Evil: Ra, adjective/masculine noun/feminine noun (Strong’s 7451)
Root: רַע
Sounds like: raw
In the Garden of Eden there was a tree and its fruit held the knowledge of what evil would look like if it was unleashed on this world:
Genesis 2:9
Out of the ground YHWH God caused every tree to grow that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil [wa-ra וָרָֽע].
This is the first mention of evil. It is connected to a tree. That, in itself, is an interesting statement considering Yeshua was crucified on a tree. However, today we’re going to simply look at how evil fits into the story of humanity, what evil looks like, and how we should react to it.
Evil in the Biblical Metanarrative
We can say something flippantly like, as long as there has been good, there has been evil, but that’s not entirely true. There was a time when God created the Universe and it was all good. The only thing that existed in the Garden was YHWH’s knowledge of evil’s potential. This is why YHWH asks Adam and Eve to refrain from eating from this tree.
But when Eve and Adam disobeyed and consumed what was not meant for them, they poisoned themselves and the doorway for evil crept open. As a result, the two humans had to leave the garden and head out into the wilderness. There, evil took root and the descendants bore the image of evil instead of the image of God. They, generation after generation, continued to poison the human population and, eventually, evil became so prominent that YHWH grieved their existence:
Genesis 6:5-6
Then YHWH saw that the wickedness of mankind was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil [ra רַ֖ע] continually. So YHWH was sorry that He had made mankind on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.
To deal with the problem, YHWH sent a flood to wash away the evil that had planted itself in the wilderness. Noah’s great ark preserved parts of creation for the purpose of a re-start, and YHWH, a constant proponent of life and love, promised to never again extinguish every living thing, even though evil still existed:
Genesis 8:21b
[YHWH:] “I will never again curse the ground on account of man, for the intent of man’s heart is evil [ra רַ֖ע] from his youth; and I will never again destroy every living thing, as I have done.”
Evil was inevitable in this fallen world, so YHWH made a claim: I will work around it. I will find a way to rescue and redeem the people from the death-march that comes with aligning with evil. Those who follow Me will not be held responsible.
YHWH would provide a Redeemer, His Anointed One, who would rescue and save His people from evil and death that clings to it. This is why Jacob began his blessing to the sons of Joseph with these words:
Genesis 48:15-16a
“The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, the angel who has redeemed me from all evil [ra רָ֗ע]…”
This angel who redeemed Jacob was intrinsically connected to YHWH. This “Angel of YHWH” (“angel of the LORD”) showed up all over the Tanakh. We find this angel (messenger) comforting Hagar in the wilderness (Genesis 16 & 21); we find this angel stopping Abraham from sacrificing Isaac (Genesis 22); we find this angel in the burning bush speaking to Moses (Exodus 3); we find this angel confronting Balaam (Numbers 22), commissioning Gideon to do the will of God (Judges 6), and strengthening Elijah (1 Kings 19). Who was the redeeming messenger of YHWH? It was God’s Anointed One, the Messiah, the defeater of evil and death, and the redeemer and forgiver who would open the doors to eternal life for all who sought the path of YHWH:
Colossians 1:13-14
[Paul:] For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
This is the beautiful redemptive story of the Bible. Evil is a very real, tangible thing, and it is chained to death, but YHWH would provide an all-loving, all-good Redeemer who would break the chains, forgive us, redeem us, and set us free from the grave.
That’s the good news story, and it gives us hope, but it doesn’t stop the fact that we must live in this world and this world is tarnished with a heavy dose of evil. It’s irresponsible to pretend that evil doesn’t impact us, and so it’s worth studying what the Bible can tell us about evil.
The Character of Evil (what does evil look like?)
The Bible gives us quite a few examples of what evil looks like. According to Micah, evil looks like bloodshed and bribery:
Micah 7:2b-3
All of them lie in wait for bloodshed; each of them hunts the other with a net.
As for the evil [ha-ra הָרַ֤ע], both hands do it well. The leader asks for a bribe, also the judge, and the great one speaks the capricious desire of his soul; so they plot it together.
David described those who embody evil as wicked tongues devouring others with destruction and lies:
Psalm 52:1-5
[David:] Why do you boast in evil [b-ra’ah בְּ֭רָעָה], you mighty man? The faithfulness of God endures all day long.
Your tongue devises destruction, like a sharp razor, you worker of deceit. You love evil [ra רָּ֣ע] more than good, lies more than speaking what is right. Selah
You love all words that devour, you deceitful tongue. But God will break you down forever; He will snatch you up and tear you away from your tent, and uproot you from the land of the living. Selah
One of the Psalms, attributed to the Sons of Korah, strongly associated evil with injustice and the greedy accumulation of wealth and notoriety:
Psalm 49:5-6, 10b-20
[Sons of Korah:] Why should I fear in days of evil [ra רָ֑ע], when the injustice of those who betray me surrounds me, those who trust in their wealth and boast in the abundance of their riches?
…the foolish and the stupid alike perish and leave their wealth to others. Their inner thought is that their houses are forever and their dwelling places to all generations; they have named their lands after their own names.
But man in his splendour will not endure; he is like the animals that perish. This is the way of those who are foolish, and of those after them who approve their words. Selah
Like sheep they sink down to Sheol; death will be their shepherd; and the upright will rule over them in the morning, and their form shall be for Sheol to consume so that they have no lofty home.
But God will redeem my soul from the power of Sheol, for He will receive me. Selah
Do not be afraid when a person becomes rich, when the splendour of his house is increased; for when he dies, he will take nothing with him; his wealth will not descend after him. Though while he lives he congratulates himself— and though people praise you when you do well for yourself— he will go to the generation of his fathers; they will never see the light.
Mankind in its splendour, yet without understanding, is like the animals that perish.
This is why Yeshua said, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” (Mark 10:25, Matt 19:24, Luke 18:25). The accumulation of wealth on the backs of others, admiring money over compassion, boasting in their abundance while others suffer in poverty… this is evil behaviour. When people trample on the less fortunate (the poor, the orphan, the widow, the foreigner) in order to raise themselves up, they are living out the definition of evil:
Jeremiah 5:26-28
“For wicked people are found among My people, they watch like fowlers lying in wait; they set a trap, they catch people.
Like a cage full of birds, so their houses are full of deceit; therefore they have become great and rich. They are fat, they are sleek, they also excel in deeds of evil [ra רָ֔ע]; they do not plead the cause, the cause of the orphan, so that they may be successful; and they do not defend the rights of the poor.”
Isaiah outlined evil people as those who try to flip the script and make themselves the centre of their own story while allowing others to suffer:
Isaiah 5:20-23
Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil [la-ra tov w-la-tov ra לָרַ֛ע טֹ֖וב וְלַטֹּ֣וב רָ֑ע]; who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!
Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes and clever in their own sight! Woe to those who are heroes in drinking wine, and valiant men in mixing intoxicating drink, who declare the wicked innocent for a bribe, and take away the rights of the ones who are in the right!
The wicked are fueled by their desires to be powerful, prestigious, and rich, and in their evil-induced actions they always place themselves above others and are not hesitant to use the suffering of others to elevate themselves.
Finally, outside of all these social actions of evil, one of the major trademarks of evil was the conscious choice to abandon YHWH:
Jeremiah 2:19-20a
“Your own wickedness will correct you, and your apostasies will punish you; know therefore and see that it is evil [ra רַ֣ע] and bitter for you to abandon YHWH your God, and the fear of Me is not in you,” declares the Lord YHWH of armies. “For long ago I broke your yoke and tore off your restraints; but you said, ‘I will not serve!’”
YHWH set us free, but following YHWH means turning away from evil… and that means submitting and letting go of things that keep us in chains… the constant pursuit of wealth and power and notoriety. We are to serve God by reflecting His vision of goodness… helping those in need, raising others above ourselves, and showing love and compassion to all things at all costs.
Injustice and the top-heavy distribution of wealth is a bi-product of evil, but God always provides a way to turn around and make things right:
Amos 5:12-15
For I know your offenses are many and your sins are great, you who are hostile to the righteous and accept bribes, and turn away the poor from justice at the gate. Therefore at such a time the prudent person keeps quiet, because it is an evil [ra’ah רָעָ֖ה] time.
