Original Word: πονηρός
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: ponéros
Pronunciation: po-nay-ROS
Phonetic Spelling: (pon-ay-ros')
KJV: bad, evil, grievous, harm, lewd, malicious, wicked(-ness)
NASB: evil, wicked, bad, evil one, crimes, envious, evil things
Word Origin: [from a derivative of G4192 (πόνος - pain)]

1. hurtful, i.e. evil
2. (figuratively) calamitous
3. (passively) ill, i.e. diseased
4. (especially, morally) culpable, i.e. derelict, vicious, atrociously wicked
5. (neuter, singular) mischief, malice
6. (neuter plural) guilt
7. (masculine, singular) the devil
8. (plural) sinners
{(properly) in effect or influence, and thus differing from G2556, which refers rather to essential character, as well as from G4550, which indicates degeneracy from original virtue}

evil, grievous

From a derivative of ponos; hurtful, i.e. Evil (properly, in effect or influence, and thus differing from kakos, which refers rather to essential character, as well as from sapros, which indicates degeneracy from original virtue); figuratively, calamitous; also (passively) ill, i.e. Diseased; but especially (morally) culpable, i.e. Derelict, vicious, facinorous; neuter (singular) mischief, malice, or (plural) guilt; masculine (singular) the devil, or (plural) sinners -- bad, evil, grievous, harm, lewd, malicious, wicked(-ness). See also poneroteros.

see GREEK ponos

see GREEK kakos

see GREEK sapros

see GREEK poneroteros

4190 ponērós (an adjective which is also used substantively, derived from 4192 /pónos, "pain, laborious trouble") – properly, pain-ridden, emphasizing the inevitable agonies (misery) that always go with evil.

Word Origin
from poneó (to toil)
Definition
toilsome, bad
NASB Translation
bad (5), crimes (1), envious (1), envy* (1), evil (50), evil one (5), evil things (1), malignant (1), more evil (1), more wicked (1), vicious (1), wicked (6), wicked man (1), wicked things (1), worthless (1).

STRONGS NT 4190: πονηρός

πονηρός (on the accent cf. Lob. ad Phryn., p. 3 Göttling, Lehre v., Accent, p. 304f; (Chandler §§ 404, 405); Lipsius, Grammat. Untersuch., p. 26), πονηρά, πονηρόν; comparitive πονηρότερος (Matthew 12:45; Luke 11:26); (πονέω, πόνος); from Hesiod (Homer (ep. 15, 20), Theog.) down; the Sept. often for רַע ;

1. full of labors, annoyances, hardships;

a. pressed and harassed by labors; thus Hercules is called πονηροτατος καί ἄριστος, Hesiod fragment 43, 5.

b. bringing toils, annoyances, perils: (καιρός, Sir. 51:12); ἡμέρα πονηρά, of a time full of peril to Christian faith and steadfastness, Ephesians 5:16; Ephesians 6:13 (so in the plural ἡμέραι πονηραί the Epistle of Barnabas 2, 1 [ET]); causing pain and trouble (A. V. grievous), ἕλκος, Revelation 16:2.

2. bad, of a bad nature or condition;

a. in a physical sense: ὀφθαλμός, diseased or blind, Matthew 6:23; Luke 11:34 (πονηρία ὀφθαλμῶν, Plato, Hipp., min., p. 374 d.; the Greeks use πονηρῶς ἔχειν or διακεῖσθαι of the sick; ἐκ γενετῆς πονηρούς ὑγιεῖς πεποιηκέναι, Justin Martyr, Apology 1, 22 ((cf. Otto's note); others take πονηρός in Matthew and Luke as above ethically; cf.

b. and Meyer on Matt.)); καρπός, Matthew 7:17f.

b. in an ethical sense, evil, wicked, bad, etc. ("this use of the word is due to its association with the working (largely the servile) class; not that contempt for labor is thereby expressed, for such words as ἐργάτης, δραστηρ, and the like, do not take on this evil sense, which connected itself only with a word expressive of unintermitted toil and carrying no suggestion of results" (cf. Schmidt, chapter 85, § 1); see κακία, at the end); of persons: Matthew 7:11; Matthew 12:34; Matthew 18:32; Matthew 25:26; Luke 6:45; Luke 11:13; Luke 19:22; Acts 17:5; 2 Thessalonians 3:2; 2 Timothy 3:13; γενεά πονηρά, Matthew 12:39, 45; Matthew 16:4; Luke 11:29; πνεῦμα πονηρόν, an evil spirit (see πνεῦμα, 3 c.), Matthew 12:45; Luke 7:21; Luke 8:2; Luke 11:26; Acts 19:12f, 15f; substantively οἱ πονηροί, the wicked, bad men, opposed to οἱ δίκαιοι, Matthew 13:49; πονηροί καί ἀγαθοί, Matthew 5:45; Matthew 22:10; ἀχάριστοι καί πονηροί, Luke 6:35; τόν πονηρόν, the wicked man, i. e. the evil-doer spoken of, 1 Corinthians 5:13; τῷ πονηρῷ, the evil man, who injures you, Matthew 5:39. ὁ πονηρός is used pre-eminently of the devil, the evil one: Matthew 5:37; Matthew 6:13; Matthew 13:19, 38; Luke 11:4 R L; John 17:15; 1 John 2:13; 1 John 3:12; 1 John 5:18f (on which see κεῖμαι, 2{c}); Ephesians 6:16. of things: αἰών, Galatians 1:4; ὄνομα (which see 1, p. 447a bottom), Luke 6:22; ῤᾳδιούργημα, Acts 18:14; the heart as a storehouse out of which a man brings forth πονηρά words is called θησαυρός πονηρός, Matthew 12:35; Luke 6:45; συνείδησις πονηρά, a soul conscious of wickedness (conscious wickedness; see συνείδησις, b. sub at the end), Hebrews 10:22; καρδία πονηρά ἀπιστίας, an evil heart such as is revealed in distrusting (cf. Buttmann, § 132, 24; Winer's Grammar, § 30, 4), Hebrews 3:12; ὀφθαλμός (which see), Matthew 20:15; Mark 7:22; διαλογισμοί, Matthew 15:19; James 2:4; ὑπόνοιαι, 1 Timothy 6:4; καύχησις; James 4:16; ῤῆμα, a reproach, Matthew 5:11 (R G; others omit ῤῆμα); λόγοι, 3 John 1:10; ἔργα, John 3:19; John 7:7; 1 John 3:12; 2 John 1:11; Colossians 1:21; ἔργον (according to the context) wrong committed against me, 2 Timothy 4:18; αἰτία, charge of crime, Acts 25:18 L T Tr marginal reading WH marginal reading The neuter πονηρόν, and τό πονηρόν, substantively, evil, that which is wicked: εἶδος πονηροῦ (see εἶδος, 2; (others take πονηροῦ here as an adjective, and bring the example under εἶδος, 1 (R. V. marginal reading appearance of evil))), 1 Thessalonians 5:22; 2 Thessalonians 3:3 (where τοῦ πονηροῦ is held by many to be the genitive of the masculine ὁ πονηρός, but cf. Lünemann ad loc.); (τί πονηρόν, Acts 28:21); opposed to τό ἀγαθόν, Luke 6:45; Romans 12:9; plural (Winer's Grammar, § 34, 2), Matthew 9:4; Luke 3:19; wicked deeds, Acts 25:18 Tr text WH text; ταῦτα τά πονηρά, these evil things i. e. the vices just enumerated, Mark 7:23.

