Definition and Nature:
Evil, in the biblical context, refers to that which is morally wrong, sinful, or wicked. It is the antithesis of good and is often associated with rebellion against God. The Bible presents evil as both a personal and systemic force that opposes God's will and purposes.

Origin of Evil:
The origin of evil is traced back to the rebellion of Satan, a created angelic being who sought to exalt himself above God (Isaiah 14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:12-17). This rebellion introduced sin into the created order. In the human realm, evil entered through the disobedience of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, as recorded in Genesis 3. This act of disobedience brought sin and death into the world, affecting all of creation (Romans 5:12).

Manifestations of Evil:
Evil manifests in various forms, including moral evil, which involves human actions that are contrary to God's laws, and natural evil, which includes suffering and calamities that occur in the world. The Bible also speaks of spiritual evil, embodied by demonic forces that seek to deceive and destroy (Ephesians 6:12).

Human Responsibility and Evil:
Humans are responsible for their actions and are accountable to God for their choices. The Bible teaches that "all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23). Despite the pervasive nature of evil, individuals are called to resist it and pursue righteousness (James 4:7; 1 Peter 3:11).

God's Sovereignty and Evil:
While evil exists, the Bible affirms God's sovereignty over all creation. God can use even the actions of evil beings to accomplish His purposes, as seen in the account of Joseph, where his brothers' evil intentions were used by God for good (Genesis 50:20). God's ultimate plan includes the defeat of evil and the restoration of creation.

The Problem of Evil:
The presence of evil in a world created by a good and omnipotent God is a profound theological issue. The Bible acknowledges the mystery of iniquity (2 Thessalonians 2:7) but assures believers of God's justice and the eventual eradication of evil. The book of Job explores the theme of suffering and divine sovereignty, emphasizing trust in God's wisdom.

Redemption from Evil:
The central message of the Bible is God's redemptive plan to rescue humanity from the power of evil. This plan is fulfilled in Jesus Christ, who "gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age" (Galatians 1:4). Through His death and resurrection, Jesus defeated the powers of sin and death, offering salvation to all who believe (Colossians 2:15).

Eschatological Defeat of Evil:
The Bible promises a future where evil will be completely eradicated. In the book of Revelation, the final judgment is depicted, where Satan and all forces of evil are cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10). God will create a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells and there is no more pain or suffering (Revelation 21:1-4).

Practical Implications for Believers:
Believers are called to live in a manner that reflects God's holiness, resisting evil and doing good (Romans 12:21). They are to be vigilant, recognizing the spiritual battle against evil forces (1 Peter 5:8-9). Prayer, the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit are essential resources for overcoming evil and living victoriously in Christ (Ephesians 6:10-18).Evil eye

(Proverbs 23:6), figuratively, the envious or covetous. (Comp. Deuteronomy 15:9; Matthew 20:15.)

1. (a.) Having qualities tending to injury and mischief; having a nature or properties which tend to badness; mischievous; not good; worthless or deleterious; poor; as, an evil beast; and evil plant; an evil crop.

2. (a.) Having or exhibiting bad moral qualities; morally corrupt; wicked; wrong; vicious; as, evil conduct, thoughts, heart, words, and the like.

3. (a.) Producing or threatening sorrow, distress, injury, or calamity; unpropitious; calamitous; as, evil tidings; evil arrows; evil days.

4. (n.) Anything which impairs the happiness of a being or deprives a being of any good; anything which causes suffering of any kind to sentient beings; injury; mischief; harm; -- opposed to good.

5. (n.) Moral badness, or the deviation of a moral being from the principles of virtue imposed by conscience, or by the will of the Supreme Being, or by the principles of a lawful human authority; disposition to do wrong; moral offence; wickedness; depravity.

6. (n.) malady or disease; especially in the phrase king's evil, the scrofula.

7. (adv.) In an evil manner; not well; ill; badly; unhappily; injuriously; unkindly.

EVIL

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" (James 1:13).

See TEMPTATION.

