A Brief List of 95 Bad Words, Terms, and Phrases of the Bible

Abaddon (Hebrew: אֲבַדּוֹן; Greek: Ἀβαδδών)
Job 26:6; 31:12; Proverbs 15:11; Revelation 9:11
Originating in the Hebrew and transliterated into Greek and then into English, the term “abaddon” means “ruin or destruction” but as a proper name it can mean “place of destruction” or “Destroyer.” It may be similar to Orcus, who, like Hades, was an ancient god of the underworld and whose name, like the name of Hades, became associated with the place wherein he dwelt; additionally, Orcus was a punitive and malicious netherworld god. Likewise, Abaddon is associated with a being both whose ways are destruction and whose abode is the place wherein such takes place.
See also Apollyon, Devil, and Satan.

Abyss (Hebrew: תְּהוֹם; Greek: ἄβυσσος)
Genesis 1:2; Psalm 71:20; Luke 8:31; Revelation 9:1, 11; 20:1, 3
The term translated as “abyss” is a near transliteration from the Greek ἄβυσσος; in the Hebrew, the term is תְּהוֹם, or “tehom.” Both תְּהוֹם and ἄβυσσος indicate a place of the deep, under the earth, deep into the earth. In the Hebrew imagination, seas and oceans were places of chaos and disorder as well as fearful mystery, the depths of which would be one’s grave, if a person fell into its chasm. Additionally, the term “abyss” carries with it the connotation of being a bottomless pit, whence none might escape.
See also Hades, Hell, and Sheol.

Accursed (Hebrew: זָעַם; Greek: κατάρα)
Psalm 119:21; Isaiah 65:20; Micah 6:10; 1 Peter 2:14
In the Hebrew, this term, זָעַם, indicates indignation so much so that one foams at the mouth with rage, or to be so abhorrent that such a one is “accursed”; in the Greek, the term κατάρα indicates an execration or imprecation, the calling of a curse upon another, such that the opposite of blessing is implied or wished upon that one.
See also Anathema and Cursed.

Adder (Hebrew: פֶּתֶן)
Deuteronomy 32:33
The term “adder” is used to refer to any venomous snake, like a viper, and comes from the Middle English term naddre, meaning “snake,” and, as vipers in England during the time in which Middle English was used were the most/only venomous reptiles there, the term naddre was applied to them, and has come to be applied to venomous snakes all around the world. When the Hebrew term פֶּתֶן is translated as “adder,” it is indicating a poisonous, venomous snake, whose bite can kill, injure, or incapacitate.
See also Serpent, Snake, and Viper.

Adultery/Adulterer/Adulteress (Hebrew: זָנָה; Greek: μοιχεύω, πορνεία)
Exodus 34: 15, 16; Leviticus 17:7; 20:5; Deuteronomy 31:16; Judges 2:17; 8:27, 33; 1 Chronicles 5:25; Isaiah 1:21; 23:17; Ezekiel 6:9; 16: 26, 28; 20:30; 23:30; Matthew 19:9; John 8:41; Revelation 2:22; 14:8; 17:2, 4; 18:3; 19:2
Often in the Bible, the terms זָנָה, μοιχεύω, or πορνεία indicate adultery, the act thereof or the one committing such. In the OT Hebrew, there is but one root term, which is declined into various forms: זָנָה. In the NT Greek, there are two terms: μοιχεύω and πορνεία, the first of which specifically and only refers to adultery in the act, whether sexually or spiritually, and the second of which refers to adultery, whether sexual or spiritual, as well as incest and illegitimacy or bastardization. The Greek πορνεία is also the term from which comes today’s word “pornography.”
See also Bastard, Born of fornication, Whore, and Whoredom.

Anathema (Greek: ἀνάθεμα)
1 Corinthians 12:3; 16:22; Galatians 1:8
Originally, the term meant “dedicated to the divine.” With the advent of Paul’s letters and his Jewish perspective from the Hebrew OT, wherein that which was “devoted to the LORD” was cursed or destroyed, the Greek word was transformed to take on such a meaning; hence, the NT indicates that one under an anathema is “cursed to be destroyed.” A contemporary phrase that we might recognize today would be “go to hell.”
See also Accursed and Cursed.

Apollyon (Greek: Ἀπολλύων)
Revelation 9:11
The term “Apollyon” transliterates into English from the Greek term Ἀπολλύων, which the author of Revelation constructed from the Greek verb ἀπόλλυμι, creating the name with a present active participle, which means “Destroyer” or “The One Destroying,” bearing with it the connotation of utter destruction, destruction to the fullest and to the utmost. It is also an indirect reference to the devil or Satan.
See also Abaddon, Devil, and Satan.

Ass (Hebrew: פֶּרֶא ,חֲמוֹר)
Genesis 16:12; Judges 15:16; Jeremiah 2:24; 22:19; Ezekiel 23:20
Rarely used in the Bible as an ignominious comparison of a person, the term “ass” in these few verses is surely not meant as a compliment in the least. Rather, it is a term of derision for the wicked immorality of the persons being compared to such. Indeed, often throughout the Ancient Near East, asses were used as beasts of burden, transporting goods and persons across great distances, near and far, rather useful animals.
See also Donkey.

Babylon (Hebrew: בָּבֶל; Greek: Βαβυλών)
Psalm 137:1, 8; Isaiah 13:19; 14:4; Revelation 14:8; 16:19; 17:5; 18:21
The Hebrew term for Babylon, which means “confusion,” comes from a term that is transliterated as “babel” and calls to mind the Tower of Babel, whereat God confused the language of humanity into many diverse languages. In the New Testament, the Greek for the term is transliterated from the Hebrew and into English as “Babylon,” and is used allegorically as a term for Rome, the most corrupt seat of idolatry and the enemy of early Christianity. Babylon was the nation that came against the Kingdom of Judah in about 586 BC/BCE and overthrew the city of Jerusalem, taking the people captive–all by God’s design, according to the Scriptures. Babylon was viewed by the Jews and early Christians as a city of evil tyranny and corruption, corrupting the good morals of believers with its attractive lewd ways of idolatry.
See also Mother of Prostitutes and of the Abominations of the Earth.

Baldy (Hebrew: קֵרֵחַ; Greek: φαλακρέ)
2 Kings 2:23; Micah 1:16
There is a story about the prophet Elisha (2 Kings 2:23ff), who was leaving Bethel, and as he was going, little children came from the city, mocking him, saying, “Get out of here, baldy; get out of here, baldy!” To whom he turned and, simply looking at them, cursed them in the name of the LORD, and two mother bears suddenly came out of the nearby woods, and tore forty-two of the children apart. While not used in the NT, the term is translated into the Greek in the LXX, and is a combination of two terms: φάλος + άκρος, which mean “white” + “topmost,” apparently indicating that a bald person had a white top part of their head, as in, “where the sun don’t shine.” The term is also used in various Levitical laws, indicating actual baldness and not as a term of derision. In Micah 1:16, however, it is a term of derision, comparing the great baldness of the eagle to the “baldness” that shall be imposed upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, as the people thereof have gone into captivity. In the OT, baldness could be a sign of extreme grief or cursing, as one might tear out their hair (including beard hair) in grief or be shaved by a conquering enemy.

Barbarian (Hebrew: בָּעַר; Greek: βάρβαρος)
Ezekiel 21:31; 1 Corinthians 14:11; Colossians 3:11
The term “barbarian” comes from the Proto-Indo-European root “*barbar-,” which means something like “unintelligible speech of foreigners,” and may stem from the Sanskrit term “barbara-,” meaning “stammering.” Originally, not entirely pejorative, it became more so after the Persian wars, and later the Romans took up the term (“barbaroi,” which is from Greek, and means “non-Greek”) and applied it to all who were neither of the Greek or Roman accomplishments. The connotation the term bears is of a kind of babbling nonsense, so painting the one so addressed as a nonsensical babbler, like a baby who has not yet learned to speak properly.
See also Philistine.

Bastard (Hebrew: מַמְזֵר; Greek: νόθος)
Deuteronomy 23:2; Zechariah 9:6; Hebrews 12:8
Though the exact term “bastard” came into use in history in the 11th century as indicating the “acknowledged child of a nobleman” out of wedlock and did not acquire its vulgar meaning until about the early 19th century, the Hebrew term מַמְזֵר and the Greek term νόθος can be translated into English as “bastard,” meaning “an illegitimate child born out of wedlock.” The few times there is a translations of terms into English as “bastard” indicate not a positive affirmation, but indicate illegitimacy of the ones to whom reference is made.
See also Adultery/Adulterer/Adulteress, Born of fornication, Whore, and Whoredom.

Beast (Hebrew: בְּהֵמָה; Greek: θηρίον)
Psalm 73:22; Titus 1:12
While the term “beast” is used widely throughout the Bible to refer to animals, particularly with the Hebrew חַי or בְּהֵמָה and the Greek θηρίον, there are a couple of times wherein it is used to make a denigrating reference to a human as an animal, denigrating because the biblical assumption is that there is a kind of hierarchy of being, in which animals are below humans. Thus, to name a human as an animal or beast is to diminish the worth or value of that human. The terms can also make reference to a human acting like a ferocious animal or wild beast, though not necessarily in a derogatory manner. Still, the reference in Daniel and Revelation to a beast is not meant to be becoming, but rather to indicate the subhuman nature of the being.
See also Devil and Satan.

Beelzebub (Greek: Βεελζεβούβ)
2 Kings 1:2ff; Matthew 10:25; 12:24, 27; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15ff
According to the Old Testament, Beelzebub was the false god of the Philistines in Ekron, to whom the Israelite King Ahaziah prayed to see whether he would recover from a fatal fall. A term transliterated from the Hebrew/Aramaic term בַּעַל זְבוּב, which literally translates into “Baal of the dung” or, by extension, “Lord of the flies” or “Lord of filth,” Beelzebub is a term used by the Pharisees to denigrate the exorcism ministry of Jesus. The term is also meant to denigrate the devil or Satan by naming him as lord of shit and the flies therewith.
See also Beelzeboul.

Beelzeboul (Greek: Βεελζεβούλ)
2 Kings 1:2ff; Matthew 10:25; 12:24, 27; Mark 3:22; Luke 11:15ff
While rendered rather similar to Beelzebub, the term Beelzeboul is attested by earlier manuscripts of the NT, making it more likely to have been original to the NT text. The difference between the two terms is as follows: Beelzebub may have been more true to the OT term, referring mockingly to the ancient god of Ekron as the “Lord of the dung/filth/flies,” while Beelzeboul, being greatly attested by some of the earliest NT manuscripts, refers to Satan as the “Lord of the dwelling/height” or “Lord on high,” which may be more true to the manner in which the Philistines referred to their god as well as an ironic reference by the Hebrews to this Philistine god.
See also Beelzebub.

Bewitched (Greek: βασκαίνω)
Galatians 3:1
The only time in the Bible where this term is used is in the NT in the Epistle to the Galatians by the Apostle Paul. It means “to slander” or “to beguile another with feigned praise,” thereby “dazzling” or “bewitching” that individual. When Paul uses it, he is not praising the Galatians but chastising them for their foolish faithlessness to Christ.

