'Cruel' in the Bible
“Simeon and Levi are brothers [equally headstrong, deceitful, vindictive, and cruel];Their swords are weapons of violence and revenge.
“Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce;And their wrath, for it was cruel.I will divide and disperse them in Jacob,And scatter them in [the midst of the land of] Israel.
Moses told this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their impatience and despondency, and because of their forced labor.
Then we cried out to the Lord, the God of our fathers for help, and He heard our voice and saw our suffering and our labor and our [cruel] oppression;
The man who is most refined and well-bred among you will be cruel and hostile toward his brother and toward the wife he cherishes and toward the rest of his children who remain,
“You have become harsh and cruel to me;With the might of Your hand You [keep me alive only to] persecute me.
Look upon my enemies, for they are many;They hate me with cruel and violent hatred.
Until the time that his word [of prophecy regarding his brothers] came true,The word of the Lord tested and refined him.
The merciful and generous man benefits his soul [for his behavior returns to bless him],But the cruel and callous man does himself harm.
A righteous man has kind regard for the life of his animal,But even the compassion of the wicked is cruel.
Wrath is cruel and anger is an overwhelming flood,But who is able to endure and stand before [the sin of] jealousy?
(The Shulammite Bride)“Under the apple tree I awakened you [to my love];There your mother was in labor with you,There she was in labor and gave you birth.“Put me like a seal on your heart,Like a seal on your arm;For love is as strong as death,Jealousy is as severe and cruel as Sheol (the place of the dead).Its flashes are flashes of fire,[A most vehement flame] the very flame of the Lord!
“And I will hand over the Egyptians to a hard and cruel master,And a mighty king will rule over them,” declares the Lord God of hosts.
“They seize bow and spear;They are cruel and inhuman and have no mercy.Their voice sounds like the roaring sea;They ride [in formation] on horses,Arrayed as a man for battleAgainst you, O Daughter of Zion (Jerusalem)!”
‘All your lovers (allies) have forgotten you;They do not seek and long for you.For I have injured you with the wound of an enemy,With the punishment of a cruel and merciless foe,Because your guilt is greatAnd your sins are glaring and innumerable.
“They seize their bow and spear;They are cruel and have no compassion.They sound like the roaring of the sea;They ride on horses,Every man equipped like a man [ready] for the battleAgainst you, O Daughter of Babylon.
Even the jackals offer the breast,They nurse their young;But the daughter of my people has become cruelLike ostriches in the wilderness [that desert their young].