1. Moral Evil:

By this term we refer to wrongs done to our fellowman, where the actor is responsible for the action. The immorality may be present when the action is not possible. "But if that evil servant shall say in his heart" (Matthew 24:48, 49), whether he shall smite his fellow-servants or not, the moral evil is present. See SIN. "All these evil things proceed from within, and defile the man" (Mark 7:21-23). The last six commandments of the Decalogue apply here (Exodus 20:12-17). To dishonor one's parents, to kill, to commit adultery, to steal, to bear false witness and to covet are moral evils. The spiritual import of these commandments will be found in Matthew 5:21, 22, 27, 28. "But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness" (Matthew 6:23). Words and deeds are coined in the heart before the world sees or hears them (Matthew 12:34, 35). The word ought or its equal may be found in all languages; hence, it is in the mind of all people as well as in our laws that for the deeds and words we do and speak, we are responsible. "Break off thy sins by righteousness" (Daniel 4:27) shows that, in God's thought, it was man's duty, and therefore within his power, to keep the commandment. "Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; learn to do well" (Isaiah 1:16 f). We cannot think of God commanding men to do what He knew they had no ability to do! God has a standing offer of pardon to all men who turn from their evil ways and do that which is right (Ezekiel 33:11-14 f). Evil begins in the least objectionable things. In Romans 1:18-23, we have Paul's view of the falling away of the Gentiles. "Knowing God" (verse 21), they were "without excuse" (verse 20), but "glorified him not as God, neither gave thanks; but became vain in their reasonings, and their senseless heart was darkened" (verse 21). "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools" (verse 22). This led the way into idolatry, and that was followed by all the corruption and wrongdoing to be instigated by a heart turned away from all purity, and practiced in all the iniquity to be suggested by lust without control. Paul gives fifteen steps in the ladder on which men descend into darkness and ruin (Galatians 5:19-21). When men become evil in themselves, they necessarily become evil in thought and deed toward others. This they bring upon themselves, or give way to, till God shall give "them up unto a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not fitting" (Romans 1:28). Those thus fallen into habits of error, we should in meekness correct, that "they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him unto his will" (2 Timothy 2:25, 26).

2. Physical Evil:

Usually, in the Old Testament the Hebrew word ra` is employed to denote that which is bad. Many times the bad is physical; it may have been occasioned by the sins for which the people of the nation were responsible, or it may have come, not as a retribution, but from accident or mismanagement or causes unknown. Very many times the evil is a corrective, to cause men to forsake the wrong and accept the right. The flood was sent upon the earth because "all flesh had corrupted their way" (Genesis 6:12). This evil was to serve as a warning to those who were to live after. The ground had already been cursed for the good of Cain (Genesis 4:12). Two purposes seemed to direct the treatment: (1) to leave in the minds of Cain and his descendants the knowledge that sin brings punishment, and (2) to increase the toil that would make them a better people. God overthrew Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboim, cities of the plain, making them "an example unto those that should live ungodly" (2 Peter 2:6). In the Book of Isaiah the prophet, we find a number of "burdens": the burden of Babylon (Isaiah 13:1-22); the burden of Moab (Isaiah 15:1-9); the burden of Damascus (Isaiah 17:1-14); the burden of Egypt (Isaiah 19:1-17); the burden of the Wilderness of the Sea (Isaiah 21:1-10); the burden of Dumah (Isaiah 21:11, 12); the burden upon Arabia (Isaiah 21:13-17); the burden of the Valley of Vision (Isaiah 22:1-25); the burden of Tyre (Isaiah 23:1-18); the burden of the Beasts of the South (Isaiah 30:6-14); the burden of the Weary Beast (Isaiah 46:1, 2). These may serve as an introduction to the story of wrongdoing and physical suffering threatened and executed. Isaiah contains many denunciations against Israel: against the Ten Tribes for following the sin introduced by Jeroboam the son of Nebat; and the threatening against Judah and Benjamin for not heeding the warnings. Jeremiah saw the woes that were sure to come upon Judah; for declaring them, he was shut up in prison, and yet they came, and the people were carried away into Babylon. These were the evils or afflictions brought upon the nations for their persistence in sin. "I form the light, and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil; I am Yahweh, that doeth all these things" (Isaiah 45:7). These chastisements seemed grievous, and yet they yielded peaceable fruit unto them that were exercised thereby (Hebrews 12:11).

David Roberts Dungan

EVIL EYE

(ra` `ayin, "evil of eye"; ophthalmos poneros):

The superstition of the influence of the "evil eye," so widely spread over the earth, has had a mighty influence on life and language in Palestine, though direct references to it are not frequent in the Scriptures (Deuteronomy 15:9; Deuteronomy 28:54, 56 Proverbs 23:6; Proverbs 28:22 Matthew 20:15 (compare Matthew 6:23 Luke 11:34); Mark 7:22). In the Bible the expression is synonymous with envy, jealousy and some forms of covetousness. In comparing Romans 1:29 with Mark 7:22 we find that ophthalmos poneros corresponds to phthonos. See Trench, New Testament Synonyms, under the word The eye of the envious (as also the tongue of the invidious by an apparently appreciative word, which, however, only disguises the strong desire of possessing the object of comment or of destroying it for its rightful owner) was supposed to have a baneful influence upon the wellbeing of others, especially of children. Therefore mothers bestowed constant care against the frustration of such fancied designs by means of innumerable sorts of charms. They often allowed their darlings to appear as unlovely as possible, through uncleanliness or rags, so as to spare them the harmful rising of envy in the hearts of others.

Lane, Manners and Customs of the Modern Egyptians, gives perhaps the most accessible account of this superstition as held at the present day in Egypt, and Thomson, The Land and the Book, does the same for Palestine, while an equal amount of evidence might be collected from every other oriental country. Instances of the same superstition, though possibly slightly disguised, are by no means wanting among ourselves. Compare the expression, "green-eyed jealousy" (Othello, III, iii; Merchant of Venice, III, ii), etc.

For certain Biblical phrases referring to the "evil eye" see ENVY; EYE.

LITERATURE.

F. T. Elworthy, The Evil Eye, London, 1895.

H. L. E. Luering

EVIL ONE

(ho poneros):

Nearly all peoples who have expressed their religious thought and feeling believe in a spirit that presides over the destinies of men for their good. They believe that there is also a spirit, a person, whose work it is to lead men into temptation: a spirit of light and a spirit of darkness. Feelings and preferences may have much to do with the conclusions. In Matthew 5:37, 39, 45; Matthew 6:13, the King James Version gives "evil," the Revised Version (British and American) "the evil one," margin, "evil," the personal form referring to the enemy of the race known by various terms: Satan, "the adversary" or "the accuser," occurs 50 times; Beelzebub is found 7 times; devil, 35 times; it means "accuser," "calumniator."

See SATAN.

David Roberts Duncan

EVIL SPIRIT

See DEMON; DEMONIAC; COMMUNION WITH DEMONS; SATAN.

EVIL THING

(to kakon, plural in Luke 16:25):

An evil thing or evil things may be the thoughts of evil men, their plans or their deeds; or the things men suffer for their own wrongs; or the evils consequent upon the errors of others. In the dark picture of fallen men in Romans 1:30, "inventors of evil things" appear. "The evil man out of his evil treasure bringeth forth evil (poneros) things" (Matthew 12:35). Men should not lust after evil (kakos) things (1 Corinthians 10:6). This fixing the mind upon, with desire, leads to increased wrong. "The mouth of the wicked poureth out evil (ra') things" (Proverbs 15:28). The rich man had good things in his life, but did not use them to the glory of God or the good of men. The poor man had evil things: sickness, nakedness, hunger. The scene changes after death (Luke 16:25).

David Roberts Dungan

SPEAKING, EVIL

spe'-king.

See EVIL-SPEAKING; SLANDER.

SPIRIT, EVIL

See SATAN; DEMON, DEMONIAC.

SPIRIT, UNCLEAN (OR EVIL)

See DEMON, DEMONIAC.

2556. kakos -- bad, evil
... bad, evil. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: kakos Phonetic Spelling:
(kak-os') Short Definition: bad, evil Definition: bad, evil, in the widest sense. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2556.htm - 7k

2554. kakopoieo -- to do evil
... to do evil. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: kakopoieo Phonetic Spelling:
(kak-op-oy-eh'-o) Short Definition: I do harm, do wrong Definition: I do harm, do ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2554.htm - 7k

420. anexikakos -- enduring evil
... enduring evil. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: anexikakos Phonetic Spelling:
(an-ex-ik'-ak-os) Short Definition: enduring evil, patient of evil ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/420.htm - 7k

2636. katalalia -- evil-speaking
... evil-speaking. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration: katalalia Phonetic
Spelling: (kat-al-al-ee'-ah) Short Definition: evil-speaking, backbiting ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2636.htm - 6k

2635. katalaleo -- to speak evil of
... to speak evil of. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: katalaleo Phonetic Spelling:
(kat-al-al-eh'-o) Short Definition: I speak evil of Definition: I speak ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2635.htm - 7k

1426. dusphemia -- to use evil words, to speak ill of
... to use evil words, to speak ill of. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine Transliteration:
dusphemia Phonetic Spelling: (doos-fay-mee'-ah) Short Definition: evil report ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1426.htm - 6k

2553. kakopatheo -- to suffer evil
... to suffer evil. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: kakopatheo Phonetic Spelling:
(kak-op-ath-eh'-o) Short Definition: I suffer evil, endure affliction ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2553.htm - 7k

1140. daimonion -- an evil spirit, a demon
... an evil spirit, a demon. Part of Speech: Noun, Neuter Transliteration: daimonion
Phonetic Spelling: (dahee-mon'-ee-on) Short Definition: an evil-spirit, demon ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1140.htm - 7k

1426b. dusphemia -- evil speaking, defamation
... 1426a, 1426b. dusphemia. 1427 . evil speaking, defamation. Transliteration:
dusphemia Short Definition: slander. Word Origin from ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1426b.htm - 5k

1426a. dusphemeo -- to use evil words, to speak ill of
... 1426, 1426a. dusphemeo. 1426b . to use evil words, to speak ill of.
Transliteration: dusphemeo Short Definition: slandered. Word ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1426a.htm - 5k

7451a. ra -- bad, evil
... 7451, 7451a. ra. 7451b . bad, evil. Transliteration: ra Short Definition:
evil. Word Origin from the same as roa Definition bad, evil ...
/hebrew/7451a.htm - 6k

192. Evil Merodak -- "man of Merodach," son and successor of ...
Evil Merodak. 191, 192. Evil Merodak. 193 . "man of Merodach," son and
successor of Nebuchadnezzar. Transliteration: Evil Merodak ...
/hebrew/192.htm - 6k

7489a. raa -- to be evil, bad
... 7489, 7489a. raa. 7489b . to be evil, bad. Transliteration: raa Short
Definition: evildoers. Word Origin denominative verb from ...
/hebrew/7489a.htm - 6k

7455. roa -- badness, evil
... 7454, 7455. roa. 7456 . badness, evil. Transliteration: roa Phonetic Spelling:
(ro'-ah) Short Definition: evil. Word Origin of uncertain ...
/hebrew/7455.htm - 6k

1681. dibbah -- whispering, defamation, evil report
... whispering, defamation, evil report. Transliteration: dibbah Phonetic Spelling:
(dib-baw') Short Definition: report. ... defaming, evil report, infamy, slander. ...
/hebrew/1681.htm - 6k

7463a. raah -- evil, misery, distress, injury
... 7463, 7463a. raah. 7463b . evil, misery, distress, injury. Transliteration:
raah Short Definition: evil. Word Origin from the same ...
/hebrew/7463a.htm - 6k

191. evil -- foolish
... 190, 191. evil. 192 . foolish. Transliteration: evil Phonetic Spelling:
(ev-eel') Short Definition: fool. ... 190, 191. evil. 192 . Strong's Numbers.
/hebrew/191.htm - 5k

7451b. ra -- evil, distress, misery, injury, calamity
... 7451a, 7451b. ra. 7452 . evil, distress, misery, injury, calamity.
Transliteration: ra Short Definition: evil. Word Origin from ...
/hebrew/7451b.htm - 5k

7451. ra' -- bad, evil
... ra'. 7451a . bad, evil. Transliteration: ra' Phonetic Spelling: (rah) Short
Definition: adversity. adversity, affliction, bad, calamity, displeasure, distress ...
/hebrew/7451.htm - 6k

7489. ra'a' -- to be evil, bad
ra'a'. 7488, 7489. ra'a'. 7489a . to be evil, bad. Transliteration: ra'a'
Phonetic Spelling: (raw-ah') Short Definition: afflict. afflict ...
/hebrew/7489.htm - 6k

Whether the Will is Evil when it is at Variance with Erring Reason ...
... OF THE GOODNESS AND MALICE OF THE INTERIOR ACT OF THE WILL (TEN ARTICLES) Whether
the will is evil when it is at variance with erring reason? ...
//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether the will is evil.htm

What Evil Is. That Evil is that which is against Nature. In ...
... On the Morals of the Manich??ans. Chapter 2. "What Evil is. That Evil is
that Which is Against Nature. ... You ask me, Whence is evil? ...
/.../chapter 2 name evil is.htm

'Deliver us from Evil'
... ST. MATTHEW Chaps. I to VIII 'DELIVER US FROM EVIL'. 'But deliver us from
evil.'"Matthew 6:13. The two halves of this prayer are ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture a/deliver us from evil.htm

Evil Thoughts.
... LVI. EVIL THOUGHTS. 19th Sunday after Trinity. S. Matthew 9:4. "Wherefore think
ye evil in your hearts?". INTRODUCTION."Thoughts are only thoughts! ...
/.../the village pulpit volume ii trinity to advent/lvi evil thoughts.htm

