Reference: Evil
Hastings
EVIL is an older form of the word 'ill'; used, both as substantive and adjective, to tr various synonyms and ranging in meaning from physical unfitness to moral wickedness. The former is archaic, but occurs in Ge 28:8 (Authorized Version margin), Ex 21:8 (Authorized Version margin), Jer 24:3 (AV), and Mt 7:18, though the two last passages are not without an ethical tinge. But the word almost invariably connotes what is either morally corrupt (see Sin) or injurious to life and happiness.
1. In the OT the two meanings are at first scarcely differentiated. Whatever comes to man from without is, to begin with, attributed simply to God (Am 3:6; La 3:38; Eze 14:9; Isa 45:7). Destruction is wrought by His angels (Ex 12:23; 2Sa 24:16; Ps 78:49). Moral temptations come from Him (2Sa 24:1; 1Ki 22:23), though there is a tendency to embody them in beings which, though belonging to the host of heaven, are spoken of as evil or lying spirits (1Sa 16:14; Jg 9:23; 1Ki 22:22). The serpent of the Fall narrative cannot be pressed to mean more than a symbol of temptation, though the form which the temptation takes suggests hostility to the will of God external to the spirit of the woman (2Co 11:3, cf. Ge 3:1-3). Then later we have the figure of the Adversary or Satan, who, though still dependent on the will of God, is nevertheless so identified with evil that he is represented as taking the initiative in seduction (Zec 3:1; 1Ch 21:1, but cf. 2Sa 24:1). This marks the growth of the sense of God's holiness (De 32:4 etc.), the purity which cannot behold evil (Hab 1:13); and correspondingly sharpens the problem. Heathen gods are now identified with demons opposed to the God of Israel (De 32:17; Ps 106:37; cf. 1Co 10:20). This tendency, increased perhaps by Persian influence, becomes dominant in apocryphal literature (2Pe 2:4 and Jude 1:6 are based on the Book of Enoch), where the fallen angels are a kingdom at war with the Kingdom of God.
2. In the NT moral evil is never ascribed to God (Jas 1:13), being essentially hostile to His mind and will (Ro 1:18-21; 5:10; 1Jo 1:5-7; 2:16,29; 3:4,9); but to the Evil One (Mt 6:13; 13:19; 1Jo 5:19), an active and personal being identical with the Devil (Mt 13:39; Joh 8:44) or Satan (Mt 4:10; Mr 4:15; Lu 22:31; Joh 13:27), who with his angels (Mt 25:41) is cast down from heaven (Re 12:9, cf. Lu 10:18), goes to and fro in the earth as the universal adversary (1Pe 5:8; Eph 4:27; 6:11; Jas 4:7), and will be finally imprisoned with his ministering spirits (Re 20:2,10, cf. Mt 25:41). Pain and suffering are ascribed sometimes to God (Re 3:19; 1Th 3:3; Heb 12:5-11), inasmuch as all things work together for good to those that love Him (Ro 8:28); sometimes to Satan (Lu 13:16; 2Co 12:7) and the demons (Mt 8:28 etc.), who are suffered to hurt the earth for a season (Re 9:1-11; 12:12).
The speculative question of the origin of evil is not resolved in Holy Scripture, being one of those things of which we are not competent judges (see Butler's Analogy, i. 7, cf. 1Co 13:12). Pain is justified by the redemption of the body (Ro 8:18-25; 1Pe 4:13), punishment by the peaceable fruits of righteousness (Heb 12:7-11), and the permission of moral evil by the victory of the Cross (Joh 12:31; Ro 8:37-39; Col 2:15; 1Co 15:24-28). Accept the facts and look to the end is the teaching of the Bible as a guide to practical religion (Jas 5:11). Beyond this we enter the region of that high theology which comprehensive thinkers like Aquinas or Calvin have not shrunk from formulating, but which, so far as it is dealt with in the NT, appears rather as a by-product of evangelical thought, than as the direct purpose of revelation (as, e.g., in Ro 9, where God's elective choice is stated only as the logical presupposition of grace). St. Paul is content to throw the responsibility for the moral facts of the universe upon God (Ro 9:19-24; cf. Job 33:12; Ec 5:2; Isa 29:16), who, however, is not defined as capricious and arbitrary power, but revealed as the Father, who loves the creatures of His hand, and has foreordained all things to a perfect consummation in Christ the Beloved (Eph 1:3-14 etc.).
J. G. Simpson.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
And the serpent was crafty above every beast of the field which Jehovah God made; and he will say to the woman, Is it because God said ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman will say to the serpent, From the fruit of the tree of the garden we shall eat read more. And from the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God said, Ye shall not eat from it, and ye shall not touch upon it, lest ye shall die.
And Esau will see that the daughters of Canaan are evil in the eyes of Isaak his father.
And Jehovah passed over to strike the Egyptians; and he saw the blood upon the lintel, and upon the two doorposts, and Jehovah passed by the door and will not give him destroying to come in to your houses to strike.
If evil in the eyes of her lord, he did not betroth her and he ransomed her: to a strange people he shall not have power to sell her, in his acting deceitfully by her.
The Rock, his work complete: For all his ways judgment: A God of faithfulness and not of iniquity Just and right is he.
They will sacrifice to demons, not God; Gods they have not known them New ones came out from the midst; Your fathers not having feared them.
No man shall stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, I will be with thee: I will not forsake thee and I will not leave thee. Be strong and be active; for thou shalt cause Israel to inherit the land which I sware to their fathers to give to them. read more. Only be strong and be greatly active, to watch to do according to all the law which Moses my servant commanded thee: thou shalt not turn aside from it to the right and to the left, so that thou shalt be wise in all things where thou shalt go.
And she will say to them, Go to the mountain, lest they pursuing shall meet with you; and hide yourselves there three days till they pursuing turn back: and afterward ye shall go to your way.
But it shall be far off between you and between it, about two thousand cubits by measure: ye shall not draw near to it so that ye shall know the way which ye shall go in it; for ye passed not through the way from yesterday the third day.
And Joshua will say to the sons of Israel, Come near here and hear the words of Jehovah your God.
And God will send an evil spirit between Abimelech and between the lords of Shechem; and the lords of Shechem will act deceitfully with Abimelech,
And the spirit of Jehovah departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from Jehovah terrified him.
And the anger of Jehovah will add to kindle against Israel, and he stimulated David against them, saying, Go, number Israel and Judah.
And the anger of Jehovah will add to kindle against Israel, and he stimulated David against them, saying, Go, number Israel and Judah.
Behold, this thou wert not just: I will answer thee, for God will be great above man.
He will send upon them the burning of his anger, outpouring and wrath, and straits, sending evil messengers.
Thou shalt not hasten with thy mouth, and thy heart shall not be quick to bring forth a word to the face of God: for God is in the heavens, and thou upon the earth: for this thy words shall be few.
Shall not your perverting be reckoned as the potter's clay? for shall the work say to him making it, He made me not? andhebeing formed, say to him forming, He understood not?
I shall form light and create darkness: making peace and creating evil: I Jehovah doing all these.
And Jehovah will say to me, What seest thou, Jeremiah? and saying, Figs: the good figs, exceedingly good; and the evil, exceedingly evil, which shall not be eaten from being evil.
From the mouth of the Most High shall not come forth evil and good.
And if the prophet shall be deceived, and he spake a word, I Jehovah deceived that prophet, and I stretched forth my hand upon him, and I destroyed him from the midst of my people Israel.
If the trumpet shall be struck in the city and the people not be terrified? if evil shall be in the city and Jehovah did not?
Being pure of eyes from beholding evil, and wilt not be able to look upon labor: wherefore wilt thou look upon the transgressors? wilt thou be silent in the unjust swallowing the just above him?
And he will cause me to see Joshua the great priest standing before the messenger of Jehovah, and the adversary standing upon his right hand for his adversary.
