Wickedness

"wickedness; wicked; destruction." The 27 occurrences of this noun are scattered throughout the periods of biblical Hebrew. The basic meaning of this word appears in a passage such as Judg 20:13, where the sons of belîya‘al are perpetrators of wickedness (they raped and murdered a man's concubine): "Now therefore deliver us the men, the children of Belial [nasb, "worthless fellows"] which are in Gibeah, that we may put them to death, and put away evil from Israel." In its first appearance the word represents men who lead others into idolatry: "Certain men, the children of Belial, are gone out from among you, and have [seduced] the inhabitants of their city…" (Deut 13:13). In Deut 15:9 the word modifies Hebrew dabar, "word" or "matter." Israel is warned to avoid "wicked" words (thoughts) in their hearts. Belîya‘al is a synonym for rasha‘ ("wicked rebellious one") in Job 34:18. In Nah 1:11 the wicked counselor plots evil against God. The psalmist uses belîya‘al as a synonym of death: "The cords of death encompassed me, and the torrents of ungodliness [kjv, "floods of ungodly men"] terrified me" (Psa 18:4, nasb).

akin to poneros (see above, No. 1), is always rendered "wickedness" save in Act 3:26, see INIQUITY, No. 4.

"evil," is rendered "wickedness" in Act 8:22; RV in Jam 1:21, AV, "naughtiness." See EVIL, B, No. 1, MALICE.

Notes: (1) For the AV of 1Jo 5:19 see WICKED, No. 1. (2) In Act 25:5, AV, the word atopos (RV, "amiss") is incorrectly rendered "wickedness."