Born of fornication (Greek: ἐκ πορνείας γεγεννημένοι)
John 8:41
When the Pharisees retort that they are not born of fornication–implying that Jesus was–but that God is their father, they are saying not only that Jesus is a bastard son of Mary but also an illegitimate Son of God. The implication is that Jesus’ father, not being Joseph, must have been someone illicit. The fact that the author of the Gospel of John places the account of the woman caught in adultery at the head of John chapter 8, wherein the Pharisees accuse Jesus of being of fornication, only heightens the tensions of the whole passage.
See also Adultery/Adulterer/Adulteress, Bastard, Whore, and Whoredom.

Brood of vipers (Greek: γεννήματα ἐχιδνῶν)
Matthew 3:7; 12:34; 23:33; Luke 3:7
When John the Baptist and Jesus refer to the Pharisees, Sadducees, and other religious leaders of their day as γεννήματα ἐχιδνῶν, or “brood of vipers,” they are not offering a compliment; rather, they are comparing the religious leaders to a nest of poisonous snakes common in ancient Palestine, indicating that they are sons of such, namely, the Serpent, who in Genesis 3, with his cunning and cleverness, deceives Adam and Eve into partaking in the poison of sin against God.
See also Serpent, Snake, and Viper.

Chaff (Hebrew: מֹץ, Greek: ἄχυρον)
Job 21:18; Psalm 1:4; 35:5; Isaiah 29:5; 41:15; Hosea 13:3; Zephaniah 2:2; Matthew 3:12; Luke 3:17
The chaff is the lightweight residue left over after threshing grain; it is the light, loose outer covering of grain husks, which are separated during threshing. After it is threshed by beating or grinding it, the grain (along with the chaff) is then winnowed, which is a process where the threshed grain is tossed up in the air, the heavy grain heads falling to the floor and the light chaff blowing away in the wind. To compare a person to chaff is to say that they are worthless, lightweight, and cast to the wind like rubbish.
See also Worthless.

Cursed (Hebrew: אָרַר or חֵרֶם; Greek: κατάρα)
Genesis 3:14, 17; 4:11; 9:25; Deuteronomy 27:15ff; Joshua 6:26; Job 3:1; Jeremiah 20:14-15; Malachi 3:9; Matthew 25:41; John 7:49; Galatians 3:10, 13; 2 Peter 2:14
To determine that a thing or person is “cursed”–biblically speaking–is to esteem such as a one as “cursed,” which fundamentally means something like “wishing or praying for the bestowal of evil upon another”; it can also mean “damnation” or “damned,” or to consign one to an evil end.
See also Accursed and Anathema.

Dead dog (Hebrew: הַכֶּלֶב הַמֵּת; Greek: τὸν κύνα τὸν τεθνηκότα)
1 Samuel 24:14; 2 Samuel 9:8; 16:9
The term “dead dog” indicates a kind of double curse, the one so referred to is doubly cursed, as dogs were seen as scavengers, dirty, soiled, unclean, and filthy, but a dead dog would be doubly unclean, all the more filthy and worthless. When this term is utilized, it is meant to indicate that the individual to whom such reference is made is doubly worthless.
See also Dog.

Demon (Hebrew: שָׂעִיר ,שֵׁד; Greek: δαιμόνιον)
Leviticus 17:7; Deuteronomy 32:17; 2 Chronicles 11:15; Isaiah 13:21; 34:14; Psalm 106: 37; Matthew 11:18; Luke 7:33; John 7:20; 8:48ff, 52; 10:20
In the OT Hebrew, the term שָׂעִיר is used to refer to a hairy/shaggy one, like a faun or satyr, a demon god, even as Leviticus 17:7 commands that the Israelites must cease to sacrifice to the “hairy ones” of their day and age. Additionally, these שָׂעִיר were described as “dancing in the wilderness” (Isaiah 13:21) and as “crying out in the wilderness” (Isaiah 34:14) very much like the jinn of Arabic myths or the faun or satyrs of ancient Greco-Roman mythology. Furthermore, the Hebrew term שָׂעִיר in the OT carries with it the root term שָׂעַר, which bears the image of fear, terror, and horror before a tempestuous storm or whirlwind, like a strong tornado. Thus, the OT Hebrew term שָׂעִיר bears with it some kind of scary hairy demon-like goat being that causes chaos like a tornado. The place wherein such a being as שָׂעִיר dwells is one of chaos and desolation, usually being associated with the wilderness. The other term for demon in the OT is the Hebrew term שֵׁד, the root of which is שׁוּד, meaning “to ruin, destroy, or devastate”; hence, the term שֵׁד carries with it similar connotations. The term שֵׁד is a loan word from the Assyrian term šêdu, which means “a protecting spirit, especially of a bull-colossus”; it seems the transference into the ancient Hebrew made for a different meaning in terms of a demon, as the שֵׁד is referenced in the OT as a demon or false god: Deuteronomy 32:17 and Psalm 106:37. In the NT Greek, the term δαιμόνιον is often used to refer to those evil or unclean spirits with whom a person is afflicted. In the above-mentioned references, the term is used to denigrate and diminish the power and authority of individuals as John the Baptist and Jesus as being evil.
See also Devil and Satan.

Devil (Greek: διάβολος)
Matthew 4:1; 11:18; 13:39; 25:41; John 6:70; Acts 13:10; 1 Timothy 3:6
The term διάβολος is an ancient Greek noun derived from the Greek verb διαβάλλω, which means “to slander” or “to deceive”; hence, the noun means “slanderer” or “deceiver.” It can also mean “adversary” or “virulent opponent.” The history of the development of the idea of the devil has roots in the ancient Hebrew term “Satan,” as the Greek term διάβολος is the term in the LXX meaning much the same as the Hebrew term “Satan” and is, in fact, the term into which the Hebrew term “Satan” is translated in the LXX. The term “devil” has morphed over the centuries and millennia to mean something like “a force or adversary of great evil.” The pitting of the devil against God in a kind of cosmic battle has hints of the influence of Zoroastrianism, an ancient Persian religious faith in which the battle between an ultimate force of good and ultimate force of evil obtains; as the Hebrews were exiles in Babylon, which was overtaken by the Persians, who developed Zoroastrianism, the Hebrews in Persia’s Babylon might have been influenced by the ideas of Zoroastrianism, possibly with a hope to vindicate and justify God of all evil, and apply it to the devil.
See also Demon and Satan.

Dog (Hebrew: כֶּלֶב; Greek: κύων)
Exodus 22:31; Deuteronomy 23:18; 1 Samuel 17:43; 24:14; 2 Samuel 9:8; 16:9; 1 Kings 21:19; 2 Kings 8:13; Job 30:1; Proverbs 26:11; Psalm 22:16, 20; Matthew 7:6; Matthew 15:26-27; Mark 7:27-28; Luke 16:21; Philippians 3:2; Revelation 22:15
The proverb that states that as a dog returns to its vomit, so the fool returns to his folly does not thereby elevate either dogs or the fool; in the Ancient Near East and first century Palestine, the Hebrews did not look upon dogs with fondness nor did they keep them as pets, though the other surrounding nations and people groups did. For the ancient Hebrews, dogs were surly, soiled, and sordid, as they would lick up blood, would wander the streets as scavengers, and are often be referred to with less than honorable references. It is interesting to note, though, that in the Hebrew, the term כֶּלֶב is that from which comes the name “Caleb,” who, of course, was a hero in early ancient Israel, being one of the only two spies who said on account of his faith in God that entrance into the Promised Land of Canaan would be successfully victorious; in this instance, the term כֶּלֶב for Caleb is making reference to the loyalty and fidelity of such a being, which many dog-lovers have known firsthand.
See also Dead dog.

Donkey (Hebrew: פֶּרֶא ,חֲמוֹר)
Genesis 16:12; Judges 15:16; Jeremiah 2:24; 22:19; Ezekiel 23:20
The term “donkey,” like the term “ass,” is widely used in the Bible not as a term of derision but statement of fact, usually to denote the hard-working capability of the animal; there is most often not a comparison of the animal with a human. In the rare few instances wherein such a comparison is made, it is to highlight the wanton waywardness of the individual being compared to the animal or the fact that the individual is so worthless as to be discarded like a useless animal, as a dead donkey.
See also Ass.

Dragon (Hebrew: תַּנִּין; Greek: δράκων)
Genesis 1:21; Exodus 7:9-10, 12; Deuteronomy 32:33; Nehemiah 2:13; Job 7:12; Psalms 74:13; 91:13; 148:7; Isaiah 27:1; 51:9; Jeremiah 51:34; Ezekiel 29:3; 32:2; Revelation 12:3-17; 13:2; 13:4; 13:11; 16:13; 20:2
The English term “dragon” is almost used exclusively in Revelation to denote and describe the devil or Satan as a great serpent, dazzling to see and behold, but fierce and dangerous. In the LXX, the term is δράκων, meaning “serpent,” “snake,” or “monster,” carrying with it the connotation of something foreboding, mysteriously dark, and powerful, if not evil. The Hebrew term that can be translated as “dragon” is תַּנִּין, and carries with it similar connotations and meanings.
See also Devil, Leviathan, Monster, Satan, Serpent, and Snake.

Dung (Hebrew: פֶּרֶשׁ ,גֵּלֶל ,דֹּמֶן; Greek: σκύβαλον)
1 Kings 14:10; 2 Kings 9:37; Job 20:7; Jeremiah 8:2; 9:21; 16:4; 25:33; Ezekiel 4:12, 15; Malachi 2:3; Philippians 3:8
There are several terms in the Hebrew OT and one in the Greek NT which are translated in various ways, one of which in the KJV is as “dung.” The references in the above-mentioned verses are often comparison between corpses left laid out in open fields like dung, denoting the worthlessness of these dead bodies, of persons of ill repute and ignominious reputation. When Paul uses the Greek term deriving from σκύβαλον, translators have a choice to make: will they translate the term into English as it likely meant in the Greek, namely, as “shit,” “dung,” or “crap,” or will they merely indicate that Paul is counting “worthless” his former achievements?
See also Shit and Skubala.

Dust (Hebrew: עָפָר; Greek: χοῦς, κονιορτός)
2 Samuel 22:43; 1 Kings 16:2; 2 Chronicles 34:4; Job 2:12; Psalm 22:15; 72:9; Isaiah 25:12; 47:1; Lamentations 3:29; Micah 7:17; Matthew 10:14; Mark 6:11; Luke 9:5; 10:11; Acts 13:51; Revelation 18:19
Dust refers to the ground upon which all walk, being the lowest of the lowest places that anyone or thing can get, aside from what lies beneath in the dirt or in hell. To refer to another as dust is to humiliate them. To shake the dust off of one’s feet is to demonstrate that those against whom the dust is shaken are not worthy of that one or what they bring. To put dust on one’s head in grief and despair is to demonstrate abject humility in the woeful state of sorrow and overwhelming distress. Dust represents humility and humiliation, being the lowest of the lowliest.
See also Woe.

