7564. rishah
Lexical Summary
rishah: Wickedness, evil, guilt

Original Word: רִשְׁעָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: rish`ah
Pronunciation: ree-SHAH
Phonetic Spelling: (rish-aw')
KJV: fault, wickedly(-ness)
NASB: wickedness, guilt, wickedly
Word Origin: [feminine of H7562 (רֶשַׁע - wickedness)]

1. wrong (especially moral)

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
fault, wickedness

Feminine of resha'; wrong (especially moral) -- fault, wickedly(-ness).

see HEBREW resha'

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
from 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 Idea

רִשְׁעָה 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.
• Corporate and Personal Dimensions: Nations, cities, and individuals alike are accountable. Judgment and restoration occur at both levels.
• Retributive Justice and Mercy: While wickedness invites wrath, God consistently offers repentance as the remedy, foreshadowing the gospel’s call.

Consequences of רִשְׁעָה

1. Expulsion (Deuteronomy 9:4–5)
2. Self-destruction (Proverbs 11:5; 13:6)
3. Consuming judgment (Isaiah 9:18; Malachi 4:1)

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.
• Pastoral Care: Assure penitents that no depth of רִשְׁעָה is beyond God’s forgiveness when confessed and forsaken.
• Civic Engagement: Advocate for justice systems reflecting Deuteronomy 25:2—neither excusing evil nor exceeding righteous limits.
• Discipleship: Employ Proverbs to warn believers that hidden wickedness eventually ensnares.

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‘aṯ
Links
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Englishman'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
HEB: יְהוָ֤ה אֱלֹהֶ֙יךָ֙ מוֹרִישָׁ֣ם מִפָּנֶ֔יךָ וּלְמַ֜עַן
NAS: but [it is] because of the wickedness of these
KJV: their land: but for the wickedness of these nations
INT: the LORD your God of the wickedness before order

Deuteronomy 25:2
HEB: לְפָנָ֔יו כְּדֵ֥י רִשְׁעָת֖וֹ בְּמִסְפָּֽר׃
NAS: of stripes according to his guilt.
KJV: according to his fault, by a certain number.
INT: his presence according to his guilt the number

Proverbs 11:5
HEB: תְּיַשֵּׁ֣ר דַּרְכּ֑וֹ וּ֝בְרִשְׁעָת֗וֹ יִפֹּ֥ל רָשָֽׁע׃
NAS: will fall by his own wickedness.
KJV: shall fall by his own wickedness.
INT: will smooth his way wickedness will fall the wicked

Proverbs 13:6
HEB: תָּם־ דָּ֑רֶךְ וְ֝רִשְׁעָ֗ה תְּסַלֵּ֥ף חַטָּֽאת׃
NAS: is blameless, But wickedness subverts
KJV: in the way: but wickedness overthroweth
INT: is blameless way wickedness subverts the sinner

Isaiah 9:18
HEB: בָעֲרָ֤ה כָאֵשׁ֙ רִשְׁעָ֔ה שָׁמִ֥יר וָשַׁ֖יִת
NAS: For wickedness burns like a fire;
KJV: For wickedness burneth as the fire:
INT: burns A fire wickedness briars and thorns

Ezekiel 5:6
HEB: אֶת־ מִשְׁפָּטַ֤י לְרִשְׁעָה֙ מִן־ הַגּוֹיִ֔ם
NAS: more wickedly than
KJV: my judgments into wickedness more than the nations,
INT: has rebelled my ordinances wickedly more the nations

Ezekiel 18:20
HEB: עָלָ֣יו תִּֽהְיֶ֔ה וְרִשְׁעַ֥ת [רָשָׁע כ]
NAS: of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked
KJV: of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked
INT: and become and the wickedness wicked and

Ezekiel 18:27
HEB: וּבְשׁ֣וּב רָשָׁ֗ע מֵֽרִשְׁעָתוֹ֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר עָשָׂ֔ה
NAS: turns away from his wickedness which
KJV: [man] turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed,
INT: turns A wicked his wickedness which has committed

Ezekiel 33:12
HEB: בְּי֣וֹם פִּשְׁע֔וֹ וְרִשְׁעַ֤ת הָֽרָשָׁע֙ לֹֽא־
NAS: of his transgression, and as for the wickedness of the wicked,
KJV: of his transgression: as for the wickedness of the wicked,
INT: the day of his transgression the wickedness of the wicked he will not

Ezekiel 33:19
HEB: וּבְשׁ֤וּב רָשָׁע֙ מֵֽרִשְׁעָת֔וֹ וְעָשָׂ֥ה מִשְׁפָּ֖ט
NAS: turns from his wickedness and practices
KJV: turn from his wickedness, and do
INT: turns the wicked his wickedness and practices justice

Zechariah 5:8
HEB: וַיֹּ֙אמֶר֙ זֹ֣את הָרִשְׁעָ֔ה וַיַּשְׁלֵ֥ךְ אֹתָ֖הּ
NAS: This is Wickedness! And he threw
KJV: And he said, This [is] wickedness. And he cast
INT: said likewise is Wickedness threw into

Malachi 1:4
HEB: לָהֶם֙ גְּב֣וּל רִשְׁעָ֔ה וְהָעָ֛ם אֲשֶׁר־
KJV: them, The border of wickedness, and, The people
INT: and will call territory of wickedness and the people whom

Malachi 3:15
HEB: נִבְנוּ֙ עֹשֵׂ֣י רִשְׁעָ֔ה גַּ֧ם בָּחֲנ֛וּ
NAS: are the doers of wickedness built
KJV: yea, they that work wickedness are set up;
INT: built are the doers of wickedness also test

Malachi 4:1
HEB: וְכָל־ עֹשֵׂ֤ה רִשְׁעָה֙ קַ֔שׁ וְלִהַ֨ט
KJV: yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble:
INT: and every do wickedly will be chaff will set

15 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 7564
15 Occurrences


hā·riš·‘āh — 1 Occ.
lə·riš·‘āh — 1 Occ.
mê·riš·‘ā·ṯōw — 2 Occ.
mō·w·rî·šām — 2 Occ.
riš·‘āh — 4 Occ.
riš·‘ā·ṯōw — 1 Occ.
ū·ḇə·riš·‘ā·ṯōw — 1 Occ.
wə·riš·‘āh — 1 Occ.
wə·riš·‘aṯ — 2 Occ.

7563
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