רַע ra

Hebrew word for “bad” · Strong’s H7451 · used 661 times in 620 verses

Explore it in the Word Atlas

Meaning

: evil; adj; 1) bad, evil;

Senses in the lexicon

• bad: evil (179)
• distress: harm (157)
• distress: evil (147)
• bad: evil (112)
• bad: harmful (66)

How it is translated

Glosses given for ra in context, with how often each is used:

• evil 346
• calamity 80
• harm 65
• bad 32
• trouble 22
• wickedness 20
• distress 11
• wicked 10
• displeasing 9
• wicked deeds 8
• calamities 7
• wild 7

Where it is used

Also in 24 more books.

Chapters where it is used most

Jeremiah 44 (10), 2 Kings 21 (7), Jeremiah 11 (7), Genesis 41 (6), 1 Samuel 25 (6), Ecclesiastes 8 (6), Jeremiah 2 (6), Jeremiah 23 (6), Deuteronomy 17 (5), Deuteronomy 22 (5)

Forms

• רעה 127
• רע 121
• הרע 94
• הרעה 89
• רעים 18
• רעות 18
• לרעה 16
• רעתם 15
• מרע 14
• ברעה 14

Words used with it

Words that share verses with ra more often than their overall frequency would suggest:

• טוֹב tov “pleasant” 84
• עַיִן ayin “eye” 92
• שָׁמַע shama “to hear” 61
• דָבַר davar “to speak” 57
• זֹאת zot “this” 46
• לֵב lev “heart” 45
• רָאָה raah “to see” 56
• זֶה zeh “this” 48
• דֶּרֶךְ derekh “way” 40
• דָּבָר davar “word” 50
• הֶם hem “them” 45
• אָב av “father” 45

Key verses

The verses using ra that are most connected by cross-references (King James Version):

• Genesis 8:21 — And the LORD smelled a sweet savour; and the LORD said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake; for the imagination of man’s…
• Genesis 48:16 — The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow…
• 1 Kings 22:8 — And the king of Israel said unto Jehoshaphat, There is yet one man, Micaiah the son of Imlah, by whom we may enquire of the LORD: but I hate him; for he doth…
• Proverbs 14:32 — The wicked is driven away in his wickedness: but the righteous hath hope in his death.
• Isaiah 33:15 — He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth…
• Jeremiah 2:13 — For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no…
• Jeremiah 4:14 — O Jerusalem, wash thine heart from wickedness, that thou mayest be saved. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?
• Jeremiah 9:3 — And they bend their tongues like their bow for lies: but they are not valiant for the truth upon the earth; for they proceed from evil to evil, and they know…
• Ezekiel 33:11 — Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye…
• Micah 2:1 — Woe to them that devise iniquity, and work evil upon their beds! when the morning is light, they practise it, because it is in the power of their hand.
• Micah 3:11 — The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD, and…
• Zechariah 1:4 — Be ye not as your fathers, unto whom the former prophets have cried, saying, Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Turn ye now from your evil ways, and from your evil…

See all 620 verses in the Word Atlas

Hebrew and Greek text, tagging, glosses and lexicon definitions: STEPBible.org, Tyndale House Cambridge (TAHOT, TAGNT, TBESH, TBESG; CC BY 4.0), adapted. Counts follow King James verse numbering; a word counts each time it is written.