Seek good and not evil [w-al ra וְאַל־רָ֖ע], so that you may live; and so may YHWH God of armies be with you, just as you have said!
Hate evil [sin’u ra שִׂנְאוּ־רָע֙], love good, and establish justice in the gate! Perhaps YHWH God of armies will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph.
God has given us a choice. We can choose evil and death, or we can choose life, filled with God’s goodness:
Deuteronomy 30:15-19
[YHWH:] “See, I have placed before you today life and happiness, and death and evil [ w-et ha-ra וְאֶת־הָרָֽע] in that I am commanding you today to love YHWH your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, so that you may live and become numerous, and that YHWH your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to take possession of it. But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but allow yourself to be led astray and you worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you will certainly perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Jordan to enter and take possession of it. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have placed before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving YHWH your God, by obeying His voice, and by holding close to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, so that you may live in the land which YHWH swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”
Sadly, over and over, the people did not choose life. Instead they turned away from God and walked into the death-trap of evil:
Jeremiah 7:23-24, 30-32
But this is what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you shall walk entirely in the way which I command you, so that it may go well for you.’ Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked by their own advice and in the stubbornness of their evil [ha-ra הָרָ֑ע] hearts, and they went backward and not forward….
…For the sons of Judah have done that which is evil [ha-ra הָרַ֛ע] in My sight,” declares YHWH. “They have put their detestable things in the house which is called by My name, to defile it. They have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the Valley of Ben-hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command, and it did not come into My mind. Therefore, behold, days are coming,” declares YHWH, “when it will no longer be called Topheth, or the Valley of Ben-hinnom, but the Valley of the Slaughter; for they will bury in Topheth because there is no other place.”
These people turned so far away from God’s goodness and life that they sacrificed their own children to death and destruction. It was the ultimate expression of evil: burning flesh and blood to appease the entity of evil.What would be done about this great defilement? Many Biblical characters questioned why God would allow such abominations. David, for one, called on YHWH to end the reign of evil:
Psalm 7:6-10
[David:] Arise, YHWH, in Your anger; raise Yourself against the rage of my enemies, and stir Yourself for me; You have ordered judgment. Let the assembly of the peoples encompass You, and return on high over it.
YHWH judges the peoples; vindicate me, YHWH, according to my righteousness and my integrity that is in me. Please let the evil [ra רַ֨ע] of the wicked come to an end, but establish the righteous; for the righteous God puts hearts and minds to the test.
My shield is with God, who saves the upright in heart.
Psalm 140:1-5
[David:] Rescue me, YHWH, from evil people [ra רָ֑ע]; protect me from violent men who devise evil things [ra’oht רָע֣וֹת] in their hearts; they continually stir up wars. They sharpen their tongues like a snake; the venom of a viper is under their lips. Selah
Keep me, YHWH, from the hands of the wicked; protect me from violent men who intend to trip up my feet. The proud have hidden a trap for me, and snares; they have spread a net at the wayside; they have set snares for me. Selah
It’s hard to see the success of evil all around us. It’s frustrating to watch the wealthy and abusive being elevated to great heights on the aching backs of the suffering.
Those who are at the pit of despair have first-handedly experienced the effects of evil on their lives. Job was one of those people:
Job 30:26-28
“When I expected good, evil [ra רָ֑ע] came; when I waited for light, darkness came. I am seething within and cannot rest; days of misery confront me.
I go about mourning without comfort; I stand up in the assembly and cry out for help.”
YHWH, Protector from Evil
Although we are surrounded by the evil actions of others, we are not alone. YHWH is our defense against the darkness:
Psalm 121:5-8
YHWH is your protector; YHWH is your shade on your right hand. The sun will not beat down on you by day, nor the moon by night.
YHWH will protect you from all evil [ra רָ֑ע]; He will keep your soul. YHWH will guard your going out and your coming in from this time and forever.
Proverbs 2:11-15
Discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you, to rescue you from the way of evil [ra רָ֑ע], from a person who speaks perverse things; from those who leave the paths of uprightness to walk in the ways of darkness; who delight in doing evil [ra רָ֑ע] and rejoice in the perversity of evil [ra רָֽע]; whose paths are crooked, and who are devious in their ways.
YHWH finds those who are victims of evil and saves them:
Psalm 34:18-22
[David:] YHWH is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. The afflictions of the righteous are many, but YHWH rescues him from them all. He protects all his bones, not one of them is broken.
Evil [ra’ah רָעָ֑ה] will bring death to the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will suffer for their guilt. YHWH redeems the souls of His servants and none of those who take refuge in Him will suffer for their guilt.
Those who turn to YHWH, regardless of their past deeds, will be forgiven and freed from the chains of evil:
Zephaniah 3:15
YHWH has taken away His judgments against you, He has cleared away your enemies. The King of Israel, YHWH, is in your midst; you will no longer fear evil [ra רָ֖ע].
Evil surrounds us, but we have nothing to fear:
Psalm 23:4-6
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil [ra רָ֗ע], for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You have anointed my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Certainly goodness and faithfulness will follow me all the days of my life, and my dwelling will be in the house of YHWH forever.
Everyone who follows evil will suffer in their own guilt, but those who follow YHWH will be exonerated. They have been forgiven and redeemed. However, those who hold steadfast to evil will turn on themselves and fall to destruction:
Proverbs 28:10
One who leads the upright astray in an evil [ra רָ֗ע] way will himself fall into his own pit, but the blameless will inherit good.
Psalm 55:15-16
May death come deceitfully upon them; may they go down alive to Sheol, for evil [ra’oht רָע֖וֹת] is in their dwelling, in their midst. As for me, I shall call upon God, and YHWH will save me.
Dealing with Evil
So, how should we simple humans deal with evil? First and foremost, we should be in absolute opposition to it. We should stand against evil, in all of its forms. When it tries to diminish and bully and overshadow the rights of others, we should stand in opposition. If there’s one thing we should hate, it is evilness:
Psalm 97:10
Hate evil [sin’u ra שִׂנְא֫וּ רָ֥ע], you who love YHWH, who watches over the souls of His godly ones; He saves them from the hand of the wicked.
We need to hold ourselves accountable in our actions. We need to walk away from anything that ties us to evil actions:
Psalm 119:101
I have restrained my feet from every evil [ra רָ֭ע] way, so that I may keep Your word.
We need to actively pray for protection against the evil actions that try to bind us up. Yeshua gave us the beautiful example of prayer that included asking for deliverance:
Matthew 6:13
[Yeshua:] “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the Evil One [Greek: to ponerou].”
Finally, it is not for us to repay evil. We are to march forward in God’s goodness. We must stand in opposition to evil, but it is YHWH who will judge and elicit true justice:
Proverbs 20:22
Do not say, “I will repay evil [ra רָ֑ע]”; wait for YHWH, and He will save you.
Our best action against promoters of evil is to overwhelm them with mercy and love:
Romans 12:14-21
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation.
Never repay evil for evil [Greek: kakon anti kakou] to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all people. If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all people. Never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written: “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. “But if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing so you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by (the) evil, but overcome (the) evil with (the) good.
This is radical justice. By bearing God’s image of love and compassion to the wicked we are disarming the enemy. It’s our only move. God will take care of the rest.
YHWH’s Character and the presence of Evil
YHWH saves! Through His Son, He redeems! His character is, and always has been, the ultimate expression of GOOD… He is light, He is love, He is compassion, forgiveness, and understanding.
Exodus 34:6b-7a
“YHWH, YHWH God, compassionate and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in faithfulness and truth; who keeps faithfulness for thousands, who forgives wrongdoing, violation of His Law, and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished…”
YHWH is so good that no evil can exist in His Presence:
Psalm 5:4
[David:] For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; no evil [ra רָֽע] can dwell with You.
No evil can dwell with YHWH. One would think that would eliminate our chances of ever coming face to face with our Creator. We are not perfect and the Evil One is always doing its best to draw us to the darkness, but ALL who place their allegiance with YHWH will one day find themselves in His Presence. That is the beauty of Yeshua’s sacrifice on the tree of crucifixion. He paid our entrance fee so that we can freely enter God’s Garden Kingdom where evil and death will no longer exist and where we can, by the grace of God, celebrate life forever in His Presence.
Next week: Learning Psalm 121:7
Hebrew Word Lessons 