Evil (Hebrew: רַע ,רָעַע; Greek: πονηρός)
Genesis 13:13; Numbers 14:27, 35; Deuteronomy 1:35; 1 Samuel 30:22; Esther 7:6; Job 21:30; 35:12; Psalm 10:15; 140:2; Proverbs 11:21; 12:13; 24:20; Jeremiah 6:29; 15:21; Ezekiel 30:12;Matthew 7:11; 12:34, 39, 45; 16:4; 18:32; 25:26; Luke 6:45; 7:21; 8:2; 11:13, 26, 29; 19:22; Acts 17:5; 19:12f, 15f; 2 Thessalonians 3:2; 2 Timothy 3:13
The Hebrew term רַע, derived of the primitive root term רָעַע, reportedly occurs in the Westminster Leningrad Codex some 666 times. Whether the term is רַע or the primitive root רָעַע, both mean something along the lines of “bad, unpleasant, displeasing, injurious, painful, wretched, wrong, vexing, etc.” The prime root רָעַע takes it a bit further to indicate in its various forms: bad, good for nothing, broken to pieces, shattered, unuseable, beyond repair, spoiled etc. In the Greek, the term πονηρός derives from πόνος, which derives from πένης, which essentially means “poor” or “deprived” or “starving”; thus, the term most used in the Greek NT and LXX, πονηρός, carries with it a kind of underlying meaning of poverty or impoverishment, meaning something like “very bad,” whether morally as “wicked” or otherwise as “toilsome,” “laborious,” a “hardship,” “painful,” “dissatisfying,” etc. Essentially, that which is evil is that which is not good, being painful, unsatisfactory, and displeasing, whether as a description of an object or person or as a title for one, as the “evil one.”
See also Immoral and Wicked.

False prophet (Hebrew: נכּא שׁ׳; Greek: ψευδοπροφήτης)
Jeremiah 6:13; 26:8; 26:11; 26:16; 27:7; 29:1; 29:8; 33:8; 33:11; 33:16; 34:7; 36:1; 36:8; Zechariah 13:2; Matthew 7:15; 24:11; 24:24; Mark 13:22; Luke 6:26; Acts 13:6; 2 Peter 2:1; 1 John 4:1; Revelation 16:13; 19:20; 20:10
The Greek term ψευδοπροφήτης is used in the NT, largely in Revelation, and in the LXX, largely in Jeremiah. The term indicates a seer of lies or falsehood, a kind of proclaimer of that which is not true. The biblical term for “prophet” tends to bear with it the connotation of not merely one who foretells the future but of one who also tells forth the truth, especially in regard to the law and character of God. To be a false prophet, then, is to be utterly twisted up in deceit and lies, giving forth words that bear no resemblance or basis in truth: these words may be comforting or frightening, but, in either or any case, they are not true, and so need not be heeded. Prophets in today’s world might be professors, teachers, pastors, preachers, politicians, parents, influencers, and the like, who profess a story which they put forth as true–insofar as it is in accord with truth, it is true; however, the degree to which it fails the test of truth, it is, of course, not.
See also False witness and Liar.

False witness (Hebrew: עַד שֶׁקֶר; Greek: ψευδομαρτυρία)
Exodus 20:16; Deuteronomy 19:18; Psalm 27:12; Proverbs 6:19; 14:5; 25:18; Matthew 15:19; 26:59
Much like a false prophet, a false witness is one who testifies falsely about what is true. One simple word for this term is “liar.” The difference between a false prophet and a false witness is that a prophet purportedly reports the words of God to humans, whereas a witness only testifies regarding that which they have seen or heard. While a prophet is a kind of witness, a witness is not necessarily a prophet.
See also False prophet and Liar.

Father of lies (Greek: ὁ πατὴρ τοῦ ψεύδους)
John 8:44
While not technically in the Greek NT, the phrase “father of lies” literally reads “father of it” or “his father.” The only place in the Bible wherein this phrase is found is in the above-mentioned verse: John 8:44, which reads rather literally as, “You are of [your] father, the devil, and the desires of your father you do. He was a murderer from the beginning and in the truth he does not stand, since not is truth in him. Whenever he speaks the lie, from his own [nature] he speaks, for a liar he is and ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ.” Thus, ends the verse. Is Jesus saying that the devil is a liar and the father of it (lies) or is he saying that the devil is a liar and so is his father, as the Greek could be read either way? Given the literary and grammatical context, it’s not entirely clear and it has been argued that either way is a legitimate reading. For our purposes here, suffice it to say that one who is a or is, in fact, the “father of lies” is not one to be commended.
See also False prophet, False witness, and Liar.

Filthy rags (Hebrew: כְבֶגֶד עִדִּים; Greek: ῥάκος ἀποκαθημένης)
Isaiah 64:6 (LXX 64:5)
The phrase translated from the Hebrew into English as “filthy rags” actually indicates menstrual cloths, which were used by women throughout history and in the not to distant past (some even still today) before pads were introduced. The image conjured up here is one wherein the goodness of the people of Israel according to Isaiah was as good as a dirty, used pad from a woman’s monthly period.

Fool (Hebrew: נָבָל ,אֱוִיל; Greek: ἄφρων)
Deuteronomy 22:6, 15, 21; 32:6, 21; 2 Samuel 3:33; 13:13; Job 2:10; 5:2, 3; 30:8; Psalms 14:1; 39:9; 53:2; 74:18, 22;107:17; Proverbs 1:7; 7:22; 14:9; 15:5; 16:22; 17:7, 21; 20:3; 27:22; 29:9; 30:22; Isaiah 19:11; 32:5, 6; 35:8; Jeremiah 4:22; 17:11; Ezekiel 13:3; Hosea 9:7; Luke 11:40; 12:20; Romans 2:20; 1 Corinthians 15:36; 2 Corinthians 11:16, 19; 12:6, 11; Ephesians 5:17; 1 Peter 2:15
This term means to be foolish, stupid, ignorant, senseless, without a good moral compass, rash, without intelligence or reflection, unwise, silly, etc. It is used all throughout the Bible in various contexts to denote as much. Interestingly, the Hebrew term נָבָל is also used in the OT as a proper name for Nabal, the surly and mean husband of Abigail, who refused to help David and his men when they were in need and who died of a heart attack when he learned that David wanted to kill him for slighting them; Nabal literally means “Fool.”
See also Foolish.

Foolish (Hebrew: סָכַל ,אֱוִיל; Greek: ἀνόητος, μωρός)
Genesis 31:28; 1 Samuel 13:13; 26:21; 2 Samuel 15:31; 24:10; 1 Chronicles 21:8; 2 Chronicles 16:9; Isaiah 44:25; Matthew 5:22; 7:26; 23:17, 19; 25:2, 8; 1 Corinthians 1:25, 27; 3:18; 4:10; 2 Timothy 2:23; Titus 3:9
Also meaning “stupid,” this term applies to anyone who is ignorant, fully of folly, or acts like a brute, a beast, an unreasoning, sensual animal–which may be more of an insult to animals than to the men so behaving! The term also carries with it the connotation of being immoral or wicked, unintelligent and sensual, senseless to what is good, right, and true.
See also Fool.

Foreigner (Hebrew: גּוּר; Greek: ἀλλογενής)
Genesis 19:9; Job 19:15; Psalm 69:8; Luke 17:18
The term “foreigner” is used in various contexts throughout the Bible, but there are times when the term is used as an insult or in a pejorative sense. The Greek term ἀλλογενής literally breaks apart into ἄλλος + γένος, meaning “another” + “kind.” The Hebrew term גּוּר carries with it various meanings but it basically means something like “those who turn or one who turns aside for lodging, as from a long sojourn, seeking respite and security in a strange place.”
See also Gentile and Samaritan.

Fox (Hebrew: שׁוּעָל; Greek: ἀλώπηξ)
Nehemiah 4:3; Luke 13:32
Used twice in the Bible as a means of derision, the term “fox” means something different in each instance. In Nehemiah 4:3, it indicates that he work of Nehemiah and his people is so faulty and weak that even the dainty, light steps of a fox would knock it over, as a breeze blowing through a house of cards. In Luke 13:32, it is not entirely clear why Jesus refers to Herod as a “fox,” but it may be due to the idea that foxes were considered treacherous and cunning as well as insignificant, weak, and powerless, contrasting such with a lion, which was considered strong, powerful, decisive, and honorable. In both cases, the term “fox” is not meant as a compliment but a denigrating terms of derision.

Friend of tax collectors and sinners (Greek: τελωνῶν φίλος καὶ ἁμαρτωλῶν)
Matthew 11:19: Luke 7:34
A friend–that is, a true friend–is one who sticks by your side through thick and thin, always supporting you and embodying the characteristics of love as outlined in 1 Corinthians 13. Even a casual friend is supportive and embodies to some degree at least some of the characteristics of 1 Corinthians 13 love. A friend is an associate, with whom one associates. When Jesus, a great and holy rabbi, associated with tax collectors and sinners, it was not meant to be worn as a badge of honor, but rather as a denigrating rebuff, as the religious leaders, the “holy” ones, of Jesus’ day would never be caught dead with such “wicked” people. In every generation across all cultures and people groups, it is rather an accepted understanding that no one who collects taxes is loved or someone with whom one would want to be friends; indeed, even the one to whom the taxes are paid is not so much a friend of tax collectors, as tax collectors are servants of the one to whom the taxes are paid. Additionally, in Jesus’ day, tax collectors were considered traitorous Jews, who betrayed their country and their countrymen to serve the oppressive power of Rome by collecting the taxes of Rome from the people of Israel. As tax collectors historically and generally have not been looked upon with any real favor, those in Jesus’ day were less so, being traitors to their country and their fellow Israelites. For Jesus to be a friend of tax collectors would not have garnered him much public approval, would have made him infamous, and would have blacklisted him, as he was friends with persons of great ill repute. Not only that, Jesus was a friend of sinners! Sinners are always bad people, regardless of people group, nation, time, etc. They are the ones who were mucking up the nation of Israel, which the religious leaders of Jesus’ day were trying to purify of sin, so that God could bless Israel once again, the Messiah could come, and Israel could rule and reign over all the earth. It was a different sort of kingdom that Jesus was promulgating, one wherein God actually accepted “dirty” sinners and loved them without measure. Still, to be a friend of “filthy” sinners would have been a double dishonor, being, first, a friend of tax collectors and, second, sinners.
See also Sinner and Tax collector.

Gehenna (Hebrew: גֵּי הִנֹּם; Greek: γέεννα)
2 Chronicles 28:3; Jeremiah 7:31; Matthew 5:22, 29; 23:15, 33; Mark 9:43, 45, 47; Luke 12:5; 2 Thessalonians 1:8; James 3:6
Deriving from the Hebrew phrase גֵּי הִנֹּם, which translates into “Valley of Hinnom,” Gehenna was a valley just south of Jerusalem wherein ancient first-century Israelites would cast trash, filth, and animal carcasses for perpetual burning. Jesus used the term to refer to hell, the place of damnation for the wicked. Prior to the first century, the Valley of Hinnom was utilized in worship of Molech, to whom the Israelites would offer their children in the fire. Perhaps because of this, it was turned into a garbage dump.
See also Hades, Hell, and Sheol.