Then says Jesus to him, Retire, Satan; for it has been written, The Lord thy God shalt thou worship, and him alone shalt thou serve.
And thou shouldst not lead us into temptation, but deliver thou us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
And he having come beyond the country of the Gergesenes, two possessed with evil spirits, coming out of the tombs, met him, very rough, so that not any could pass by that way.
Every one hearing, and not understanding, the evil one comes, and carries off that sown in his heart. This is he having sown by the way.
And the enemy having sowed them is the devil; and the harvest is the end of time; and the reapers are the messengers.
Then shall he say to them from the left, Go away from me, the cursed, into eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his messengers:
Then shall he say to them from the left, Go away from me, the cursed, into eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his messengers:
And these are they by the way, where the word is sown; and when they hear, quickly comes Satan, and takes away the word sown in their hearts.
And he said to them, I saw Satan as lightning fallen from heaven.Translation PDF from Google If you can fill in this text please contact e-sword Uers
And this being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound, behold, eighteen years, ought she not to be loosed from this bond the day of the sabbath
And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded you, to sift as wheat:
Ye are of your father the devil, and the eager desires of your father will ye do. He was slaying men from the beginning, and stood not in the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he would speak a lie, he speaks of his own things; for he is a liar, and the father of him.
Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the ruler of this world be cast out.
And after the small morsel then came Satan into him. Then says Jesus to him, What thou doest, do quickly.
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven upon all profanation and injustice of men, of those detaining the truth in injustice; Wherefore that known of God is manifest in them; for God manifested to them. read more. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world, being understood by things made, are inspected, truly both his eternal power and divinity; so that they are inexcusable: Wherefore having known God, not as God did they honour or return thanks; but were rendered vain in their conversations, and their heart without understanding was darkened.
For if, being enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, reconciled, we shall be saved in his life.
For I reckon that the sufferings of the time now not worthy of the glory about to be revealed in us. For the anxious expectation of the creation awaits the revelation of the sons of God. read more. For the creation was subject to vanity, not voluntarily, but by him having subjected in hope, That also the creation itself be freed from servitude of corruption to the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that all creation groans together and travails together until now. And not only, but also they having the first fruits of the Spirit, and we ourselves groan in ourselves, waiting for the adoption as a son, the redemption of our body. For by hope were we saved: but hope being seen is not hope: for what any one sees, why does he also hope? And if what we see not, we hope for, by patience we wait.
And we know that to them loving God, all things work together for good, to them being called according to the setting up.
But in all these we obtain a complete victory by him having loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor beginnings, nor powers, nor things having stood, nor things about to be, read more. Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creation, shall be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Thou wilt then say to me, Why does he yet blame For who has withstood his will? Surely, O man, who art thou replying against God? Shall the formation say to him having formed, Why hest thou made me so read more. Or has not the potter power over the clay, of the same mixture truly to make one vessel for honour, and one for dishonour And if God, willing anger to be shown, and his power to be made known, endured in much long suffering the vessels of anger put in proper order for destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory upon the vessels of mercy, which he before prepared for glory Whom he also called us, not only from the Jews, but also of the nations?
But, that what things they sacrifice the nations sacrifice to demons, and not to God: and I will not ye be partakers of demons.
For now we see by a mirror in an enigma; then face to face: now I know by parts; and then shall I know as I was known.
And I am afraid lest, as the serpent completely deceived Eve in his craft, so your thoughts be corrupted from the simplicity which in Christ.
Praised be God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, he having praised us in every spiritual praise in heavenly things in Christ: As he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, for us to be holy and blameless before him in love: read more. Having determined us beforehand for adoption as a son by Jesus Christ to him, according to benevolence of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, in which he rendered us acceptable in the beloved. In whom we have redemption by his blood, the letting go of faults, according to the riches of his grace; In which he abounded to us in all wisdom and intelligence; Having made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his benevolence which he purposed in himself: For the arrangement of the completion of the times, to unite in a whole all things in Christ, both the things in the heavens, and the things upon earth; in him: In whom also we were cast by lot, determined beforehand according to the purpose of him performing all things according to the counsel of his will: For us to be to the praise of his glory, who before hoped in Christ. In whom ye also, having heard the word of truth, the good news of your salvation: in whom also having believed, ye were sealed by the holy Spirit of solemn promise, Which is the pledge of our inheritance for the redemption of the acquisition, to the praise of his glory.
Neither give place to the accuser.
Put on the complete armor of God, for you to be able to stand against the artifices of the accuser.
Having stripped off beginnings and powers, he made an example in freedom of speech, having led them in triumph in it.
And ye have totally forgotten the entreaty which is spoken to you as to sons, My son, neglect not the instruction of the Lord, nor be enervated being rebuked by him: For whom the Lord loves he corrects, and he chastises every son which he receives. read more. If ye endure correction, God treats you as sons; for who is the son which the father corrects not?
If ye endure correction, God treats you as sons; for who is the son which the father corrects not? And if ye are without correction, of which all are partakers, then are ye spurious, not sons.
And if ye are without correction, of which all are partakers, then are ye spurious, not sons. Since we truly have fathers of our flesh instructors, and we were influenced: shall we not rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits, and we shall live?
Since we truly have fathers of our flesh instructors, and we were influenced: shall we not rather be in subjection to the Father of spirits, and we shall live? For they truly for a few days, according as it seemed to them, corrected; but he for profit, in order to partake in his holiness.
For they truly for a few days, according as it seemed to them, corrected; but he for profit, in order to partake in his holiness. And truly every correction for the present seems not to be for joy, but grief: and later it returns the peaceful fruit of justice to them being exercised by it.
And truly every correction for the present seems not to be for joy, but grief: and later it returns the peaceful fruit of justice to them being exercised by it.
Let none say being tempted, that I am tempted of God: for God is not tempted of evils, and he tempts none:
Be subjected therefore to God. Resist the accuser, and he will flee from you.
Behold, we esteem those enduring happy. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and ye see the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful.
Be abstemious, watch; for your adversary the accuser, as a roaring lion, walks around, seeking whom he might swallow down:
For if God spared not the angels having sinned, but delivered up, hurled into Tartarus, to cords of darkness, having been kept for judgment;
Also the angels not having kept their beginning, but having left their own habitation, he has kept in perpetual chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day.
I, if as many as I love, I rebuke and correct: be emulous therefore, and repent.
And the fifth angel sounded the trumpet, and I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth: and there was given to him the key of the well of the bottomless pit. And he opened the well of the bottomless pit; and a smoke went up out of the well, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun was darkened, and the air, from the smoke of the well. read more. And out of the smoke came forth locusts into the earth: and power was given them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was said to them that they should not injure the grass of the earth, neither any green, nor any tree; except the men only which have not the seal of God upon their foreheads. And it was given them that they should not kill them, but that they should be tortured five months: and their torture as the torture of a scorpion, when he should strike a man. And in those days shall men seek death, and not find it; and shall eagerly desire to die, and death shall flee from them. And the likenesses of the locusts like horses prepared for war; and upon their heads as crowns like gold, and their faces as men's faces. And they had hair as women's hair, and their teeth were as of lions. And they had coats-of-mail, as coats-of-mail of iron; and the voice of their wings as the voice of chariots of many horses running to war. And they have tails as scorpions, and goads were in their tails: and their power to injure men five months. And they have a king over them, the angel of the abyss, the name to him in Hebrew Abaddon, and in Greek he has the name Apollyon.
And the great dragon was cast out, the old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, he deceiving the whole habitable globe: he was cast into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
For this rejoice, ye heavens, and they dwelling in them. Woe to them inhabiting the earth and the sea! for the devil came down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has little time.
And he seized the dragon, the old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
And the devil deceiving them was cast into the lake of fire and sulphur, where are the wild beast and false prophet, and they shall be tortured day and night for ever and ever.