πονηρός (ponēros)
ponēros
evil/bad
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 73 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The Greek word ponēros describes something that is bad, evil, or harmful in its effects and influence. Its root relates to toil and labor, suggesting a state of being worn down by hardship or trouble. In the New Testament, it frequently appears in Matthew, Luke, and Acts to describe moral corruption, physical ailments, or difficult circumstances.
It applies to people, things, and even spiritual forces. Jesus uses it to describe an "evil eye" (Matthew 6:23) or a "wicked generation" (Matthew 12:39), highlighting internal moral decay. It also refers to Satan as "the evil one" in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:13), distinguishing this personal source of harm from general badness. The term covers both ethical wickedness and physical pain, such as diseased trees producing bad fruit (Matthew 7:18).
Translators often render ponēros as "evil," but the word carries a sense of active detriment or damage rather than just abstract sin. It contrasts with goodness by showing what breaks or harms creation. This usage emphasizes the tangible negative impact of evil on individuals and communities, making it a key term for understanding biblical moral teaching.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word ponēros points to what actively harms or breaks us, whether in our inner motives or in the spiritual forces that oppose God. It is not just a label for bad behavior but describes a condition that spreads darkness, like an eye clouded by jealousy or a heart hardened against grace. When Jesus calls Satan "the evil one," He names a real enemy who seeks to steal truth and destroy faith.
Yet this word also reveals God’s mercy. Even when we are described as "evil" in our weakness, the Father still gives good gifts to those who ask. His sun rises on the just and unjust alike, offering grace before judgment. This reminder invites us to rely not on our own goodness but on God’s steadfast love, trusting that He can transform even our deepest flaws into opportunities for His light.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 73 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- evil36×
- evil.7×
- evil,7×
- evil [one]3×
- more evil2×
- evil one2×
- evil [one].2×
- bad2×
- wicked,1×
- wicked1×
- of evil1×
- grievous1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- πονηρὰ9×
- πονηροῦ9×
- πονηρὸς6×
- πονηρὸν5×
- πονηροὺς5×
- πονηρῶν4×
- πονηροὶ4×
- πονηρόν,3×
- πονηρά3×
- πονηρότερα2×
- πονηρόν.¶2×
- πονηρὲ2×
Key Verses
-
Matthew 6:13
Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.’
This verse identifies ponēros as a personal spiritual force, "the evil one," whom believers are taught to ask God to deliver from.
-
Matthew 5:45
that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.
Here the word describes people who oppose God, showing that divine grace extends even to those characterized by moral corruption.
-
Matthew 7:17
Even so, every good tree produces good fruit, but the corrupt tree produces evil fruit.
Jesus uses ponēros to describe fruit that comes from a corrupt nature, illustrating how inner character determines outward actions.
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Matthew 6:23
But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
The "evil eye" symbolizes a selfish perspective that plunges the whole person into spiritual darkness rather than physical harm.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does ponēros mean in the New Testament?
Is ponēros the same as hamartia (sin)?
Why is Satan called "the evil one"?
Every Occurrence (73 verses across 20 books)
Matthew 23 verses
“Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Matthew 5:37But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes’ and your ‘No’ be ‘No.’ Whatever is more than these is of the evil one.
Matthew 5:39But I tell you, don’t resist him who is evil; but whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also.
Matthew 5:45that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and…
Matthew 6:13Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory…
Matthew 6:23But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in you is darkness,…
Matthew 7:11If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven…
Matthew 7:17Even so, every good tree produces good fruit, but the corrupt tree produces evil fruit.
Matthew 7:18A good tree can’t produce evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree produce good fruit.
Matthew 9:4Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?
Matthew 12:34You offspring of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth…
Matthew 12:35The good man out of his good treasure brings out good things, and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings out evil…
Matthew 12:39But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, but no sign will be given to it but the…
Matthew 12:45Then he goes and takes with himself seven other spirits more evil than he is, and they enter in and dwell there. The…
Matthew 13:19When anyone hears the word of the Kingdom and doesn’t understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away that which…
Matthew 13:38the field is the world, the good seeds are the children of the Kingdom, and the darnel weeds are the children of the…
Matthew 13:49So it will be in the end of the world. The angels will come and separate the wicked from among the righteous,
Matthew 15:19For out of the heart come evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, sexual sins, thefts, false testimony, and blasphemies.
Matthew 16:4An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, and there will be no sign given to it, except the sign of the…
Matthew 18:32Then his lord called him in and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me.
Matthew 20:15Isn’t it lawful for me to do what I want to with what I own? Or is your eye evil, because I am good?’
Matthew 22:10Those servants went out into the highways and gathered together as many as they found, both bad and good. The wedding…
Matthew 25:26“But his lord answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant. You knew that I reap where I didn’t sow, and gather where…