Gentile (Hebrew: גּוֹי; Greek: ἔθνος, Ἕλλην)
Deuteronomy 4:6-8; 18:9; Ezekiel 20:32; Matthew 6:32; 20:25; Luke 22:25; John 7:35; Acts 21:28; Galatians 2:3, 12
The Hebrew term for “Gentile” is גּוֹי, which means “people, nation, people group,” and can also mean “swarm of locusts or other wild animals”; it may derive from the same root as גֵּוָה, which means “body” or “back”–or, to extend the imagery, “behind, bottom, buttocks.” The term גּוֹי refers to a people, nation, or people group that is non-Jewish or non-Hebrew, which may have been a reason for the “chosen people of God,” the ancient Hebrews to disdain them, as Gentiles were not “chosen” of God and did not have the Torah, the Law of God. In the NT, the term translated as “Gentile” can be derived from either ἔθνος or Ἕλλην, the first of which refers to the ethnicities of the peoples of the nations and the second of which refers to the Hellenistic people group, i.e., the Greeks. When used in the NT, the term is utilized much as in the OT, with the Hebraic understanding of the Gentiles as “other,” “less than,” “disdainful,” “unholy,” and “unchosen.”
See also Foreigner and Samaritan.

Glutton and a drunkard (Hebrew: זוֹלֵל וְסֹבֵא; Greek: ἄνθρωπος φάγος καὶ οἰνοπότης)
Deuteronomy 21:20; Matthew 11:19; Luke 7:34
The term “glutton and a drunkard” seemingly originates in the OT Mosaic Law in Deuteronomy 21:20, wherein the law indicates that if there is a rebellious and wayward son, disobedient and unyielding to parental guidance and discipline, such a one, who is both “a glutton and a drunkard,” must needs be stoned to death by the men of his town. When Jesus refers to himself as, literally, “a man gluttonous and drunken,” he is quoting the accusations of the religious leaders of his day, who were likely citing the law, specifically, Deuteronomy 21:20, indicating that they thought him worthy of death by stoning due to his rebellious and wayward ways.

Hades (Hebrew: שְׁאול; Greek: Ἅιδης, ᾅδης)
Ps. 16:10; Job 11:8; Isaiah 57:9; Amos 9:2; Matthew 11:23; 16:18; Luke 10:15; 16:23; Acts 2:27, 31; 1 Corinthians 15:55; Revelation 1:18; 6:8; 20:13ff
The Greek term “Hades,” deriving from Ἅιδης, seemingly derives from α and ἰδεῖν, which mean “not” and “to see,” indicating that which is not seen, namely, the dead after they die. It is the abode of the dead, though not necessarily the damned, as all persons deceased descend here. However, it may also be contrasted with heaven and thereby be the place of the damned. When Jesus condemns certain cities of his day, he indicates that they will not be lifted up to heaven, but will be cast down to Hades, thereby indicating that Hades, at least in the mind of Jesus at this moment in time, was a place of damnation, even as hell might be conceived. Often in the LXX, the term שְׁאול is translated as ᾅδης, that is, Hades, as שְׁאול was, in the ancient Hebrew mind, the abode of the dead, though not the damned; it may have been due to the fact that before the second temple period, concepts of the afterlife had not yet been teased out fully, other than there being a realm of the dead and a day of judgment in which the wicked and the righteous would be separated and judged. It seems that in first century Palestine, there was a fuller understanding of the afterlife and its various realms as well as judgment day.
See also Hell and Sheol.

Harlot (Hebrew: זָנָה; Greek: πόρνη)
Genesis 34:31; 38:24; Proverbs 7:10; Isaiah 1:21; Jeremiah 2:20; Ezekiel 16:15; Hosea 4:15; Joel 3:3; Amos 7:17; 1 Corinthians 6:15
The term “harlot” is an older way of saying “prostitute,” and was no term of endearment in biblical times. It would have been perceived as something less than or vile, to have been a harlot. The term “harlot” itself comes from about 1200 as the Middle English term for a vagabond, beggar, or idle male rogue, and derived from the Old French term “herlot/arlot.” Originally gender-neutral or masculine, it referred to vagrants or camp followers before developing a secondary sense of “prostitute” by the 14th century, becoming fully feminized and focused on sexual immorality by the 16th century, often used in biblical translations.
See also Prostitute and Whore.

Haunt of jackals (Hebrew: מְעוֹן תַּנִּים)
Jeremiah 9:11; 10:22; 49:33; 51:37
The phrase “haunt of jackals” is used a number of times in the book of Jeremiah to indicate the desolation and ruins to which the places against which Jeremiah is prophesying will become. The Hebrew terms used in this phrase are מְעוֹן and תַּנִּים, which, on their own, mean, respectively, “abode, lair, or dwelling place” and “monster, serpent, or dragon.” However, since תַּנִּים is used in conjunction with מְעוֹן, which indicates the lair of a jackal, the phrase may be translated as “haunt of jackals” or even “haunt of dragons.” In any case, the description is one of desolation and ruin, wherein loss has been heavily inflicted upon the inhabitants of the place in which they once lived.

Heifer (Hebrew: עֶגְלָה ;פָּרָה)
Judges 14:18; Hosea 4:16; Amos 4:1
In the OT, there are two terms for “heifer”: עֶגְלָה and פָּרָה. They both mean cow, and usually have to do with the sacrifice of the animal, the farm-use of the animal, or a symbol of peace, wherein the animal shall feed with a fearsome beast, as the bear (Isaiah 11:7). However, the term עֶגְלָה is used by Samson to slight his first wife, who seemingly used him to safeguard her family’s wellbeing, while the term פָּרָה seems to be used at times to indicate the stubbornness of a particular person or group of persons as well as the wanton luxuriousness of certain women.

Hell (Hebrew: שְׁאוֹל; Greek: ᾅδης, γέεννα)
Deuteronomy 32:22; 2 Samuel 22:6; Job 11:8; 26:6; Psalm 9:17; 16:10; 18:5; 55:15; 86:13; 116:3; 139:8; Proverbs 5:5; 7:27; 9:18; 15:11, 24; 23:14; Isaiah 5:14; 14:9, 15; 28:15; 57:9; Ezekiel 31:16-17; 32:21, 27; Amos 9:2; Jonah 2:2; Habakkuk 2:5; Matthew 5:22, 29-30; 10:28; 11:23; 16:18; 18:9; 25:15; 23:33; 2 Peter 2:4; Revelation 20:13-14
The term “hell” derives from the Old English terms hel and helle, which mean “netherworld, abode of the dead, infernal regions, place of torment for the wicked after death,” deriving from the Old Norse Hel, which was the name of Loki’s daughter who ruled over the evil dead in Niflheim, the lowest of all worlds. The term “hell” in the Bible is translated from the Hebrew term שְׁאוֹל (sheol) and the Greek terms ᾅδης, γέεννα (hades, gehenna) and indicates a variety of locales of the underworld, ranging from something as relatively mild as Sheol as the place of the silent dead to something as wretched as Dante’s Inferno. As the term has developed over the centuries, it now refers to a place to which no one would really like to go, even to party.
See also Hades and Sheol.

Hypocrite (Greek: ὑποκριτής)
Matthew 6:2, 5, 16; 7:5; 15:7; 16:3; 22:18; 23:13-15, 23, 25, 27, 29; 24:51; Mark 7:6; Luke 6:42; 11:44; 12:56; 13:15
In Ancient Greek, the term ὑποκριτής referred to actors or stage players, who would wear masks to perform. Jesus, seemingly, brought new meaning to the term by applying it to the Pharisees and religious leaders of his day, thereby indicating that they were but actors and players in their religious acts and communities, for they did not truly act in accordance with their religious standards. Indeed, the religious leaders of Jesus’ day would establish prostitution rings for men traveling to Jerusalem for religious holiday, would turn out the poor and widows from housing they rented out in order to make a greater profit from others, and the like, all the while proclaiming the Law of God as found in the Torah, meticulously tithing on the smallest amounts of income, while also forgetting to keep the whole Law of God, trading mercy and justice for greed and wealth.

Idol (Hebrew: סֶמֶל ,מִפְלֶצֶת ,צֶלֶם; Greek: εἴδωλον, εἶδος, εἰκών)
Genesis 1:27; Deuteronomy 4:16; 1 Kings 15:13; 2 Chronicles 15:16; 33:7, 15; Ezekiel 8:3, 5; 1 Corinthians 8:4; 8:7; 10:19; 12:2; 2 Corinthians 6:16
In the Bible, an idol is an image set up for worship, either over and against the LORD God or alongside him. Of the Ten Commandments, the first two state that no other gods shall be had nor shall any graven images (i.e., idols) be made, either to represent or replace God. Indeed, many times when the term “idol” is translated from the Hebrew into English as such, the term in Hebrew means “sorrow, pain, or vanity,” as in the Hebrew terms עֹצֶב and אָוֶן. An idol, then, is a very bad thing in biblical terms. Furthermore, in the OT Hebrew, the term translated into English as idol is מִפְלֶצֶת, which means “horrid, horrible thing”; the Hebrew term סֶמֶל is another term that translates into English as “idol, image, or statue,” though without the connotation of being horrid and horrible. When God creates humanity in his own image, creating mankind in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), the term for “image” in the Hebrew OT is צֶלֶם and in the Greek LXX is εἰκών, from which we get the term “icon”; thus, the idea is that God created humanity to be icons of himself. These terms, too, are also used at various points to indicate “idol” for idol worship. In the NT, the Greek term for “idol” is εἴδωλον, which means “image of a false god” or “idol,” deriving from εἶδος, which means “appearance,” “form,” “shape.” As idolatry is denounced in the Bible, the term itself might be held as one that one would not want (biblically-speaking) to readily apply to a beloved.

Illegitimate (Hebrew: זוּר; Greek: ἐκ πορνείας)
Hosea 5:7; John 8:41 (NIV)
The terms translated in the NIV as “illegitimate” have roots in the Hebrew meaning “strange” or “foreign,” that is to say, “other,” and in the Greek meaning “of porneias,” which is to say “of fornication or illicit sexual affairs.”
See also Adultery/Adulterer/Adulteress, Bastard, and Born of fornication.

Immoral (Hebrew: זוּר; Greek: παρανόμου, πόρνος)
Proverbs 2:16; 5:3, 20; 7:5; 22:14; 1 Corinthians 5:9-11; 6:9; Ephesians 5:5; 1 Timothy 1:10; Hebrews 12:16; 13:4; Revelation 21:8; 22:15
The term translated as “immoral” has its roots in the Greek term πόρνος, from which comes our contemporary word for “porn” and carries with it the connotation of any sexually illicit liaison or affair. In the Hebrew OT, the term used means “strange” or “stranger,” and in the LXX, the term carries with it the connotation of one who is an “outlaw.”
See also Evil, Foreigner, Prostitute, and Whore.

