Greek · G4190 · unreviewed

πονηρός

Evil/bad

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πονηρός G4190

Pronunciation ponērós

What does πονηρός (ponērós) mean in the Bible?

πονηρός (ponērós) is a Greek word meaning "evil/bad". πονηρός, -ά, -όν (πονέω, to toil), [in LXX chiefly for רַע ;] __1. Indicates escalation of spiritual corruption. This term runs through the canonical themes of Messiah.

Full entry for πονηρός (G4190) · Browse the biblical lexicon

Meaning

evil/bad

Extended definition

Moral or physical badness; notably used for Satan as "the evil one" in spiritual warfare contexts.

(πονέω, to toil), [in LXX chiefly for רַע ;]

aof persons, oppressed by toils (Hes.);

bof things, toilsome, painful (καιρός, Sir.51:12): Eph.5:16 6:13 Rev.16:2.

2bad, worthless;

ain physical sense: καρπός, Mat.7:17-18;

bin ethical sense, bad, evil, wicked; __(α) of persons: Mat.7:11 12:34-35 18:32 25:26, Luk.6:45 11:13 19:22, Act.17:5, 2Th.3:2, 2Ti.3:13; γενεά, Mat.12:39, 45 16:4, Luk.11:29; πνεῦμια, Mat.12:45, Luk.7:21 8:2 11:26, Act.19:12-13, 15-16; as subst., οἱ π., opposite to δίκαιοι, Mat.13:49; to ἀγαθοί, Mat.5:45 22:10; οἱ ἀχάριστοι καὶ π., Luk.6:35; sing., ὁ π., Mat.5:39, 1Co.5:13; id. esp. of Satan, the evil one, Mat.5:37 6:13 (see Lft., Notes, 125 ff.; but cf. McN, in l) Mat.13:19, 38, Luk.11:4 (WH, R, om.), Jhn.17:15, Eph.6:16, 2Th.3:3 (Lft., Notes, l.with), 1Jn.2:13-14 Jn 3:12 Jn 5:18-19; __(β) of things: Mat.5:11 12:35 15:19, Luk.6:22, 45, Jhn.3:19 7:7, Act.18:14 25:18, Gal.1:4, Col.1:21, 1Ti.6:4, 2Ti.4:18, Heb.3:12 10:22, Jas.2:4 4:16, 1Jn.3:12, II Jn 11, 3Jn.10; ὀφθαλμός (which see), Mat.6:23 20:15, Mrk.7:22, Luk.11:34; as subst., neut., τὸ π., Act.28:21, 1Th.5:22; opposite to ἀγαθόν, Luk.6:45, Rom.12:9; pl., Mat.9:4, Mrk.7:23, Luk.3:19.

Synonymssee: ἄθεσμος

Source: STEPBible TBESG + Abbott-Smith

Why This Word Matters

Indicates escalation of spiritual corruption. 1 John 2:12-14

Identifies personal spiritual opposition that believers overcome through divine empowerment. 1 John 5:18-21

Identifies the personal power influencing the fallen world. Luke 11:24–26

Spiritual growth occurs in the context of real conflict, yet victory is assured in Christ.

John frames spiritual life in terms of real spiritual opposition and divine protection.

Grammatical Forms

How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.

Nominative · Singular · Masculine Matt 6:23 · Matt 12:35 · Matt 13:19 · Matt 20:15 · Mark 7:22 · Luke 6:45 · Luke 11:34 · 1 John 5:18 8×

Nominative · Plural · Masculine Matt 7:11 · Matt 12:34 · Matt 15:19 · Luke 11:13 · 2 Tim 3:13 5×

Nominative · Singular · Feminine Matt 12:39 · Matt 16:4 · Luke 11:29 · Heb 3:12 · Jas 4:16 5×

Nominative · Plural · Neuter Mark 7:23 · John 3:19 · John 7:7 · 1 John 3:12 4×

Nominative · Singular · Neuter Acts 18:14 · Acts 19:15 · Acts 19:16 · Rev 16:2 4×

Nominative · Plural · Feminine Eph 5:16 · 1 Tim 6:4 2×

Genitive · Singular · Masculine Matt 5:37 · Matt 12:35 · Matt 13:38 · Luke 6:45 · John 17:15 · Gal 1:4 · Eph 6:16 · 2 Thess 3:3 · 1 John 3:12 9×

Genitive · Plural · Neuter Luke 3:19 · Luke 7:21 · Luke 8:2 · Acts 25:18 4×

Genitive · Singular · Neuter Matt 6:13 · 1 Thess 5:22 · 2 Tim 4:18 3×

Genitive · Plural · Masculine 2 Thess 3:2 · Jas 2:4 2×

Canonical Themes

Messiah

Biblical Occurrences

Each occurrence shows the passage reference, the original language term as it appears in that context, its transliteration, and the contextual sense.

New Testament Witnesses

1 John 2:12-14 evil one ponērós

A reference to Satan as the personal source of opposition to God.

1 John 5:18-21 evil one ponērós Nominative · Singular · Masculine

Personal embodiment of evil, referring to Satan.

Luke 11:24–26 πονηρότερα ponērós

more evil

Additional Occurrences

1-john Evil one ponērós

wicked adversary

1-john Evil one ponērós

wicked adversary

Luke 11:33–36 πονηρός ponērós

Evil, diseased

Luke 3:19–20 πονηρῶν ponērós

Evil things

Appears In

Compound and idiomatic lexemes in which this word is a constituent. Follow a link to study the phrase and its other participating words.

Word Pictures (Robertson)

A.T. Robertson's Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) discusses this term in the following chapters. Open any chapter and go to the Word Pictures tab to read his verse-by-verse commentary.

Acts 19 — The Word of the Lord Grows Mightily in Ephesus John 17 — The Son’s High Priestly Prayer: Glory, Preservation, Sanctification, Unity, Mission, and Love Luke 11 — Prayer, Kingdom Conflict, True Hearing, and the Exposure of Hypocrisy Luke 8 — The Word Heard, the Kingdom Revealed, and the Lord’s Authority Displayed Mark 7 — True Defilement and Boundary-Crossing Mercy Matthew 12 — The Lord of the Sabbath, the Servant of the Lord, and the Crisis of Unbelief Matthew 13 — The Kingdom in Parables: Hearing, Hiddenness, Growth, Worth, and Judgment Matthew 15 — Tradition, the Heart, Gentile Faith, and the Compassionate Bread of the Messiah Matthew 16 — The Confession of the Christ, the Church Christ Builds, and the Cross-Shaped Way of Discipleship Matthew 18 — Kingdom Humility, Care for the Little Ones, Discipline, and Forgiveness in Christ’s Community Matthew 20 — The First-Last Kingdom, the Ransom-Giving Son of Man, and Mercy for the Blind Matthew 22 — The Wedding Banquet, the King’s Invitation, and the Messiah Who Is David’s Lord Matthew 25 — Readiness, Stewardship, and the Final Judgment of the Son of Man Matthew 5 — Kingdom Blessedness, Fulfilled Law, and Heart-Level Righteousness Matthew 6 — Hidden Righteousness, the Father’s Reward, and Seeking First the Kingdom Matthew 7 — Kingdom Discernment, the Narrow Way, and the Wise Builder Matthew 9 — Authority to Forgive, Mercy for Sinners, and Compassion for the Harvest Romans 12 — Living Sacrifices, Renewed Minds, Humble Service, and Love Without Hypocrisy

A.T. Robertson, Word Pictures in the New Testament (1930–31) — public domain

Sources

MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain

Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0

Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0

STEPBible Data — CC BY 4.0

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