πονηρός (ponaʸrόs) — immoral / evil / wicked

Form 1

Part of speech: adjc.

Inflections: πονηρός; -ά, -όν

Related lemmas: πονηρία

Sense 1: immoral, evil, wicked

Semantic entry: 88.110

Semantic domains: Moral and Ethical Qualities and Related Behavior

Subdomains: Bad, Evil, Harmful, Damaging

Definition: pertaining to being morally corrupt and evil

Notes: In translating OET MAT 5:11 it is important to indicate that the words spoken are not evil in themselves, but the content of what is spoken involves attributing evil and wicked deeds to the followers of Jesus. It may, therefore, be necessary to say in some languages ‘when men speak against you by saying that you have done wicked deeds.’

Show passage in OET: MAT 5:11

OET-RV MAT 5:11

11 “Everyone who’s derided or chased or lied about is blessed, along with those who have evil things said about them just because they follow me.

OET-LV MAT 5:11

11 Blessed are _you _all whenever they _may _deride you _all and may _pursue and lying, they _may _say all evil against you _all on _account of _me.

Show passage in OET: MAT 5:37

OET-RV MAT 5:37

37 Just say ‘yes’ when you commit to doing something, and ‘no’ when you don’t, because going beyond that is actually evil.

OET-LV MAT 5:37

37 But let _be the statement of _you _all, yes be yes, no be no, and the additional than these things is from the evil.

Jump to OET MAT 5:11 section.

Jump to OET MAT 5:37 section.

All 58 recorded passages for this sense

MAT: OET MAT 5:11 · OET MAT 5:37 · OET MAT 5:39 · OET MAT 5:45 · OET MAT 6:23 · OET MAT 7:11 · OET MAT 9:4 · OET MAT 12:34–35 · OET MAT 12:39 · OET MAT 12:45 · OET MAT 13:19 · OET MAT 13:49 · OET MAT 15:19 · OET MAT 16:4 · OET MAT 18:32 · OET MAT 22:10 · OET MAT 25:26

MRK: OET MRK 7:23

LUK: OET LUK 3:19 · OET LUK 6:22 · OET LUK 6:35 · OET LUK 6:45 · OET LUK 7:21 · OET LUK 8:2 · OET LUK 11:13 · OET LUK 11:26 · OET LUK 11:29 · OET LUK 11:34 · OET LUK 19:22

JHN: OET JHN 3:19 · OET JHN 7:7

ACT: OET ACT 17:5 · OET ACT 18:14 · OET ACT 19:12–13 · OET ACT 19:15–16 · OET ACT 25:18 · OET ACT 28:21

ROM: OET ROM 12:9

CO1: OET CO1 5:13

GAL: OET GAL 1:4

EPH: OET EPH 5:16 · OET EPH 6:13

COL: OET COL 1:21

TH1: OET TH1 5:22

TH2: OET TH2 3:2–3

TI1: OET TI1 6:4

TI2: OET TI2 3:13 · OET TI2 4:18

HEB: OET HEB 3:12

JAM: OET JAM 2:4 · OET JAM 4:16

JN1: OET JN1 3:12

JN2: OET JN2 1:11

JN3: OET JN3 1:10

Sense 2: bad, worthless

Semantic entry: 65.27

Semantic domains: Value

Subdomains: Good, Bad

Definition: pertaining to possessing a serious fault and consequently being worthless

Notes: In a number of languages one must speak of ‘bad fruit’ in the context of OET MAT 7:18 as ‘fruit which does not taste good.’ It is often wrong to use an expression such as ‘rotten fruit,’ since a good tree may produce fruit which rots as a result of being overly ripe.

Show passage in OET: MAT 7:17

OET-RV MAT 7:17

17 Similarly, every good tree produces good fruit, but the bad tree produces evil fruit.

OET-LV MAT 7:17

17 Thus every good tree is _producing good fruits, but the bad tree is _producing evil fruits.

Show passage in OET: MAT 7:18

OET-RV MAT 7:18

18 A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit.

OET-LV MAT 7:18

18 A_ good _tree is_ not _able to _bear evil fruits, nor a_ bad _tree to _be _producing good fruits.

Jump to OET MAT 7:17 section.

Jump to OET MAT 7:18 section.

Sense 3: guilty

Semantic entry: 88.314

Semantic domains: Moral and Ethical Qualities and Related Behavior

Subdomains: Sin, Wrongdoing, Guilt

Definition: pertaining to guilt resulting from an evil deed

Notes: In a number of languages it would be entirely misleading to speak of ‘a guilty conscience,’ for this would seem to imply that there is something sinful about the conscience itself. In reality, it is the conscience that says that a person is guilty, and therefore it may be necessary to translate OET HEB 10:22 as ‘with hearts that have been purified from a condition in which their conscience has said that they are guilty.’

Show passage in OET: HEB 10:22

OET-RV HEB 10:22

22 we can approach God with sincere hearts in full assurance due to our faith, having our hearts sprinkled to clean us from our guilty consciences and with our bodies having been washed in clean water.

OET-LV HEB 10:22

22 we _may _be _approaching with a_true heart in full _assurance of _faith, having _been _sprinkled our hearts from a_conscience evil, and having _been _washed our body in _water pure.

Jump to OET HEB 10:22 section.

Sense 4: to be sick, to be diseased

Semantic entry: 23.149

Semantic domains: Physiological Processes and States

Subdomains: Sickness, Disease, Weakness

Definition: (a figurative extension of meaning of πονηρός[a] ‘evil,’ 88.110: πονηρός) a state of being sickly or diseased (in the NT with special reference to the eyes)

Notes: For other interpretations of πονηρός with ὀφθαλμός, see 57.108: ὀφθαλμός / 57.108: πονηρός and 88.165: ὀφθαλμός / 88.165: πονηρός. See also 23.132: ἁπλοῦς.

Show passage in OET: MAT 6:23

OET-RV MAT 6:23

23 But if your eyes are evil, your entire body will be dark.

OET-LV MAT 6:23

23 But if the eye of _you may _be evil, all the body of _you will _be dark.
Therefore if the light which in you is darkness, how _great is the darkness.

Show passage in OET: LUK 11:34

OET-RV LUK 11:34

34 Your eyes are like the lamp for your body. Whenever your eyes are healthy, your entire body will be bright, but when your eyes are evil, your body is also dark,

OET-LV LUK 11:34

34 The lamp of _the body is the eye of _you.
Whenever the eye of _you may _be healthy, all the body of _you is also bright, but when evil may _be, the body of _you is also dark.

Jump to OET MAT 6:23 section.

Jump to OET LUK 11:34 section.

All 3 recorded passages for this sense

MAT: OET MAT 6:23

LUK: OET LUK 11:34

REV: OET REV 16:2

Sense 5: the Evil One, He who is evil

Semantic entry: 12.35

Semantic domains: Supernatural Beings and Powers

Subdomains: Supernatural Beings

Definition: (a title for the Devil, literally: the evil one) the one who is essentially evil or in a sense personifies evil

Collocations: ὁ πονηρός

Show passage in OET: MAT 6:13

OET-RV MAT 6:13

13 Don’t bring us to the point of being tempted,
⇔ but keep us away from doing evil things.’

OET-LV MAT 6:13

13 And you _may_ not _carry _in us into temptation, but rescue us from the evil.

Show passage in OET: MAT 13:38

OET-RV MAT 13:38

38 and the field is the world, and the good seeds are the heirs to the kingdom. The false wheat seeds are the evil one’s apprentices,

OET-LV MAT 13:38

38 and the field is the world, and the good seed, these are the sons of _the kingdom, and the darnels are the sons of _the evil one,

Jump to OET MAT 6:13 section.

Jump to OET MAT 13:38 section.

All 10 recorded passages for this sense

MAT: OET MAT 6:13 · OET MAT 13:38

JHN: OET JHN 17:15

EPH: OET EPH 6:16

TH2: OET TH2 3:3

JN1: OET JN1 2:13–14 · OET JN1 3:12 · OET JN1 5:18–19

Sense 6: jealous(y)

Semantic entry: 88.165

Semantic domains: Moral and Ethical Qualities and Related Behavior

Subdomains: Envy, Jealousy

Definition: (an idiom, literally: evil eye) a feeling of jealousy and resentment because of what someone else has or does

Notes: It is also possible to understand ὀφθαλμὸς πονηρός in OET MAT 20:15 as meaning ‘stinginess’ (see 57.108: ὀφθαλμός / 57.108: πονηρός). See also 23.149: πονηρός.

Collocations: ὀφθαλμὸς πονηρός

Show passage in OET: MAT 20:15

OET-RV MAT 20:15

15 Or aren’t I permitted to do what I want with my own money? Or do you look at me maliciously just because I’m generous?’

OET-LV MAT 20:15

15 Or not is _it _permitting for _me, what I _am _willing to _do with the mine?
Or is the eye of _you evil, because I am good?

Show passage in OET: MRK 7:22

Combined passage: org MRK 7:21–22 (native MRK 7:21–22; verse text cannot be split).

OET-RV MRK 7:21-22

21-22 ⇔“That’s because evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, arrogance, lust, slander, pride, and foolishness all come from inside people’s hearts and minds.

OET-LV MRK 7:22

22 greediness, wickedness, deceit, wantonness, eyeing evil, slander, pride, foolishness.

Jump to OET MAT 20:15 section.

Jump to OET MRK 7:22 section.

Sense 7: stingy, miserly

Semantic entry: 57.108

Semantic domains: Possess, Transfer, Exchange

Subdomains: Give

Definition: (an idiom, literally: evil eye) to be stingy

Notes: It is also possible that ὀφθαλμὸς πονηρός in OET MAT 20:15 is to be understood in the sense of ‘jealous’ (see 88.165: ὀφθαλμός / 88.165: πονηρός). See also 23.149: πονηρός.

Collocations: ὀφθαλμὸς πονηρός

Show passage in OET: MAT 6:23

OET-RV MAT 6:23