--- title: רָעַע — be evil · The Tanakh dictionary description: רָעַע (7489), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 97 times: be evil. BDB 1906: vb. denom. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917. --- [Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) · [this page in HTML](https://mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/7489.html) [home](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/) / [dictionaries](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/) / [Tanakh](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/) / [ר](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1512-3.md)‎ / רָעַע‎ # רָעַע «רָעַע» in the Tanakh dictionary: **be evil** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers. **Used:** 97 times · **Key:** 7489 · **BDB:** רָעַע ### Glosses it.was.displeasing (10); of.evil-doers (9); do.harm (7) ### Meaning (OSHB) be evil [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1512/7489/#m1) ### Meaning (BDB 1906) vb. denom. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1512/7489/#m2) **The whole BDB entry:** vb. denom. be evil, bad;— 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;— 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. be sad: ירע לבב Dt 15:10; 1 S 1:8; יֵֽרְעוּ פָנַי Ne 2:3. 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. be evil, wicked, ethically: וַיֵּרַע בְּעֵינֵי י׳ Gn 38:10 (J); 2 S 11:27; Is 59:15; בְּעֵינֵי אֱלֹהִים 1 Ch 21:7. suffer hurt: Impf. 3 ms. יֵרוֹעַ (רַע) Pr 11:15; 13:20. 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 +;— 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. 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. Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 73 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (5 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (2 candidates) ### Trees and pragmatics [Every English meaning of «רָעַע» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1512/7489/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames. ### In the verses [Genesis 19:7](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/torah/GEN.19.7/) וַיֹּאמַ֑ר אַל־נָ֥א אַחַ֖י תָּרֵֽעוּ׃ *Word for word:* and he.said do.not please my.brothers my do.evil *JPS 1917:* And he said: 'I pray you, my brethren, do not so wickedly. [Psalms 26:5](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.26.5/) שָׂ֭נֵאתִי קְהַ֣ל מְרֵעִ֑ים וְעִם־רְ֝שָׁעִ֗ים לֹ֣א אֵשֵֽׁב׃ *Word for word:* I.hate \[the\].assembly of.evil-doers and with wicked.\[people\] not I.sit *JPS 1917:* I hate the gathering of evil doers, and will not sit with the wicked. - ← previous: [רַעֲנָן](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/7488.md) - next →: [רָעַע](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/w/lemma_3a_5e8_5b8_5e2_5b7_5e2.md) - ↑ back to [ר](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/dictionaries/tanakh/1512-3.md)