Whether Evil is a Nature?
... TREATISE ON THE DISTINCTION OF GOOD AND EVIL (QQ -49)THE DISTINCTION OF THINGS
IN PARTICULAR (SIX ARTICLES) Whether evil is a nature? ...
//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether evil is a nature.htm

The Problem of Evil
... DIONYSIUS THE AREOPAGITE IV."THE PROBLEM OF EVIL. At wearisome length Dionysius
discusses the problem of evil and shows that nothing is inherently bad. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/rolt/dionysius the areopagite/iv the problem of evil.htm

Whether all Sorrow is Evil?
... OF THE GOODNESS AND MALICE OF SORROW OR PAIN (FOUR ARTICLES) Whether all sorrow
is evil? Objection 1: It would seem that all sorrow is evil. ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether all sorrow is evil.htm

Whether Evil is in Good as in Its Subject?
... TREATISE ON THE DISTINCTION OF GOOD AND EVIL (QQ -49)THE DISTINCTION OF THINGS IN
PARTICULAR (SIX ARTICLES) Whether evil is in good as in its subject? ...
//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether evil is in good.htm

Whether to Decline from Evil and to do Good are Parts of Justice?
... OF THE QUASI-INTEGRAL PARTS OF JUSTICE (FOUR ARTICLES) Whether to decline
from evil and to do good are parts of justice? Objection ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether to decline from evil.htm

Whether Evil of Nature is an Object of Fear?
... OF THE OBJECT OF FEAR (SIX ARTICLES) Whether evil of nature is an object of fear?
Objection 1: It would seem that evil of nature is not an object of fear. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether evil of nature is.htm

Evil (1503 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary Evil eye. (Proverbs 23:6), figuratively, the envious or
covetous. (Comp. Deuteronomy 15:9; Matthew 20:15.). Noah Webster's Dictionary. ...
/e/evil.htm - 47k

Evil-speaking (5 Occurrences)
Evil-speaking. Evilspeaking, Evil-speaking. Evil-speakings . Easton's Bible
Dictionary ... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. EVIL-SPEAKING. ...
/e/evil-speaking.htm - 10k

Evil-doings (5 Occurrences)
Evil-doings. Evil-doing, Evil-doings. Evil-entreated . Multi-Version
Concordance Evil-doings (5 Occurrences). Hebrews 10:17 And ...
/e/evil-doings.htm - 7k

Evil-merodach (2 Occurrences)
Evil-merodach. Evilmerodach, Evil-merodach. E'vil-Mer'odach . Easton's Bible
Dictionary ... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. EVIL-MERODACH. ...
/e/evil-merodach.htm - 9k

Evil-speakings (3 Occurrences)
Evil-speakings. Evil-speaking, Evil-speakings. Evil-spoken . Multi-Version
Concordance Evil-speakings (3 Occurrences). 1 Timothy ...
/e/evil-speakings.htm - 7k

Evil-minded (1 Occurrence)
Evil-minded. Evil-mero'dach, Evil-minded. Evils . ... (a.) Having evil dispositions
or intentions; disposed to mischief or sin; malicious; malignant; wicked. ...
/e/evil-minded.htm - 6k

Evil-speakers (2 Occurrences)
Evil-speakers. Evil-smelling, Evil-speakers. Evilspeaking .
Multi-Version Concordance Evil-speakers (2 Occurrences). ...
/e/evil-speakers.htm - 7k

Evil-smelling (2 Occurrences)
Evil-smelling. Evils, Evil-smelling. Evil-speakers . Multi-Version
Concordance Evil-smelling (2 Occurrences). Job 31 ...
/e/evil-smelling.htm - 6k

Evil-surmisings (1 Occurrence)
Evil-surmisings. Evil-spoken, Evil-surmisings. Evil-treated . Multi-Version
Concordance Evil-surmisings (1 Occurrence). 1 Timothy ...
/e/evil-surmisings.htm - 6k

Evil-workers (1 Occurrence)
Evil-workers. Evil-treated, Evil-workers. Evolution . Multi-Version
Concordance Evil-workers (1 Occurrence). Philippians ...
/e/evil-workers.htm - 6k

What does the Bible say about good versus evil? | GotQuestions.org

What is the definition of evil? | GotQuestions.org

Why does God allow evil? | GotQuestions.org

Evil: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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