Jackal (Hebrew: תַּן ,תַּנִּין; Greek: δράκων)
Micah 1:8
The Hebrew תַּנִּין, meaning “monster, hideous creature, jackal,” can refer to creatures on land or in the ocean waters, as a jackal, serpent, dragon, or whale. It is used to indicate an ugly animal that represents accursedness.
See also Dragon and Serpent.

Lake of fire (Greek: λίμνην πυρός)
Revelation 19:20; 20:10, 14-15
The lake of fire, referenced in the Book of Revelation, is apparently a physical lake that will be burning with brimstone, not exactly hell, as both death and hell are cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:14), but not a place anyone would really like to be in either.
See also Hades, Hell, and Sheol.

Leviathan (Hebrew: לִוְיָתָן; Greek: μέγα κῆτος)
Job 41:1; Psalm 74:14; 104:26; Isaiah 27:1
Transliterated from the Hebrew, the meaning of the term “leviathan” is uncertain, but it seems to indicate a large aquatic animal, a sea monster or dragon–perhaps, an extinct dinosaur, as the plesiosaurus. It is used to refer to those entities which are enemies of the people of God.
See also Beast, Dragon, and Monster.

Liar (Hebrew: כָּזַב; Greek: ψεύστης)
Numbers 23:19; 2 Kings 4:16; Job 6:28; 24:25; 34:6; 41:1; Psalms 62:10; 78:36; 89:36; 116:11; Proverbs 14:5; 30:6; Isaiah 57:11; 58:11; Ezekiel 13:9; Micah 2:11; Habakkuk 2:3; John 8:44; 8:55; Romans 3:4; 1 Timothy 1:10; Titus 1:12; 1 John 1:10; 2:4; 2:22; 4:20; 5:10; Revelation 21:8
In both the Hebrew and the Greek, the terms for “liar” are pretty straightforward in meaning, meaning to literally or figuratively to act as one who deceives, lies, or acts in vain as well as to be a liar, one who breaks faith, or is a false or faithless person.
See also False prophet and False Witness.

Leper (Hebrew: צָרַע; Greek: λεπρός)
Exodus 4:6; Leviticus 13:44, 45; 14:2-3; 22:4; Numbers 5:2; 12:10; 2 Samuel 3:29; 2 Kings 5:1, 11, 27; 7:3, 8; 15:5; 2 Chronicles 26:20-21; 26:23; Matthew 8:2; 10:8; 11:5; 26:6; Mark 1:40; 14:3; Luke 4:27; 7:22; 17:12
Almost transliterated from the Greek comes the English term “leper.” The term utilized for leper in the Hebrew indicates one that has diseased skin; in the Greek, the term indicates “scaly or rough,” as in terms of the skin condition of a person. Mosaic law had many stipulations about leprosy and in the NT, lepers are considered “unclean.” Possibly being contagious, lepers were excluded from the community of the people of God and forced to either live in isolation or with a colony of other lepers. The kind of leprosy that an individual had could range from a slight skin rash to something more severe. A person who had leprosy was presumably accursed and that by God; as such, they would be an outcast of society.
See also Unclean.

Monster (Hebrew: תַּן ,תַּנִּין; Greek: δράκων)
Job 7:12; Psalm 74:13; Isaiah 21:7; 51:9; Ezekiel 29:3; 32:2
The term is used to describe a hideous, vile, onerous creature that needs to be subdued by means of crushing force–hardly something positive to call someone!
See also Beast, Dragon, and Leviathan.

Mother of Prostitutes and of the Abominations of the Earth (Greek: ἡ μήτηρ τῶν πορνῶν καὶ τῶν βδελυγμάτων τῆς γῆς)
Revelation 17:5
The title for Babylon the Great is upon the forehead of a woman, the great prostitute who makes all nations drunk with the wine of her adulteries, and it reads “The Mother of Prostitutes and of the Abominations of the Earth.” At the end of the first century, the Book of Revelation was purportedly written, and is in reference to Rome and Caesar Nero, naming Rome as Babylon the Great as well as the great prostitute who made all nations drunk with her adulteries. Today, such a title might be aptly given to the United States of America.
See also Babylon.

Owl (Hebrew: כּוֹס ,בַּת; Greek: νυκτικόραξ)
Psalm 102:6; Isaiah 34:11; Jeremiah 50:39; Micah 1:8; Zephaniah 2:14
The owl is an unclean animal according to the Mosaic Law and, as such, represents the furthest reaches of society and the world where desolation obtains and wastelands are, places of apparent destruction and uncleanness.
See also Jackal.

Philistine (Hebrew: פְּלִשְׁתִּי; Greek: Φυλιστιιμ, ἀλλόφυλος)
1 Samuel 17:10, 26
A reviled enemy that was a constant thorn in the side of the ancient Israelites, the Philistines, it has come to light through archaeology, were a group of advanced individuals with real class, culture, and customs. Having possibly come across the Mediterranean Sea from Crete, they were likely of Grecian origins. To the ancient Israelites, however, a Philistine was a hated individual, a “barbarian,” an uncouth and unsavory individual, without class, custom, or culture, much like an unruly wild animal.
See also Barbarian.

Pig (Hebrew: חֲזִיר; Greek: ὗς)
Leviticus 11:7; Deuteronomy 14:8
Though not translated as such in the Bible in many translations, translators preferring the term “swine” to “pig,” the pig to the Hebrew would have been not only legally and ceremonially unclean, but also simply detestable, a veritable image of the very hated heathen pagan Gentiles, who did not know or worship God in truth. To eat a pig would be tantamount to ingesting the most vile of foods, if it could, in fact, be so considered. Because God through Moses declared pigs “unclean,” so no God-fearing Jew would have anything to do with them.
See also Swine.

Prostitute (Hebrew: זָנָה; Greek: πόρνη)
Genesis 34:31; Exodus 34:15-16; Leviticus 19:29; 20:6; Deuteronomy 23:18; Judges 2:17; 8:27, 33; 11:1; Matthew 21:31-32; Luke 15:30; 1 Corinthians 6:15; Revelation 17:1, 5
The term “prostitute” or “harlot” is used throughout the Bible to indicate a woman who sells her body for sexual uses or one who yields herself to defilement for the sake of gain or any woman indulging in unlawful sexual intercourse, whether for gain or for lust. Figuratively, it can refer to an idolater, who worships idols rather than God. The majority of the time, when Bible refers to a prostitute, the term is meant to be derisive. When Jesus was called a friend of, among others, prostitutes, it was no term of honor.
See also Harlot and Whore.

Raca (Hebrew: רֵיק; Greek: ῥακά)
Judges 9:4; 11:3; 2 Samuel 6:20; 2 Chronicles 13:7; Proverbs 12:11; 28:19; Matthew 5:22
The Greek term ῥακά seemingly derives from the Hebrew term רֵיק, both of which mean “empty, vain, or worthless,” and can mean “empty-head” or “empty-headed,” as in a dimwit or a witless individual.
See also Fool.

Samaritan (Hebrew: שֹׁמְרונִים; Greek: Σαμαρίτης)
2 Kings 17:29; John 8:48
Samaritans were (wonder of wonders!) inhabitants of the city of Samaria. Samaria was in the Kingdom of Israel, the northern kingdom of ten Hebrew tribes, which broke away from the tribe of Judah; only the tribe of Benjamin remained with Judah. The capital of the Kingdom of Israel was Samaria and the first king, Jeroboam son of Nebat, set up a golden calf there and in Dan, which was in the northernmost point of the Kingdom of Israel, Samaria being in the southernmost part, and just north of the Kingdom of Judah. When the Kingdom of Israel fell to the Assyrians in 522 BC/BCE, the Assyrians exiled many of the inhabitants of the Kingdom of Israel; however, some Jews remained, particularly in Samaria, and intermarried with non-Hebrew people, producing a mixed race. This was seen as a great impurity and a great sin against God. In the time of Jesus, the Samaritans subscribed only to the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, the Books of Moses, and were looked down upon as half-breeds, as impure.
See also Foreigner.

Satan (Hebrew: שָׂטָן; Greek: Σατανᾶς)
1 Chronicles 21:1; Job 1:6-9, 12; 2:1-4, 6-7; Psalm 109:6; Zechariah 3:1-2; Matthew 4:10; 12:26; 16:23; Mark 1:13; 3:23, 26; 4:15; 8:33; Luke 4:8; 10:18; 11:18; 13:16; 22:3, 31; John 13:27; Acts 5:3; 26:18; Romans 16:20; 1 Corinthians 5:5; 7:5; 2 Corinthians 2:11; 11:13; 12:7; 1 Thessalonians 2:18; 2 Thessalonians 2:9; 1 Timothy 1:20; 5:15; Revelation 2:9, 13, 24; 3:9; 12:9; 20:2, 7
The term “Satan” or more properly “the Satan,” means something along the lines of an adversary, as in a prosecuting attorney, who, in a court of law, as the divine courts of God, brings forth accusations against anyone who might come before the judge, pointing out the obvious error or errors of the accused, being a stickler as the prosecutor is for details and accuracy and justice; being the Satan, Satan is the adversary, the ultimate adversary or prosecutor, who takes his job as such very seriously, so much so that he accuses anyone and everyone, seeking to bring all to justice. Contrary to the Book of James, for the Satan, mercy does not triumph over justice. The history of the personality of the Satan seems to have begun with an entity, an angel, who first presents accusations to God against Job, of whom God bragged as being without fault, blameless in all his faithfulness. Throughout the course of history, the development of the idea of the Satan, particularly in the Second Temple Period and then with early Christianity, grew to create the idea that the adversary, the Satan, was an ultimate adversary so much so that he was an enemy of not only people in general or God’s people in particular, but of God himself. Zoroastrian ideas of an ultimate struggle between good and evil seems to have colored this view of the Satan as the ultimate evil power against good, and God as the ultimate good. Dressing the Satan up in red skin, hoofed feet, and horns seems to have been an adaptation of the pagan god Pan.
See also Devil and Demon.

Scoundrel (Hebrew: בְּלִיַּעַל; Greek: ἄφρων)
2 Samuel 16:7; Proverbs 16:27; Isaiah 32:5
Generally translated at “worthless,” the term translated as “scoundrel” (NIV) means “not or without benefit, profit, or use,” deriving from the Hebrew root terms בְּלִי and יָעַל. The Hebrew term בְּלִיַּעַל is also transliterated in the Bible as “Belial” (Deuteronomy 13:13; Judges 19:22; 20:13; 1 Samuel 1:16; 2:12; 10:27; 25:17; 25:25; 30:22; 2 Samuel 16:7; 20:1; 23:6; 1 Kings 21:10, 13; 2 Chronicles 13:7; 2 Corinthians 6:15), indicating the sons, daughters, or children thereof, which is a personification of worthlessness as a being, namely, a father or progenitor of those who behave worthlessly.
See also Worthless.

