Original Word: רֹעַ
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: roa`
Pronunciation: roh-ah
Phonetic Spelling: (ro'-ah)
KJV: X be so bad, badness, (X be so) evil, naughtiness, sadness, sorrow, wickedness
NASB: evil, rottenness, wickedness, sad, sadness, ugliness
Word Origin: [from H7489 (רָעַע - To be evil)]

1. badness (as marring), physically or morally

be so bad, badness, be so evil, naughtiness, sadness, sorrow, wickedness

From ra'a'; badness (as marring), physically or morally -- X be so bad, badness, (X be so) evil, naughtiness, sadness, sorrow, wickedness.

see HEBREW ra'a'

Word Origin
of uncertain derivation
Definition
badness, evil
NASB Translation
evil (10), rottenness (4), sad (1), sadness (1), ugliness (1), wickedness (2).

רֹעַ noun [masculine] badness, evil; — ׳ר absolute Genesis 41:19 4t. Jeremiah; construct Hosea 9:15 13t.; —

1 badness, bad quality, of cattle Genesis 41:19 (E), figs Jeremiah 24:2,3,8; Jeremiah 29:17.

2 wilfulness, רֹעַ לבב 1 Samuel 17:28 (Gerber^161makes 2 and 4 [infinitive of] verb).

3 ethical, evil, badness, only in phrase: רֹעַ מעללים evil of doings Deuteronomy 28:20; Isaiah 1:16; Jeremiah 4:4; Jeremiah 21:12; Jeremiah 23:2,22; Jeremiah 25:5; Jeremiah 26:3; Jeremiah 44:22; Hosea 9:15; Psalm 28:4 (compare רַע מעללים 1 Samuel 25:3).

4 sadness, מָּנִים ׳ר Ecclesiastes 7:3, לֵב ׳ר Nehemiah 2:3 (compare [רָעַע] 2).

Overview

The noun רֹעַ (roʿaʿ, Strong’s 7455) appears nineteen times and embraces the full spectrum of evil—from outward ugliness and calamity to inward wickedness of heart. The term’s deployment across narrative, wisdom, and prophetic texts reveals a consistent scriptural testimony: evil distorts God’s good creation, provokes His righteous judgment, and calls for decisive repentance.

Semantic Range and Nuance

• Moral wickedness: wicked deeds, evil plans, corrupt motives
• Calamity or misfortune that springs from sin
• Emotional distress or sorrow as the felt consequence of evil
• Physical unattractiveness, symbolizing moral decay (Genesis 41:19)

While several Hebrew words can be rendered “evil,” רֹעַ often highlights evil’s active expression—“evil deeds,” “evil heart,” “evil fruit.” The Septuagint commonly translates it with kakia (“wickedness”) or ponēria (“malice”), reinforcing the idea of active, ruinous wrongdoing.

Occurrences in the Torah

Genesis 41:19 characterizes Pharaoh’s gaunt cows as “very ugly and gaunt—never have I seen such ugliness in all the land of Egypt”, foreshadowing the coming famine and underscoring how evil conditions ravage the natural order. Deuteronomy 28:20 warns covenant breakers: “The LORD will send on you curses, confusion, and rebuke in everything you do, until you are destroyed and perish quickly, because of the evil of your deeds.” Here רֹעַ anchors the blessings–curses framework; moral evil inexorably draws divine discipline.

Occurrences in Historical Narratives

1 Samuel 17:28 exposes relational fallout: Eliab accuses David, “I know your pride and the evil of your heart.” Wrong judgment springs from a brother’s simmering jealousy, illustrating how רֹעַ can masquerade as spiritual discernment while actually revealing hostility. Nehemiah 2:2 links the word to emotional pain: “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can only be sadness of heart.” Though Nehemiah’s sorrow stems from Jerusalem’s ruin, the same term used for moral evil describes the burden evil lays upon the righteous.

Occurrences in Wisdom Literature

Psalm 28:4 implores, “Repay them according to their deeds and according to the evil of their actions,” affirming that God’s justice perfectly matches the measure of human evil. Ecclesiastes 7:3 paradoxically observes, “Sorrow is better than laughter, for a sad face is good for the heart.” Honest grief over evil—whether personal sin or societal corruption—can redirect one toward wisdom and repentance.

