---
title: רֹעַ — badness · The Tanakh dictionary
description: רֹעַ (7455), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 19 times: badness. BDB 1906: badness, evil. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# רֹעַ

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«רֹעַ» in the Tanakh dictionary: **badness** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 19 times · **Key:** 7455 · **BDB:** רֹעַ

### Glosses

the.wickedness (11); badness (5); sadness (2)

### Meaning (OSHB)

badness [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1512/7455/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

badness, evil [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1512/7455/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.\[m.\] badness, evil;—ר׳ abs. Gn 41:19 + 4 times Je; cstr. Ho 9:15 + 13 times;— badness, bad quality, of cattle Gn 41:19 (E), figs Je 24:2, 3, 8; 29:17. wilfulness, רֹעַ לבב 1 S 17:28 (Gerber161 makes 2 and 4 \[inf. of\] vb.). ethical, evil, badness, only in phr.: רֹעַ מעללים evil of doings Dt 28:20; Is 1:16; Je 4:4; 21:12; 23:2, 22; 25:5; 26:3; 44:22; Ho 9:15 ψ 28:4 (cf. רַע מעללים 1 S 25:3). sadness, ר׳ פָּנִים Ec 7:3, ר׳ לֵב Ne 2:2 (cf. \[רַעַע\] 2).

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 19 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (16 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (12 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «רֹעַ» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1512/7455/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Ecclesiastes 7:3](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/ECC.7.3/)

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ט֥וֹב כַּ֖עַס מִשְּׂחֹ֑ק כִּֽי־בְרֹ֥עַ פָּנִ֖ים יִ֥יטַב לֵֽב׃

*Word for word:* \[is\].good vexation more than.laughter (dm) by sadness of.face it.will.be.good a.heart

*JPS 1917:* Vexation is better than laughter; for by the sadness of the countenance the heart may be gladdened.

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[Isaiah 1:16](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/neviim/ISA.1.16/)

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רַחֲצוּ֙ הִזַּכּ֔וּ הָסִ֛ירוּ רֹ֥עַ מַעַלְלֵיכֶ֖ם מִנֶּ֣גֶד עֵינָ֑י חִדְל֖וּ הָרֵֽעַ׃

*Word for word:* wash make.yourselves.clean remove the.wickedness your.deeds your from before eyes my cease to.do.evil

*JPS 1917:* Wash you, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings from before Mine eyes, cease to do evil;

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