What does רַע · תַּחַת · טוֹב mean in the Bible?
רַע · תַּחַת · טוֹב is a Hebrew phrase meaning "evil in place of good".
Hebrew · H7451, H8478, H2896
רָעָה תַּחַת טוֹבָה
Bad or (as noun) evil (natural or moral) · the bottom (as depressed); only adverbially, below (often with prepositional prefix underneath), in lieu of , etc. · good (as an adjective) in the widest sense; used likewise as a noun, both in the masculine and the feminine, the singular and the plural (good, a good or good thing, a good man or woman; the good, goods or good things, good men or women), also as an adverb (well)
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.
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Words in this compound — expand to study each participant
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 →תַּחַתH8478the bottom (as depressed); only adverbially, below (often with prepositional prefix underneath), in lieu of , etc.
Pronunciationtachtav
Spatial foundation shifting to substitution: beneath becomes "in place of" or "instead of" through positional logic.
Open lexicon entry →טוֹבH2896good (as an adjective) in the widest sense; used likewise as a noun, both in the masculine and the feminine, the singular and the plural (good, a good or good thing, a good man or woman; the good, goods or good things, good men or women), also as an adverb (well)
What does רָעָה תַּחַת טוֹבָה (raah tachat tovah) mean in the Bible?
רַע · תַּחַת · טוֹב is a Hebrew phrase meaning "evil in place of good".
Full entry for רָעָה תַּחַת טוֹבָה (H7451, H8478, H2896) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How many biblical occurrences are listed for H7451, H8478, H2896?
H7451, H8478, H2896 is connected to 1,742 lexical occurrence verses in the lexicon data.
Evidence Summary
Hebrew phrase. evil in place of good
Source Gloss
evil in place of good
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 forms301
Qalbasic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense1×
PerfectIsa 3:111×
Word Origins
רָעָה תַּחַת טוֹבָה is built from this root: