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Grammar of Good and Evil

We draw our reductionist definitions of Good and Evil from the ancient text where they appear as TOV and RA’A in early Hebrew.  Looking at the instances where they are used as nouns clearly shows that moral evil is the primary concern.

 

In the example of Jeremiah 18:8, the moral evil (Ra’a) of an  unrepentant nation would result in their calamity (also Ra’a), implying their military destruction by God’s proxies (e.g. Babylon). If they turn away from their evil ways, the deity says he will relent. This raises the question about the nature of evil being met, caused to cease, or punished, by calamity or judgement, which share the same Hebrew word as Evil. 

 

For you Hebrew scholars, here is the text.

ח   וְשָׁב   הַגּוֹי  הַהוּא   מֵרָעָתוֹ   אֲשֶׁר  דִּבַּרְתִּי  עָלָיו  וְנִחַמְתִּי   עַל-הָרָעָה   אֲשֶׁר  חָשַׁבְתִּי   לַעֲשׂוֹת  לוֹ. 

Good and Evil in the Torah

Function Verse Hebrew (MT) Role Gloss / Note
Adjective Gen 6:5 וְכָל־יֵצֶר מַחְשְׁבֹת לִבּוֹ רַק רַע כָּל־הַיּוֹם Predicate adjective agreeing (m.s.) with יֵצֶר “every inclination … was only evil all day.” — describes state of the inclination.
Noun Gen 2:9 עֵץ הַדַּעַת טוֹב וָרָע Substantive; object of “knowledge” (pair with טוֹב) “knowledge of good and evil.” — both are abstract nouns.
Noun Ps 34:15 סוּר מֵרָע וַעֲשֵׂה־טוֹב Object of preposition מִן (“from”) “Turn from evil and do good.” — clear substantive after a preposition.
Noun Prov 13:21 רָע תְּרַדֵּף חַטָּאִים Subject of the verb “Evil pursues sinners.” — functions as a full noun (subject).
Noun Gen 44:29 וְהוֹרַדְתֶּם אֶת־שֵׂיבָתִי בְּרָעָה שְׁאוֹלָה Noun with prefixed preposition בְּ (“in/with”) “you will bring down my gray hairs in evil/misfortune to Sheol.”
Noun Jer 18:8 וְנִחַמְתִּי עַל־הָרָעָה אֲשֶׁר חָשַׁבְתִּי Articulated noun (הָ-) in construct with עַל “I will relent concerning the evil that I intended.” — definite noun with article.