A greater
number of the word’s occurrences signify something morally evil or hurtful, often
referring to man or men: “Then answered all the wicked men and men of Belial, of those
that went with David …” (1 Sam. 30:22). “And Esther said, the adversary and enemy is
the wicked Haman” (Esth. 7:6). “There they cry, but none giveth answer, because of the
pride of evil men” (Job 35:12; cf. Ps. 10:15).
is also used to denote evil words (Prov.
15:26), evil thoughts (Gen. 6:5), or evil actions (Deut. 17:5, Neh. 13:17). Ezek. 6:11
depicts grim consequences for Israel as a result of its actions: “Thus saith the Lord God;
smite with thine hand, and stamp with thy foot, and say, Alas for all the evil
abominations of the house of Israel! For they shall fall by the sword, by the famine, and
by the pestilence.”
may mean “bad” or unpleasant in the sense of giving pain or caming
unhappiness: “And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, … Few and evil have the days of the years
of my life been …” (Gen. 47:9). “And when the people heard these evil tidings, they
mourned …” (Exod. 33:4; cf. Gen. 37:2). “Correction is grievous [ ] unto him that
forsaketh the way: and he that hateth reproof shall die” (Prov. 15:10).
may also connote a fierceness or wildness: “He cast upon them the fierceness of
his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil [ ] angels among them”
(Ps. 78:49). “Some evil beast hath devoured him …” (Gen. 37:20; cf. Gen. 37:33; Lev.
26:6).
In less frequent uses, implies severity: “For thus saith the Lord God; How much
more when I send my four sore [ ] judgments upon Israel …” (Ezek. 14:21; cf. Deut.
6:22); unpleasantness: “And the Lord will take away from thee all sickness, and will put
more of the evil diseases of Egypt … upon thee …” (Deut. 7:15; cf. Deut. 28:59);
deadliness: “When I shall send upon them the evil arrows of famine, which shall be for
their destruction …” (Ezek. 5:16; cf. “hurtful sword,” Ps. 144:10); or sadness:
“Wherefore the king said unto me, why is thy countenance sad …” (Neh. 2:2).