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 ofH7562 (רֶשַׁע - wickedness)]
1. wrong (especially moral)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
fault, wickedness
Feminine ofresha'; wrong (especially moral) -- fault, wickedly(-ness).
see HEBREWresha'
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom the same as
rashaDefinitionwickedness
NASB Translationevildoer* (1), guilt (1), wickedly (1), wickedness (11).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
; — absolute
Isaiah 9:17 +; construct
Deuteronomy 9:4 +; suffix
Deuteronomy 25:2 +; —
wickedness in civil relations,Deuteronomy 25:2;Proverbs 13:3;Isaiah 9:17;Proverbs 11:5.
wickedness of enemies,Malachi 1:4 (Edom);Zechariah 5:8 (personification);Ezekiel 5:6 (strike out Co);Deuteronomy 9:4,5.
wickedness, ethical and religious,Malachi 3:15;Malachi 3:19,Ezekiel 18:27;Ezekiel 33:19;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.
• 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 reflectingDeuteronomy 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
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