What does πνεῦμα · πονηρός mean in the Bible?
πνεῦμα · πονηρός is a Greek phrase meaning "Evil spirits".
Greek · G4151, G4190
πνεύματα τὰ πονηρὰ
Spirit/breath: spirit · evil/bad
Reading a lexicon entry
What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
Strong's number: The Strong's code (H- or G-) is the standard reference number for this word. It connects this entry to chapter and passage language tabs.
Where it appears: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
This lexicon entry is part of our ongoing editorial review. If you notice missing content, unclear wording, or a possible correction, please send us a note through the Connect page. Screenshots are helpful.
Words in this compound — expand to study each participant
πνεῦμα G4151 spirit/breath: spirit
Pronunciation pneûma
Spirit as the immaterial dimension of human existence, or God's transformative power, distinct from soul and body.
Open lexicon entry →
πονηρός G4190 evil/bad
Pronunciation ponērós
Moral or physical badness; notably used for Satan as "the evil one" in spiritual warfare contexts.
Open lexicon entry →
What does πνεύματα τὰ πονηρὰ (pneumata ta ponēra) mean in the Bible?
πνεῦμα · πονηρός is a Greek phrase meaning "Evil spirits".
Full entry for πνεύματα τὰ πονηρὰ (G4151, G4190) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How many biblical occurrences are listed for G4151, G4190?
G4151, G4190 is connected to 379 lexical occurrence verses in the lexicon data.
Evidence Summary
Greek phrase. Evil spirits
Source Gloss
Evil spirits
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
This word appears as a noun across 8 case and number patterns. The form changes show how the word functions in a sentence; they do not change the basic lexical meaning by themselves.
Form patterns 8 Aligned forms 379 Case pattern Genitive (106) Number pattern Singular (345)
Nominative · Singular · Neuter Matt 10:20 · Matt 12:43 · Matt 26:41 · Mark 1:12 · Mark 1:26 · Mark 5:8 · Mark 9:20 · Mark 9:25 · Mark 13:11 · Mark 14:38 · Luke 1:35 · Luke 1:47 · Luke 2:25 · Luke 4:18 · Luke 8:55 · Luke 9:39 93×
Nominative · Plural · Neuter Mark 3:11 · Mark 5:13 · Luke 10:20 · 1 Cor 14:32 · Heb 1:14 · Rev 4:5 · Rev 5:6 · Rev 16:14 8×
Genitive · Singular · Neuter Matt 1:18 · Matt 1:20 · Matt 4:1 · Matt 12:31 · Matt 12:32 · Matt 28:19 · Luke 1:15 · Luke 1:41 · Luke 1:67 · Luke 2:26 · Luke 4:1 · Luke 4:14 · John 3:5 · John 3:6 · John 3:8 · John 7:39 95×
Genitive · Plural · Neuter Matt 10:1 · Mark 6:7 · Luke 6:18 · Luke 7:21 · Luke 8:2 · Acts 5:16 · 1 Cor 12:10 · 1 Cor 14:12 · Heb 12:9 · Rev 1:4 · Rev 22:6 11×
Dative · Singular · Neuter Matt 3:11 · Matt 5:3 · Matt 12:28 · Matt 22:43 · Mark 1:8 · Mark 1:23 · Mark 2:8 · Mark 5:2 · Mark 8:12 · Mark 9:25 · Mark 12:36 · Luke 1:17 · Luke 1:80 · Luke 2:27 · Luke 3:16 · Luke 4:1 91×
Dative · Plural · Neuter Mark 1:27 · Luke 4:36 · 1 Tim 4:1 · Heb 12:23 · 1 Pet 3:19 5×
Accusative · Singular · Neuter Matt 3:16 · Matt 12:18 · Matt 27:50 · Mark 1:10 · Mark 3:29 · Mark 3:30 · Mark 7:25 · Mark 9:17 · Luke 3:22 · Luke 4:33 · Luke 11:13 · Luke 12:10 · Luke 13:11 · Luke 23:46 · Luke 24:37 · John 1:32 66×
Accusative · Plural · Neuter Matt 8:16 · Matt 12:45 · Luke 11:26 · Acts 8:7 · Acts 19:12 · Acts 19:13 · Heb 1:7 · 1 John 4:1 · Rev 3:1 · Rev 16:13 10×
Word Origins
πνεύματα τὰ πονηρὰ is built from this root:
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain