מִרְשַׁעַת
𐤌𐤓𐤔𐤏𐤕
mirshaʻath
H4849 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
A female individual characterized by wickedness or wrongdoing; specifically, a woman who engages in criminal, unjust, or morally reprehensible behavior. The term designates not just general wrongdoing but a pattern or established identity as a 'wicked woman,' often in contrast to the ethical or righteous ideal. In context, it may describe a female perpetrator of social or religious evil as judged in the biblical legal or moral framework.
Semantic Range
wicked woman, female criminal, female evildoer, woman guilty of injustice or social evil, woman designated as morally or legally corrupt
Root / Etymology
From the root רשע (r-sh-ʿ), meaning 'to be wicked, act wickedly.' The noun form מִרְשַׁעַת employs the prefix מִ- (mi-) and a feminine ending -ת (-at), forming a feminine agent noun: 'female who does wickedness' or 'wicked woman.'
Historical & Contextual Notes
The form מִרְשַׁעַת appears rarely in the Hebrew Bible. Its use is polemical or highly charged, often employed to single out a woman as the embodiment of wickedness, injustice, or criminality in contrast to the idealized righteous woman (e.g., אֵשֶׁת חַיִל). The term draws upon the significant moral weight of its root רשע, used extensively for egregious social and ethical deviance. The English translation 'wicked woman' captures the surface sense, but may lose the specific social and legal resonance of the term in context, which encompasses both moral and judicial wrongdoing. Later traditions and translations sometimes generalized or softened the meaning, but the biblical usage is uncompromising in its condemnation. This term is not widely attested outside biblical Hebrew; cognates in other Semitic languages employ different noun forms for 'wicked woman.' In rabbinic Hebrew, derivative forms shift in usage and connotation.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
from רָשַׁע; a female wicked doer; wicked woman.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
רשע (r-sh-ʿ) — to be wicked, act criminally, be guilty, do wrong
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H1306 | בִּרְשַׁע | In-Wickedness |
| H3573 | כּוּשַׁן רִשְׁעָתַיִם | Kushan of double-wickedness |
| H7561 | רָשַׁע | I will act wickedly |
| H7562 | רֶשַׁע | from unjustness |
| H7563 | רָשָׁע | the guilty man |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4849-01 |
הַ/מִּרְשַׁ֔עַת | hamireshaat | HTd/Ncfsa |
that wicked woman | the wicked woman | 1 |
Occurrences in Scripture
1 total occurrence
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4849-01 |
2 Chronicles 24:7 | הַ/מִּרְשַׁ֔עַת | hamireshaat | HTd/Ncfsa |
that wicked woman | the wicked woman |