What does חָפֵץ · רַע mean in the Bible?
חָפֵץ · רַע is a Hebrew phrase meaning "those who take pleasure in my harm".
Hebrew · H2654, H7451
חֲפֵצֵי רָעָתִי
Properly, to incline to; by implication (literally but rarely) to bend ; figuratively, to be pleased with, desire · bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral)
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Words in this compound — expand to study each participant
חָפֵץH2654properly, to incline to; by implication (literally but rarely) to bend ; figuratively, to be pleased with, desire
Pronunciationḥāp̄ēṣ
Inclination of will toward pleasure: God's delight in covenant obedience; human desire as moral alignment.
Open lexicon entry →רַעH7451bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral)
Pronunciationra
Encompasses both moral wickedness and physical affliction; God's judgment often conflates ethical and natural evil.
Open lexicon entry →What does חֲפֵצֵי רָעָתִי (chafetsei ra'ati) mean in the Bible?
חָפֵץ · רַע is a Hebrew phrase meaning "those who take pleasure in my harm".
Full entry for חֲפֵצֵי רָעָתִי (H2654, H7451) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How many biblical occurrences are listed for H2654, H7451?
H2654, H7451 is connected to 741 lexical occurrence verses in the lexicon data.
Evidence Summary
Hebrew phrase. those who take pleasure in my harm
Source Gloss
those who take pleasure in my harm
Grammatical Forms
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups1Aligned forms69
Qalbasic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense69×
Perfect1Kgs 9:1 · 1Kgs 10:9 · 1Sam 2:25 · 1Sam 18:22 · 1Sam 19:1 · 2Chr 9:8 · 2Sam 20:11 · 2Sam 22:20 · 2Sam 24:3 · Esth 2:14 · Esth 6:6 · Esth 6:7 · Esth 6:9 · Esth 6:11 · Gen 34:19 · Isa 42:2150×
ImperfectDeut 25:7 · Eccl 8:3 · Esth 6:6 · Job 9:3 · Job 40:17 · Prov 18:2 · Prov 21:1 · Ps 37:23 · Ps 147:10 · Ruth 3:13 · Ezek 18:23 · Ezek 18:32 · Ezek 33:11 · Job 13:3 · Isa 13:17 · Jer 6:1019×
Word Origins
חֲפֵצֵי רָעָתִי is a primitive root - no further derivation.