Lexical Summary rishah: Wickedness, evil, guilt Original Word: רִשְׁעָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance fault, wickedness Feminine of resha'; wrong (especially moral) -- fault, wickedly(-ness). see HEBREW resha' NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom the same as rasha Definition wickedness NASB Translation evildoer* (1), guilt (1), wickedly (1), wickedness (11). Brown-Driver-Briggs רִשְׁעָה noun feminine wickedness; — absolute ׳ר Isaiah 9:17 +; construct רִשְׁעַת Deuteronomy 9:4 +; suffix רִשְׁעָתוֺ Deuteronomy 25:2 +; — 1 wickedness in civil relations, Deuteronomy 25:2; Proverbs 13:3; Isaiah 9:17; בְּרִשׁעָתוֺ יפל רָשָׁע Proverbs 11:5. 2 wickedness of enemies, ׳גְּבוּל ר Malachi 1:4 (Edom); ׳זאת הר Zechariah 5:8 (personification); לְרִשְׁעָה Ezekiel 5:6 (strike out Co); רִשְׁעַת הגרים Deuteronomy 9:4,5. 3 wickedness, ethical and religious, ׳עשׁה ר Malachi 3:15; Malachi 3:19, שׁוּב מֵרִשׁעָתוֺ Ezekiel 18:27; Ezekiel 33:19; רִשְׁעַת (הָ)רָשָׁע Ezekiel 18:20; Ezekiel 33:12. Topical Lexicon Essential Ideaרִשְׁעָה depicts entrenched wickedness—acts and attitudes that violate God’s moral order and provoke His righteous judgment. It emphasizes not merely isolated sins but a settled posture of rebellion that corrupts individuals, societies, and covenant communities. Occurrences and Contextual Nuances 1. Covenant Land Ethics (Deuteronomy 9:4–5; 25:2) When Israel stood on the brink of Canaan, Moses warned them, “It is on account of the wickedness of these nations that the LORD is driving them out before you” (Deuteronomy 9:4). רִשְׁעָה explains why God ejects nations: persistent moral depravity. In judicial settings (Deuteronomy 25:2) it identifies conduct deserving measured punishment, illustrating that holy justice is to be proportionate yet unflinching. 2. Wisdom Literature (Proverbs 11:5; 13:6) Proverbs contrasts wickedness with righteousness, showing its self-destructive nature: “The righteousness of the blameless directs their path, but the wicked fall by their own wickedness” (Proverbs 11:5). Here רִשְׁעָה is both cause and consequence; it trips its possessor, underscoring moral cause-and-effect woven into creation. 3. Prophetic Indictments (Isaiah 9:18; Ezekiel 5:6; 18; 33) Isaiah likens wickedness to fire that consumes briars (Isaiah 9:18), portraying רִשְׁעָה as a raging, contagious blaze. Ezekiel applies the term to covenant treachery: Jerusalem “has rebelled against My ordinances with greater wickedness than the nations” (Ezekiel 5:6). Yet Ezekiel also affirms individual responsibility: “The soul who sins is the one who will die” (Ezekiel 18:20), while repentance turns judgment into life (Ezekiel 18:27; 33:19). 4. Apocalyptic Imagery (Zechariah 5:8; Malachi 1:4; 3:15; 4:1) Zechariah envisions wickedness personified, sealed in a measuring basket and carried away, signaling ultimate removal from the land (Zechariah 5:8). Malachi confronts post-exilic complacency: the arrogant declare, “Evildoers prosper” (Malachi 3:15), but the Day of the LORD will burn up “all the arrogant and every evildoer” (Malachi 4:1). רִשְׁעָה is intolerable in God’s eschatological economy. Theological Bearings • Divine Holiness: רִשְׁעָה provokes covenant curses because the LORD’s character cannot coexist with moral pollution. Consequences of רִשְׁעָה 1. Expulsion (Deuteronomy 9:4–5) Redemptive Hope Ezekiel’s appeals show that wickedness need not be final: “When a wicked man turns from his wickedness and does what is just and right, he will live because of this” (Ezekiel 33:19). The New Testament echoes this principle, climaxing in Christ who “became sin for us” so that believers “might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Practical Ministry Applications • Preaching: Expose the deceptive prosperity of wickedness and proclaim the urgency of repentance. Intertextual Echoes Old Testament usage prepares for New Testament revelations of the cross and final judgment. Romans 1:18–32 parallels the prophetic theme: unresolved wickedness incurs wrath, yet “the gospel...is the power of God for salvation” (Romans 1:16). Revelation 18 replicates Zechariah’s removal motif, depicting Babylon’s wickedness judged and purged. Summary רִשְׁעָה names the malignant force of human rebellion menacing every age. Scripture traces its roots, exposes its fruits, pronounces its doom, and offers deliverance through repentance and faith in the covenant-keeping God, ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Forms and Transliterations הָרִשְׁעָ֔ה הרשעה וְ֝רִשְׁעָ֗ה וְרִשְׁעַ֤ת וְרִשְׁעַ֥ת וּ֝בְרִשְׁעָת֗וֹ וברשעתו ורשעה ורשעת לְרִשְׁעָה֙ לרשעה מֵֽרִשְׁעָת֔וֹ מֵֽרִשְׁעָתוֹ֙ מוֹרִישָׁ֣ם מוֹרִישָׁ֥ם מורישם מרשעתו רִשְׁעָ֔ה רִשְׁעָה֙ רִשְׁעָת֖וֹ רשעה רשעתו hā·riš·‘āh hāriš‘āh harishAh lə·riš·‘āh ləriš‘āh lerishAh mê·riš·‘ā·ṯōw mêriš‘āṯōw merishaTo mō·w·rî·šām moriSham mōwrîšām riš‘āh riš‘āṯōw riš·‘ā·ṯōw riš·‘āh rishAh rishaTo ū·ḇə·riš·‘ā·ṯōw ūḇəriš‘āṯōw uverishaTo verishAh verishAt wə·riš·‘āh wə·riš·‘aṯ wəriš‘āh wəriš‘aṯLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Deuteronomy 9:4 HEB: הָאֵ֔לֶּה יְהוָ֖ה מוֹרִישָׁ֥ם מִפָּנֶֽיךָ׃ NAS: land,' but [it is] because of the wickedness of these KJV: this land: but for the wickedness of these nations INT: of these the LORD the wickedness before Deuteronomy 9:5 Deuteronomy 25:2 Proverbs 11:5 Proverbs 13:6 Isaiah 9:18 Ezekiel 5:6 Ezekiel 18:20 Ezekiel 18:27 Ezekiel 33:12 Ezekiel 33:19 Zechariah 5:8 Malachi 1:4 Malachi 3:15 Malachi 4:1 15 Occurrences |