Serpent (Hebrew: נָחָשׁ; Greek: ὄφις)
Genesis 3:1-2, 4, 13-14; 49:17; Exodus 4:3; 7:9-10, 15; Numbers 21:8-9; 2 Kings 18:4; Job 26:13; Psalm 58:4; 140:3; Proverbs 23:32; 30:19; Ecclesiastes 10:8, 11; Isaiah 14:29; 27:1; 30:6; Jeremiah 46:22; Amos 5:19; 9:3; Micah 7:17; Matthew 7:10; Luke 11:11; John 3:14; 2 Corinthians 11:3; Revelation 12:9, 14-15; 20:2
As aforementioned regarding the term “dragon” as well as the term below “snake,” the term for serpent indicates that which is as such, namely, a snake or serpent. Initially conceived in Genesis as a clever, crafty creature who beguiles Eve and Adam, who is with her, the serpent in the Bible is not always a picture of evil incarnate, but rather a creature which God created in the good order of his creation and which, at times, is a symbol of deliverance and salvation (Numbers 21:8-9). Being named as nahash (Hebrew) or ophis (Greek), the serpent is thereby distinguished apart from the creeping things (Hebrew: רֶמֶשׂ, that is, remes; Greek: ἑρπετόν, that is, herpeton) of the earth. It is postulated that as serpents have the skeletal structure for appendages, they once had legs. According to the account in Genesis 3, it seems that after befuddling humanity with apparent deception, the serpent was cursed to lose its legs and crawl in the dust on its belly. The development of the idea of the serpent from crafty and clever to what we find in the Book of Revelation–namely, a great dragon of deception–seems to create a precedence from within the Bible itself of a dislike for serpents. This may stem from as early as the exodus, as Egyptian worshipped serpents as divine and pharaohs wore symbols of them upon their crowns; seeing as the Egyptians had enslaved the Hebrews, this would likely have made the Hebrews ill-disposed toward not only the Egyptians but their gods, particularly, the serpent.
See also Devil, Dragon, Snake, and Satan.

Sheol (Hebrew: שְׁאוֹל; Greek: ᾅδης, θάνατος)
2 Samuel 22:6; Job 11:8; 17:16; 26:6; Psalm 16:10; 18:5; 86:13; 116:3; Proverbs 1:12; Isaiah 5:14; 14:11, 15; 28:15, 18; 38:10, 18; 57:9; Jonah 2:2
The term “Sheol” is a transliteration of the Hebrew term שְׁאוֹל and connotes the Hebrew conception of the underworld, the afterlife, the place of the grave, the abode of the dead and deceased. It is much like the Greco-Roman world of Hades, which is a place of no return and where wispy souls wander about. There is neither concept of praise or punishment in Sheol, but only a holding place for the soul to abide in silence after the death of the body, though there are apparent levels therein (Psalm 86:13).
See also Hades and Hell.

Shit (Greek: σκύβαλον)
Philippians 3:8
While “shit” is never translated as such in any of the English translations, in the German translation of the Greek term skubala (derived of skubalon), Luther translated such as Kot, which in his day denoted much the same as the slang of such terms as “shit, crap, refuse, dung,” bearing with it the connotation of Paul’s use of the term skubala in his day (though, today, the German term Kot is the formal/medical term for “solid waste matter”). Additionally, the term skubala is translated in the Latin Vulgate as stercora, which explicitly means “dung, excrement, manure, or muck.” While the English translations of the Greek term skubala are mild, the terms used in Luther’s German and the Latin Vulgate are much more visceral and gritty, much like the English term “shit,” much more like Paul what wrote in Philippians 3:8, when he compared all his accomplishments and accolades to skubala.
See also Skubala.

Sinner (Hebrew: חָטָא; Greek: ἁμαρτωλός)
Genesis 13:13; Numbers 16:38; 1 Samuel 15:18; Psalm 1:1, 5; Proverbs 11:31; 13:6, 22; Ecclesiastes 2:26; 7:26; 8:12; 9:2, 18; Isaiah 65:20; Luke 7:37, 39; 15:7, 10; 18:13; 19:7; John 9:16, 24-25; Romans 3:7; James 5:20; 1 Peter 4:18
The Hebrew for “sinner” derives from the verbal root term chata and carries with it the meaning of missing the mark or the goal, as in archery or in another sport, therewith also carrying the meaning of incurring a penalty for so missing the mark, thereby also bearing the loss of such a miss, namely, failing to gain the prize of the sport. It can be something as simple as aiming and missing the bull’s eye, but it also can be something as serious as missing God’s heart. Similarly, in the Greek, the term translated as “sinner” derives from the verb ἁμαρτάνω, which, like the Hebrew term, indicates “missing the mark,” as when throwing a spear or javelin, whether in sport, exercise, or war. The theological connotation imbued the Hebrew and Greek terms came as a result of the Hebrews and the Christians borrowing the terms from their cultures that best suited their purposes for explaining an offense against God. One who is a sinner is an offender of God Almighty.
See also Friend of tax collectors and sinners and Tax collector.

Skubala (Greek: σκύβαλον)
Philippians 3:8
Deriving from σκύβαλον, the Greek term σκύβαλα, as aforementioned at some length, connotes a visceral, gritty reality, as that of shit, crap, refuse, dung. It might most accurately be translated as “shit” or “crap.” In any case, it is a term of great disparagement and not to be considered lightly.
See also Shit.

Snake (Hebrew: נָחָשׁ; Greek: θηρίον, ὄφις)
Genesis 49:17; Numbers 21:8-9; 2 Kings 18:4; Psalm 58:4; Proverbs 23:32; Ecclesiastes 10:8, 11; Isaiah 14:29; Amos 5:19; Micah 7:17; Matthew 7:10; Luke 11:11; John 3:14; Acts 28:4-5
Interchangeable with the English term “serpent,” the term “snake” also indicates some creature that crawls on its belly and is hostile to others and undesired by others. The power to overcome snakes thereby indicates that snakes are generally considered in the Bible as bad.
See also Adder, Serpent, and Viper.

Sodom and Gomorrah (Hebrew: אֶת־סְדֹם וְאֶת־עֲמֹרָה; Greek: Σοδόμων καὶ Γομόρρων)
Genesis 18:20; 19:24, 28; Deuteronomy 29:23; Isaiah 13:19; Jeremiah 49:18; 50:40; Amos 4:11; Matthew 10:15; 2 Peter 2:6; Jude 1:7
Sodom and Gomorrah were cities destroyed by the LORD for their wickedness, their sexual immorality and perversion. Throughout the Bible, references made to these cities indicate total destruction and annihilation, telling how it will fare for those to whom the reference is applied. To refer to a place as being like Sodom and Gomorrah is to indicate that such a place is only fit for the garbage dump, fit for the destruction of the LORD.

Son of hell (Greek: υἱὸν γεέννης)
Matthew 23:15
The term “son of hell” is only found in Matthew 23:15 and is fully enumerated as “twice a son of hell as you,” indicating and indicting the religious leaders of Jesus’ day as sons of hell. The phrase “son of” indicates the origin of a person, their likeness and character, who they are and what they are like. To be a son of hell, then, would be to be characterized as or like one who is hellish or to be one whose origins are in hell itself. Hell is a place of utter destruction and desolation, not a place of joy, bliss, or delight. To be twice a son of hell, then, would be to be doubly worse off than the one who is but a son of hell. To be a son of hell, in short, is to be damned; to be twice a son of hell is to be doubly damned. Jesus pulled no punches in calling out the hypocrisy of men who were supposed to be like sons of God or sons of heaven; instead, they were, as Jesus named them, sons of hell.

Sons of thunder (Greek: Υἱοὶ Βροντῆς)
Mark 3:17
The Apostles James and John, the sons of Zebedee, were nicknamed by Jesus as Boanerges, which is of Aramaic origin meaning “Sons of Thunder.” Not necessarily a term of endearment, in the Aramaic/Hebrew (בֵּן רְגַז), it means quite literally “Son of Rage/Irritation”–or, as it is today used, “Son of a Bitch.” The two brothers earned this name from their quick temper, as evidenced by wanting to call down fire on a Samaritan village for not welcoming Jesus (Luke 9:54) and for attempting to stop a man from working in the name of Jesus because he was not explicitly a part of the Jesus movement (Mark 9:38; Luke 9:49). Additionally, their hot-headed ambition led them to make a bold request of Jesus, to esteem them in the highest honor in his coming kingdom, to allow them to sit at his right and his left, places and positions of great glory (Mark 10:35-37), to the chagrin of the other disciples.

Stiff-necked (Hebrew: קָשָׁה; Greek: σκληροτράχηλος)
Exodus 32:9; 33:3, 5; 34:9; Deuteronomy 9:6, 13; 10:16; 31:27; 2 Kings 17:14; 2 Chronicles 30:8; 36:13; Nehemiah 9:16-17, 29; Proverbs 29:1; Jeremiah 7:26; 17:23; 19:15; Acts 7:51
The term translated into English as “stiff-necked” comes from the Hebrew verb קָשָׁה, which can literally mean “to be hard or difficult or severe; stubborn and obstinate; burdensome”; in the NT, it is used once in Acts 7:51, derives from σκληροτράχηλος, which is a blending of σκληρός + τράχηλος (hard + neck), and refers to the Old Testament Hebrew term קְשֵׁה. To be stiff-necked draws up the imagery of someone who has a neck that is so hard, it doesn’t bow down or bend–it is neither able to be humbled nor is it flexible. Such a neck is stiff with pride and is prime for being cut off, as a stiff, outstretched neck is best for beheading.

Strange (Hebrew:נָכַר ,אָחַר ,הָכַר ,זוּר; Greek: παράδοξος, ἀλλότριος, ξένος, ἕτερος)
Genesis 35:2, 4; 42:7; Exodus 2:22; 18:3; 30:9; Leviticus 10:1; Numbers 3:4; 26:61; Deuteronomy 32:12, 16; Joshua 24:20, 23; Judges 10:16; 11:2; 1 Samuel 7:3; 1 Kings 11:1, 8; 2 Chronicles 14:3; 33:15; Ezra 10:2, 10-11, 14, 17-18, 44; Nehemiah 13:27; Job 19:3; Psalm 137:4; 144:7, 11; Proverbs 2:16; 5:3, 20; 6:24; 7:5; 20:16; 22:14; 23:27, 33; 27:13; Hosea 5:7; Luke 5:26; Acts 7:6; 17:18; Hebrews 11:9; 13:9; Jude 1:7
The term “strange” derives of various Hebrew and Greek terms that mean various things as “other,” “foreign,” “unknown,” “alien,” “uncommon,” “unexpected,” “paradoxical,” “incredible.” Perhaps, the most fitting meaning of any of the terms is “unknown,” as that which is strange is unknown. To be “strange” in a biblical context is to be other than what is known to be intended for one’s good or benefit, to be what is unknown, especially in terms of what is good for you. To be strange, then, is not to be good and to be unknown in a bad way.
See also Foreigner and Stranger.

Stranger (Hebrew:גָּר ,זוּר ,נֵכָר; Greek: ξένος, ἀλλογενής, ἀλλότριος)
Genesis 15:13; 23:4; 37:1; Exodus 2:22; 12:43; Leviticus 22:10, 12-13; Numbers 1:51; 3:10, 38; Deuteronomy 23:20; Judges 19:12; Ruth 2:10; 2 Samuel 1:13; 15:19; Psalm 69:8; 119:19; Proverbs 2:16; 5:10, 20; 6:1; 7:5; Ecclesiastes 6:2; Isaiah 56:3, 6; 62:8; Jeremiah 14:8; Ezekiel 44:9; Matthew 25:35; Luke 17:18; 24:18; John 10:5; Acts 7:29
Throughout the Bible, the term translated as “stranger” derives of various Hebrew and Greek terms; all the terms generally mean “other” or “foreigner”–or, in today’s lingo, would be “immigrant.” There is a great deal about how the stranger is different and distinct from Israel, the people of God, and to be a stranger is not necessarily a positive thing, as it indicates that such a one is outside the people of God. This kind of idea seems to have led to a rejection of those who were strangers, outside the people of God, namely, outside of Israel, which included Samaritans and Gentiles, people groups who were looked down upon by many first century Jews. However, a careful reading of both the Old and New Testaments reveals that God’s heart for the stranger is that his people are to love the stranger, care for the stranger, defend (the rights of) the stranger. As New Testament scholar Bart Ehrman’s newest book is entitled, Love Thy Stranger, so the God of the Bible calls his people to love the stranger, remembering that ancient Israel was a stranger in the land of Egypt, from which God delivered them, and that believers of Jesus today are but strangers in the world, awaiting a heavenly home of which they are true citizens. To be a stranger, then, is rather a blessing in disguise, as, though it connotes being apart from rather than a part of the people of God, it is required of the people of God to include those who are excluded.
See also Foreigner and Strange.

Swine (Hebrew: חֲזִיר; Greek: χοῖρος)
Leviticus 11:7; Deuteronomy 14:8; Matthew 7:6; 8:30-32; Mark 5:11-14; Luke 8:32-33; 15:15-16
In the Hebrew, the term translated as “swine” is from an unused root probably meaning “to enclose” and is also translated as “hog” or “(wild) boar.” In the Greek, the term is of uncertain derivation and can also be translated as “hog.” In the Mosaic Law, swine are deemed as unclean, that is, forbidden food for consumption by the Jews. Swine were also commonly raised by Gentiles, nonJews, and the association of uncleanness of swine was also associated with Gentiles. Even as late as the first century of Jesus’ day, Jews considered both swine and the Gentiles who raised and ate them as unclean (see Luke 15:15-16).
See also Pig.

Tax collector (Hebrew: נָגַשׂ; Greek: τελώνης)
Daniel 11:20; Matthew 18:17; Luke 18:10-11, 13
A tax collector was looked upon with scorn, derision, disdain, and distrust in first century Judea because such were of the people of Israel but worked for the occupying Romans, who oppressed and ruled over the Jews. Tax collectors, of course, collected taxes for the Romans, but most would scalp their fellow Jews by collecting above and beyond the tax and what they needed to make a living; thus, they became wealthy off their mostly impoverished fellow Jews. As such, they were largely hated and viewed as traitors to their country and countrymen, sellouts for the occupying Roman government. In the NIV, the term translated as “tax collector” derives from the Hebrew term נָגַשׂ, which means “oppressor,” adding to the idea that tax collectors were nothing more than hated traitors who fleeced their own people for the sake of monetary gain–all in service of the Roman overlords who were oppressing them.
See also Friend of tax collectors and sinners and Sinner.

(Their) throat is an open grave (Hebrew: קֶבֶר־פָּתוּחַ גְּרוֹנָם; Greek: τάφος ἀνεῳγμένος ὁ λάρυγξ αὐτῶν)
Psalm 5:9; Romans 3:13
In Psalm 5, David writes of those who are boastful and false, whose lying lips produce only evil, those who are against David; he prays that the LORD will deliver him from these, his enemies, who flatter and lie, their inmost being consisting of destruction. In Romans 3, Paul quotes this line of David, indicating in a long list of citations, that every single person is evil and unrighteous, “under sin,” deserving of God’s wrathful judgment. The vivid imagery of this phrase allows for the reader to imagine the wide open mouth of such a one so described as a deep pit of death, wherein are found the dead bodies and decayed bones of many victims; such is the imagery of the speech of these who spread falsehood.

Unbeliever (Greek: ἄπιστος)
Matthew 17:17; Mark 9:19; Luke 9:41; 12:46; John 20:27; 1 Corinthians 6:6; 7:15; 10:27; 14:23-24; 2 Corinthians 4:4; 6:14-15; 7:15; 1 Timothy 5:8; Titus 1:15; Revelation 21:8
An “unbeliever” per the Greek term ἄπιστος is a faithless, unbelieving infidel. To be named an unbeliever is not a mere neutral appellation; rather, it is a positively negative designation. As Paul writes in 1 Timothy 5:8, a professing believer in Jesus who does not care for their own family is worse than an unbeliever; to be an unbeliever, then, is a bad way to be, but to be worse than that is an even worse way to be.

Uncircumcised (Hebrew: עָרֵל; Greek: ἀπερίτμητος, ἀκροβυστία)
Exodus 6:12, 30; 12:48; Leviticus 19:23; 26:41; Joshua 5:7; Judges 14:3; 15:18; 1 Samuel 14:6; 17:26, 36; 31:4; 2 Samuel 1:20; 1 Chronicles 10:4; Isaiah 52:1; Jeremiah 6:10; 9:25-26; Ezekiel 28:10; 31:18; 32:19, 21, 24-30, 32; 44:7, 9; Acts 7:51; 11:3; Romans 4:11-12; 1 Corinthians 7:18
To be uncircumcised in ancient Judaism was to fail to be set apart. God covenanted with Abram (Genesis 17) to circumcise all the males in his household, as a sign of the covenant that God was making with him. As strange as such a sign might be to us today, seeing as the Hebrews were averse to nudity and generally were always more than fully clothed, especially attending to covering their privy members, as not to do so, to expose one’s nakedness, as Ham did Noah (Genesis 9), would bring great shame upon both the one nude as well as the one viewing such nudity. More than skin deep, the sign of circumcision was likely a personal sign of covenant between the circumcised and God as well as a literal sign of God having his people “by the balls,” so to speak–that is, that he owned them by identifying them with circumcision, the mark of his ownership, like when one is branded by their owner. Furthermore, in the Ancient Near East, many covenants were made by cutting, as, for instance, when Abraham cut up the animals before the LORD (Genesis 15) or the prophets of Baal cut themselves to be heard by their god (1 Kings 18); circumcision, likewise, was an act of literally cutting oneself in sacrificial devotion to God. Additionally, circumcision was a sign of submission to the command of God, the Law of Moses, and the tradition of Abraham as well as serving as a reminder to the Jews of self-control, submitting their most basic creative biological impulses to God alone. Thus, to be uncircumcised, whether literally in the flesh of the penis or figuratively in the heart or ears, is to be common, ordinary, unholy, not set apart for divine purpose or use; more than that, it is to be unclean, which is to be vile, rejected, repudiated, utterly filthy and disgusting. Furthermore, to be uncircumcised is to be outside the purview of God’s chosen people group, to be lost, to be damned, to be godforsaken.

Unclean (Hebrew: טָמֵא; Greek: ἀκάθαρτος, κοινός)
Leviticus 5:2; 7:19, 21; 10:10; 11:4-8, 24-39, 31-36, 38-40, 43, 47; 12:2, 5; 13:3, 8, 11, 14-15, 20, 22, 25, 27, 30, 36, 44-46, 51, 55, 59; Numbers 6:7; 9:10; 18:15; 19:7-8, 10-11, 13-17, 19-22; Deuteronomy 12:15, 22; Joshua 22:19; Judges 13:4, 7, 14; 2 Chronicles 23:19; Ezra 9:11; Job 14:4; 36:14; Ecclesiastes 9:2; Isaiah 6:5; 35:8; 52:1, 11; 64:6; Lamentations 4:15; Ezekiel 22:26; 44:23; Hosea 9:3; Haggai 2:13-14; Zechariah 13:2; Matthew 10:1; 12:43; Mark 1:23, 26-27; 3:11, 30; 5:2, 8, 13; 6:7; 7:25; Luke 4:33, 36; 6:18; 8:29; 9:42; 11:24; Acts 5:16; 8:7; 10:14, 28; 11:8; Romans 14:14; 1 Corinthians 7:14; 2 Corinthians 6:17; Ephesians 5:5; Hebrews 9:13; Revelation 16:13; 18:2
Especially in the Book of Leviticus, the idea of clean versus unclean is well developed all throughout the Bible, with the unclean being nigh to the common or unholy, that which is not set apart. The root term used in the Hebrew in the Old Testament is one: טָמֵא, which literally means “unclean, defiled, polluted”; while the root terms used in the Greek in the New Testament are two: ἀκάθαρτος and κοινός, which mean, respectively, “unclean, not clean, or foul” and “common, unclean, defiled, or unholy.” Thus, the Hebrew uses the same root term to refer to what the Greek divides into two terms. What is unclean is that which is either common or filthy, both in a religious and spiritual as well as in a physical or common use sense. For example, today, one might consider someone with unwashed hands to be “defiled” or “unclean,” “dirty and unwashed,” possibly spreading germs and disease. In a very real sense, the ancient Hebrews so considered anything that was deemed by the Law as unclean as such as well as any spirit or action of evil, nefarious, or immoral nature. To be unclean is much like being uncircumcised or unholy: apart from the people of God, outside the divine approbation, suitable only for damnation unto the burning trash heap of Gehenna. To come into contact with something or someone who was unclean would set that individual outside of the wellness, health, life of the people of God, necessitating an atonement that might purge that individual of the evil of their uncleanness.
See also Unholy.

Unholy (Hebrew: חֹל; Greek: ἀνόσιος, κοινός)
Leviticus 10:10; 1 Timothy 1:9; 2 Timothy 3:2; Hebrew 10:29
The Hebrew term חֹל and the Greek term κοινός both can be translated as “unholy” as well as “profane” or “common,” while the Greek term ἀνόσιος is literally a blending of ἀ + ὅσιος, with the addition of the ν, and which means “not holy.” That which is unholy, then, might simply be that which is commonly used, of a distinction between what is common or ordinary and what is to be held in high esteem and for special use, much like one’s very own toothbrush; then again, what is unholy might also or otherwise be that which is impious, impure, or wicked.
See also Unclean.

