Bible Lexicons

πονηρός (on the accent cf. Lob. ad Phryn., p. 3 Göttling, Lehre v., Accent, p. 304f; (Chandler §§ 404, 405); Lipsius, Grammat. Untersuch., p. 26), πονηρά, πονηρόν; comparitive πονηρότερος (Matthew 12:45; Luke 11:26); (πονέω, πόνος); from Hesiod (Homer (ep. 15, 20), Theog.) down; the Sept. often for רַע ;

1. full of labors, annoyances, hardships;

a. pressed and harassed by labors; thus Hercules is called πονηροτατος καί ἄριστος, Hesiod fragment 43, 5.

b. bringing toils, annoyances, perils: (καιρός, Sir. 51:12); ἡμέρα πονηρά, of a time full of peril to Christian faith and steadfastness, Ephesians 5:16; Ephesians 6:13 (so in the plural ἡμέραι πονηραί the Epistle of Barnabas 2, 1 [ET]); causing pain and trouble (A. V. grievous), ἕλκος, Revelation 16:2.

2. bad, of a bad nature or condition;

a. in a physical sense: ὀφθαλμός, diseased or blind, Matthew 6:23; Luke 11:34 (πονηρία ὀφθαλμῶν, Plato, Hipp., min., p. 374 d.; the Greeks use πονηρῶς ἔχειν or διακεῖσθαι of the sick; ἐκ γενετῆς πονηρούς ὑγιεῖς πεποιηκέναι, Justin Martyr, Apology 1, 22 ((cf. Otto's note); others take πονηρός in Matthew and Luke as above ethically; cf.

b. and Meyer on Matt.)); καρπός, Matthew 7:17f.

b. in an ethical sense, evil, wicked, bad, etc. ("this use of the word is due to its association with the working (largely the servile) class; not that contempt for labor is thereby expressed, for such words as ἐργάτης, δραστηρ, and the like, do not take on this evil sense, which connected itself only with a word expressive of unintermitted toil and carrying no suggestion of results" (cf. Schmidt, chapter 85, § 1); see κακία, at the end); of persons: Matthew 7:11; Matthew 12:34; Matthew 18:32; Matthew 25:26; Luke 6:45; Luke 11:13; Luke 19:22; Acts 17:5; 2 Thessalonians 3:2; 2 Timothy 3:13; γενεά πονηρά, Matthew 12:39, 45; Matthew 16:4; Luke 11:29; πνεῦμα πονηρόν, an evil spirit (see πνεῦμα, 3 c.), Matthew 12:45; Luke 7:21; Luke 8:2; Luke 11:26; Acts 19:12f, 15f; substantively οἱ πονηροί, the wicked, bad men, opposed to οἱ δίκαιοι, Matthew 13:49; πονηροί καί ἀγαθοί, Matthew 5:45; Matthew 22:10; ἀχάριστοι καί πονηροί, Luke 6:35; τόν πονηρόν, the wicked man, i. e. the evil-doer spoken of, 1 Corinthians 5:13; τῷ πονηρῷ, the evil man, who injures you, Matthew 5:39. ὁ πονηρός is used pre-eminently of the devil, the evil one: Matthew 5:37; Matthew 6:13; Matthew 13:19, 38; Luke 11:4 R L; John 17:15; 1 John 2:13; 1 John 3:12; 1 John 5:18f (on which see κεῖμαι, 2{c}); Ephesians 6:16. of things: αἰών, Galatians 1:4; ὄνομα (which see 1, p. 447a bottom), Luke 6:22; ῤᾳδιούργημα, Acts 18:14; the heart as a storehouse out of which a man brings forth πονηρά words is called θησαυρός πονηρός, Matthew 12:35; Luke 6:45; συνείδησις πονηρά, a soul conscious of wickedness (conscious wickedness; see συνείδησις, b. sub at the end), Hebrews 10:22; καρδία πονηρά ἀπιστίας, an evil heart such as is revealed in distrusting (cf. Buttmann, § 132, 24; Winer's Grammar, § 30, 4), Hebrews 3:12; ὀφθαλμός (which see), Matthew 20:15; Mark 7:22; διαλογισμοί, Matthew 15:19; James 2:4; ὑπόνοιαι, 1 Timothy 6:4; καύχησις; James 4:16; ῤῆμα, a reproach, Matthew 5:11 (R G; others omit ῤῆμα); λόγοι, 3 John 1:10; ἔργα, John 3:19; John 7:7; 1 John 3:12; 2 John 1:11; Colossians 1:21; ἔργον (according to the context) wrong committed against me, 2 Timothy 4:18; αἰτία, charge of crime, Acts 25:18 L T Tr marginal reading WH marginal reading The neuter πονηρόν, and τό πονηρόν, substantively, evil, that which is wicked: εἶδος πονηροῦ (see εἶδος, 2; (others take πονηροῦ here as an adjective, and bring the example under εἶδος, 1 (R. V. marginal reading appearance of evil))), 1 Thessalonians 5:22; 2 Thessalonians 3:3 (where τοῦ πονηροῦ is held by many to be the genitive of the masculine ὁ πονηρός, but cf. Lünemann ad loc.); (τί πονηρόν, Acts 28:21); opposed to τό ἀγαθόν, Luke 6:45; Romans 12:9; plural (Winer's Grammar, § 34, 2), Matthew 9:4; Luke 3:19; wicked deeds, Acts 25:18 Tr text WH text; ταῦτα τά πονηρά, these evil things i. e. the vices just enumerated, Mark 7:23.