Overview of Meaning

The adjective πονηρός portrays what is morally corrupt, injurious, and actively hostile toward God’s design. It can describe a person, a generation, a thought, a deed, a spiritual power, or even a climactic “day” of intensified opposition. The term is never ethically neutral; it is the settled antithesis of divine goodness.

Continuity with the Old Testament

In the Septuagint πονηρός frequently renders Hebrew rāʿ, rooting the concept in the creation-fall narrative. As Adam and Eve’s sin unleashed a realm of evil, the New Testament carries that storyline forward, presenting Christ as the One who rescues “us from this present evil age” (Galatians 1:4).

Major New Testament Categories

1. Moral Character
• “If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts…” (Matthew 7:11).
• The unregenerate are “alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds” (Colossians 1:21).

2. Collective Unbelief
• “An evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign” (Matthew 12:39; 16:4; Luke 11:29), indicting national hardness of heart.
• The kosmos system “lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19).

3. Inner Thoughts and Outward Acts
• “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts?” (Matthew 9:4).
• Lists of vice include “wickedness” (Mark 7:22-23), “evil boasting” (James 4:16), and actions deserving church discipline (1 Corinthians 5:13).

4. The Evil One
• With the article, πονηρός becomes a title for Satan: “The evil one does not touch him” (1 John 5:18); “deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:13).
• Spiritual warfare language (“shield of faith… to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one,” Ephesians 6:16) presumes a personal malevolent being.

5. Evil Spirits and Afflictions
• Jesus and the apostles expel “evil spirits” (Luke 7:21; 8:2; Acts 19:12-16), revealing demonic oppression as a present reality overcome by divine authority.

6. The Evil Day
• “Put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand” (Ephesians 6:13). A future, climactic assault intensifies the need for vigilance.

Contrasts and Parallels

πoνηρός stands in deliberate tension with ἀγαθός (“good”) and χρηστός (“kind”). Jesus contrasts the “good treasure” of a righteous heart with the “evil treasure” of a corrupt one (Luke 6:45). Paul commands believers, “Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good” (Romans 12:9), affirming a non-negotiable moral polarity.

Theological Significance

• Total Depravity: Humanity apart from grace falls under the label “evil” (Matthew 7:11).
• Personal and Cosmic Conflict: Evil is both a heart condition and a spiritual empire ruled by Satan.
• Sovereign Restraint and Final Judgment: God presently limits evil (2 Thessalonians 3:3) and will decisively purge it at the consummation (Matthew 13:49-50).
• Redemptive Deliverance: The cross and resurrection secure removal from the dominion of evil and promise the believer ultimate protection (John 17:15).

Practical Ministry Applications

1. Preaching and Teaching

Call sin what Scripture calls it—evil—to expose its gravity and magnify grace.

2. Discipleship and Sanctification

Encourage believers to “overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21) through Spirit-empowered obedience.

3. Spiritual Warfare

Equip congregations with the “full armor of God” (Ephesians 6:13-17), emphasizing prayer, faith, and Scripture.

4. Pastoral Care and Deliverance

Maintain biblical vigilance regarding demonic influence, following apostolic patterns of prayer and authority in Christ.

5. Corporate Prayer

Persist in the Lord’s model: “Deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:13), recognizing ongoing need for divine protection.

Historical and Cultural Context

In Greco-Roman ethics “evil” often denoted social harm; Scripture deepens the diagnosis to inner rebellion. Second Temple Judaism spoke of the yetzer hara (evil inclination); the New Testament identifies both internal corruption and external satanic agency. Early Christians, facing persecution, applied Matthew 5:39 (“do not resist an evil person”) to model sacrificial witness while still opposing moral evil through righteous living.

Summary

πονηρός encapsulates every thought, act, person, spirit, or era set against God. Its 79 New Testament occurrences form a mosaic that clarifies the human predicament, magnifies the gospel’s rescue, and fortifies the church’s mission until the day when the Lamb annihilates all evil and ushers in unending righteousness.

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