Viper (Hebrew: אֶפְעֶה; Greek: ἔχιδνα)
Job 20:16; Isaiah 59:5; Matthew 3:7
Interestingly, the Hebrew term אֶפְעֶה derives from an unused root, אֶפַע, probably meaning “to breathe” with the connotation of hissing and which means “of nothing”; plainly, the Hebrew term אֶפְעֶה means “viper” or “snake,” the kind of which is venomous, even as an asp. In the Greek, it refers to “a viper and the offspring thereof” as well as “cunning, malignant, and wicked persons.” When referring to vipers or persons as such, the Bible indicates badness, as in a bad situation wherein poisonous snakes attack or a person is as poisonous as such a snake.
See also Adder, Serpent, and Snake.

Wasteland (Hebrew: בָּתָה ,יָשַׁם ,תֹּהוּ ,שְׁמָמָה)
Job 6:18; 38:27; Psalm 78:40; Isaiah 5:6; 32:14; 41:19; 64:10; Jeremiah 12:10-11; 22:6; 25:11; Ezekiel 29:9; Zephaniah 2:9; Malachi 1:3
Various Hebrew terms translate into the English as “wasteland,” such as בָּתָה, which means “waste, end, destruction, desolation” and derives from a basic term that means “to break apart”; יָשַׁם, which means “desolated, ruined, laid waste, wasted”; תֹּהוּ, which means “formless, wilderness, nothing(ness), empty (place), vain, vanity, confusion, waste”; and שְׁמָמָה, which means “desolate, desolation, waste.” All in all, the terms indicate “wasteland” or “wilderness,” bearing with them the connotations of emptiness, a place of waste and devoid of anything good. To name a place a wasteland, biblically-speaking, would be to determine it as nothing worth anything in which to dwell or reside. Today, such a place might be deemed a “shit-hole.”
See also Wilderness.

Whitewashed (Hebrew: תָּפֵל ,שִׂיד; Greek: κονιάω)
Deuteronomy 27:2, 4; Ezekiel 13:15; Matthew 23:27; Acts 23:3
The range of meaning for the Hebrew term translated as “whitewashed” is, as an adjective, “foolish, insipid” and “tasteless, unseasoned” and, as a noun, “whitewash.” It is from a root word meaning “to smear,” seemingly bearing with it the idea of a haphazard job of smearing whitewash hastily across a surface in an effort to cover it up, though such a job makes the surface appear worse than it did initially. In the Greek, the term κονιάω is a verb that means “to cover with lime, plaster over, whitewash, as with the dust of lime,” and is used in reference to the Jews who would whitewash the entrances of their tombs as a warning against defilement by touching them. Thus, when Jesus calls the religious leaders of his day “whitewashed tombs,” he is indicating that they are hiding the things of death within themselves, as impiety, with a veneer of piety, thereby being hypocrites and untrue; additionally, Jesus is saying that the very veneer of piety is a warning sign of (internal) uncleanness.

Whore (Hebrew: זָנָה; Greek: πόρνη)
Leviticus 19:29; 21:7, 9; Deuteronomy 22:21; 23:17-18; Judges 19:2; Proverbs 23:27; Isaiah 57:3; Ezekiel 16:28; Revelation 17:1, 15-16; 19:2
The term for “whore” utilized in the Hebrew is זָנָה, which is a primitive root meaning “highly-fed and therefore wanton” and is often translated as “harlot, whore, to go a-whoring, whoredom, to commit fornication, whorish,” and the like; it indicates that one is so satiated with good satisfaction, as the blessings of God, that they then turn to wantonness, feeling full and fat, forgetting whence their blessings came and turning to others, e.g., in idolatry, for more or other satisfactions. As Proverbs 30:20 puts it, such a person indulges in sexual indiscretion, then wipes their mouth and says, “What’s wrong with that?”–as if asking for more. In the Greek, the term for “whore” is πόρνη, from which we derive our contemporary term “porn.” The connection between πόρνη, whore, and porn is not too far a stretch, indeed.
See also Harlot and Prostitute.

Wicked (Hebrew: רַע ,רָשַׁע; Greek: πονηρός)
Genesis 13:13; 38:7; Exodus 9:27; Leviticus 20:17; Numbers 16:26; Deuteronomy 15:9; 17:5; 1 Samuel 2:9; Esther 7:6; 9:25; Job 3:17; 8:22; 9:22; Psalm 7:9, 11; 9:5, 16-17; 10:2-4, 13, 15; 139:19; Proverbs 2:14, 22; 3:25, 33; 4:14; Ecclesiastes 3:17; 7:15, 17; 8:10, 13-14; 9:2; Isaiah 3:11; 57:21; Jeremiah 17:9; 23:19; Ezekiel 3:18-19; 7:21; Daniel 12:10; Micah 6:10-11; Nahum 1:3, 11, 15; Habakkuk 1:4, 13; Zephaniah 1:3; Malachi 3:18; Matthew 13:19, 38; 16:4; Luke 11:36; 19:22; 1 Corinthians 5:13; Ephesians 6:16; 1 John 2:13-14; 3:12; 5:18
All throughout the Bible, the terms translated into English as “wicked” do not indicate that which is “cool” or “neat” or “awesome,” as the term came to be used in the 1980s and 90s; rather, the term, which comes from the Hebrew primitive root רָשַׁע and Greek πονηρός, means just what it has for centuries meant: “evil, bad, not good.” The Hebrew term רַע, which transliterates as “ra,” coincidentally sounds phonetically like the name of the Egyptian sun god, Ra; though there is no scholarly evidence to back up such an assertion, it seems that as the Hebrews came up out of Egypt and would consider such a time of enslavement as bad, they might well have borrowed the term Ra, which is Egyptian for “sun,” to mean “wicked” or “no good,” especially since the sun god, Ra, was the supreme god of ancient Egypt. In any case, the Hebrew term itself רַע can be translated into any number of bad terms as “bad, evil, disagreeable, malignant, unpleasant, displeasing, hurtful, sad, unhappy, woeful, unkind, vicious,” and the like. In the Greek, the term is πονηρός and indicates such hardships or annoyances as full of laborious work or such natures or conditions as to be bad, whether in a physical or ethical sense, as diseased or blind or as morally bad.
See also Evil, Immoral, and Woe.

Wilderness (Hebrew: מִדְבָּר; Greek: ἔρημος)
Leviticus 16:21-22; Deuteronomy 1:19; Job 12:24; Psalm 55:7; 72:9; 107:33, 35; Proverbs 21:19; Isaiah 14:17; 27:10; 33:9; 64:10; Jeremiah 2:31; 9:2; 12:10; Lamentations 4:3, 19; 5:9; Ezekiel 6:15; 20:13; Hosea 2:3; 13:5; Malachi 1:3; Matthew 15:33; Mark 1:12; 8:4; Luke 4:1; 5:16; 8:29; 15:4; 1 Corinthians 10:5; 2 Corinthians 11:26; Revelation 17:3
While a place of desolation and presumably death, the wilderness is also looked upon in the Bible as a place of sweet consolation, as the people of Israel were led by God through the wilderness to the Land of Promise. Nevertheless, the wilderness is still conceived of in Scripture as a wasteland or an evil place of desolation; it is against this that the leading of God of the people of Israel through the wilderness is contrasted, demonstrating God’s all-sufficient provision for all people, particularly those who are his own. Thus, to name a place a wilderness would be to say it is a desolation of death and destruction, lifelessness and hopelessness.
See also Wasteland.

Winebibber (Greek: οἰνοπότης)
Matthew 11:19; Luke 7:34
Deriving from οἶνος, which itself may derive from the Hebrew יַיִן, the Greek term οἰνοπότης means literally “wino,” the Greek from which it derives literally meaning “wine.” Thus, when Jesus is referred to or refers to himself as a “winebibber,” the reference indicates that he is a drunkard, a wino, an alcoholic; his reputation was such that those who knew him and hated him, scorned him as such.
See also Glutton and a drunkard.

Woe (Hebrew: אוֹי ,אַלְלַי; Greek: οὐαί)
Numbers 21:29; 1 Samuel 4:7-8; Job 10:15; Ecclesiastes 4:10; 10:16; Isaiah 3:9, 11; 5:8, 11, 18, 20-22; 6:5; 10:1; 17:12; Jeremiah 4:31; 6:4; 10:19; Lamentations 5:16; Ezekiel 2:10; 13:3, 18; 16:23; 24:6; Hosea 7:13; 9:12; Amos 5:18; 6:1; Micah 2:1; 7:1; Nahum 3:1; Habakkuk 2:6, 9, 12, 15, 19; Zephaniah 2:5; 3:1; Zechariah 11:17; Matthew 11:21; 18:7; 23:13-16, 23, 25, 27, 29; 24:19; 26:24; Mark 13:17; 14:21; Luke 6:24, 26; 10:13; 11:42-44, 46-47, 52; 17:1; 21:23; 22:22; 1 Corinthians 9:16; Jude 1:11; Revelation 8:13; 9:12; 11:14; 12:12
An interjection almost mimicking the sound one makes when in despair or denouncing a bad state or situation, the Hebrew and Greek terms for “woe” indicate as much both by their definitions and meanings as well as by the way in which they are uttered in speech. These terms can mean both “woe” and “alas,” being primary exclamations of grief or denunciation, wrought by profound grief. To declare that such a one or place is in a woeful way or state is to declare that such is to be grieved, pitied, denounced, deplored, or despaired of. When the term is repeated, especially twice or thrice, it indicates a manifold manifestation of the grief, despair, or denunciation.
See also Evil, Dust, and Wicked.

Worthless (Hebrew: שָׁוְא ,רֵיק ,הֶבֶל ,אֱלִיל; Greek: ἀδόκιμος, ἀχρεῖος, μάταιος)
Genesis 41:27; Deuteronomy 32:31; 1 Kings 16:13, 26; 2 Kings 17:15; 2 Chronicles 13:7; Job 13:4; 15:31; Psalm 31:6; 60:11; 108:12; 119:37; Isaiah 1:13; 40:17; 41:24; 44:9; Jeremiah 2:5, 8, 11; 7:8: 8:19; 10:3, 8, 15; 14:22; 15:19; 16:19; Hosea 12:11; Jonah 2:8; Zechariah 11:17; Matthew 25:30; Acts 14:15; Romans 3:12; Hebrew 6:8; James 1:26
The various terms translated as “worthless” tend to have an underlying meaning in the original Hebrew and Greek as “vain” or “vanity,” such that is devoid of power or ability, of producing any results, that is useless, pointless, purposeless. Most often, such terms are used in reference to idols and the practice of idolatry. Interesting is the Hebrew term הֶבֶל–often translated into English as “idol”–and means “vanity,” “vain,” “fleeting,” “quickly passing away.” Additionally, the term הֶבֶל, deriving from הָבַל, in a way rhymes with the Hebrew term נָבָל, deriving from נָבֵל and meaning “fool.”
See also Scoundrel.

NathanAnthonyBarstad

A Brief List of 95 Bad Words, Terms, and Phrases of the Bible

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A Brief List of 95 Bad Words, Terms, and Phrases of the Bible

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