Occurrences in Prophetic Literature

The prophets use רֹעַ more than any other corpus, stressing both Judah’s guilt and God’s call to return.
• Isaiah 1:16: “Wash and cleanse yourselves. Remove your evil deeds from My sight; stop doing evil.”
• Jeremiah repeatedly pairs רֹעַ with שׁוּב (“return”), depicting repentance as a turning from evil to covenant faithfulness (Jeremiah 4:4; 25:5; 26:3).
• Jeremiah 24 contrasts “good figs” and “very bad figs, so bad they cannot be eaten” (24:2–3, 8), showing how entrenched evil renders a people unfit for God’s purposes.
• Hosea 9:15 summarizes northern Israel’s plight: “Because of all their evil in Gilgal, I hated them there.” Persistent רֹעַ incurs covenantal exile yet simultaneously sets the stage for promised restoration.

Theological Themes

1. Covenant Accountability: רֹעַ violates God’s holy standard, activating curse clauses (Deuteronomy 28; Jeremiah 44:22).
2. Heart-Level Diagnosis: Scripture does not restrict evil to external acts; it roots רֹעַ in motives (1 Samuel 17:28), exposing the need for new hearts (Jeremiah 31:33).
3. Divine Justice and Mercy: God confronts רֹעַ (Isaiah 1:16) yet repeatedly invites sinners to turn “from their evil ways and deeds” (Jeremiah 23:22). Judgment and grace flow from the same righteous character.
4. Communal Consequences: National calamity (famine, exile) and personal misery trace back to collective רֹעַ, demonstrating sin’s social contagion.
5. Symbolic Imagery: Ugly cows, bad figs, and sorrowful countenances embody the ugliness and barrenness of evil, teaching through visual parable.

Practical and Ministry Applications

• Preaching and Teaching: Use the breadth of רֹעַ to show sin’s reach—thought, word, deed, and consequence—and to highlight God’s holistic salvation.
• Pastoral Care: Recognize that emotional sorrow may signal righteous grief over evil; guide believers from lament to hope (Nehemiah 2:2; Ecclesiastes 7:3).
• Discipleship: Encourage self-examination in light of passages such as Isaiah 1:16; cultivate habits of repentance that address hidden motives, not merely external behaviors.
• Social Ethics: Confront systemic injustice as an expression of רֹעַ, reminding the church that public righteousness is essential to covenant witness.

Christological and Eschatological Reflections

The prophetic anguish over רֹעַ anticipates the coming Messiah who would deal with evil decisively. The Servant “committed no sin” yet bore the penalty of our sin (Isaiah 53:9, 6). At the cross, Jesus absorbed the full weight of רֹעַ, triumphing over it and inaugurating a new covenant wherein God writes His law upon the heart. The final removal of רֹעַ awaits the consummation when “nothing impure will ever enter” the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:27), fulfilling the prophets’ vision of a cleansed people dwelling securely under their righteous King.

Summary

רֹעַ lays bare the problem of evil in all its forms. From famine-stricken Egypt to the broken city walls of Jerusalem, from hardened royal officials to accusing brothers, Scripture testifies that evil corrupts, grieves, and destroys. Yet every mention of רֹעַ also implicitly summons God’s people to repentance and faith, pointing ahead to the One who overcomes evil with the perfect goodness of God.

בְרֹ֥עַ ברע וּכְרֹ֪עַ וּמֵרֹ֖עַ וּמֵרֹ֣עַ וכרע ומרע לָרֹֽעַ׃ לרע׃ מֵרֹ֑עַ מֵרֹֽעַ׃ מרע מרע׃ רֹ֣עַ רֹ֣עַֽ רֹ֥עַ רע ḇə·rō·a‘ ḇərōa‘ lā·rō·a‘ laRoa lārōa‘ mê·rō·a‘ meRoa mêrōa‘ rō·a‘ Roa rōa‘ ū·ḵə·rō·a‘ ū·mê·rō·a‘ ucheRoa ūḵərōa‘ umeRoa ūmêrōa‘ veRoaInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts