Does God create evil?
An in-depth explanation of Isaiah 45:7

Isaiah 45:7 is one of the most controversial, misunderstood verses in the King James Version of the Bible. Over the past five decades, I have been questioned many times about its true meaning by those who were confused by the wording.

Here’s the passage—God spoke through his prophet, saying:

“I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.”

What? Did I read that correctly? God creates “evil”? If that translation is right, would it not be sufficient evidence to indite Yahweh, not Satan or Adam, with the crime of introducing evil into this world and perpetuating its reign. But how could that be, considering the Scripture also insists that God’s “work is perfect; for all His ways are just. He is a God of faithfulness and without injustice; righteous and upright is He”? (Deuteronomy 32:4 MEV).

For something or someone to be labeled “evil,” normally, that characteristic would proceed from a source that is itself “evil”—wicked, corrupt, immoral, and ungodly. How could God Himself be ungodly? That’s impossible!

From time to time, New Agers or those who embrace a far eastern worldview have used this verse to try and prove to me that the Bible upholds the “yin-yang” view of the nature of ultimate reality—that God is both darkness and light, both evil and good. This concept is based on the idea that the universe is not a creation, but an emanation of God—so both the evil and the good in this world are manifestations of the divine nature (a doctrine called “pantheism”—meaning “All is God and God is All”). Yet I contend that this erroneous view robs God of His integrity. The correct stance is this—that instead of God “being” the universe, He exists “apart from” the universe (both the terrestrial and celestial aspects). That way, His absolute holiness is not marred by the uncleanness that is so rampant in this world and the conflict that goes on between angels and demons in the spiritual world.

James 1:13 is very plainly states that, “God cannot be tempted with evil; neither does He tempt anyone.” Yet Isaiah 45:7 seems to be supportive of an opposite view. So how do we properly interpret this controversial passage and refute this flawed interpretation?

Dissecting the details

There are four main ways to dissect the details of this issue and arrive at the core truth:

• First, find other passages in the KJV that wrongly use the word “evil.”
• Second, examine the context; discover what Isaiah was referencing when he spoke these words.
• Third, examine other ways the original Hebrew word is translated in the KJV.
• Fourth, compare the KJV to other translations of the same passages.

The original Hebrew

The word “evil” in Isaiah 45:7 is translated from the Hebrew word ra‛ or râ‛âh (pronounced rah or raw-aw’—which are the male and female form of the word). This word is rendered “evil” 440 times in the KJV, sometimes correctly and sometimes incorrectly.

For instance, the following is, in my estimation, a grossly incorrect translation of the word. God had just spoken the Ten Commandments from Mount Sinai and after that, Moses spent 40 days in the mountain receiving more detailed revelation. When he came back to the camp, much to his shock, the children of Israel had completely backslidden. They were dancing around a golden idol, indulging in a demonically-infested orgy of lust in the name of worship. Moses was furious and so was God—so much so that God was minded toward wiping out the whole nation. However, Moses interceded for them, and the King James Version describes what surprisingly happened:

“The LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people” (Exodus 32:14 KJV).

What? Evil? Is it “evil” for a just and righteous God to administer righteous judgments to those unrighteous persons who deserve them? Also, does God actually “repent”? Though that word simply means “a change of mind,” in our modern-day vernacular, it also implies remorse over wrongdoing. Since God does no wrong, He has nothing to be remorseful about. Of course, at times, He has changed his mind on a matter, but there are far better ways of describing that shift in opinion than the word “repent.”

Once again, a false representation of the true meaning is the direct result of the questionable and inaccurate KJV translation of that verse. The Modern English Version (MEV) of Exodus 32:14 says far more precisely, “The Lord relented of the harm which He said He would do to His people” (author emphasis). The words “repent” and “relent” and the words “evil” and “harm” are much different in meaning and undoubtedly—the MEV rendering conveys what that passage is saying much more effectively.

Another good example is the time when the twelve spies came back from the Land of Canaan. Ten of them brough back an “evil report” according to the KJV. A much different sense is conveyed by the NKJV that says, “a bad report”—because of the giants in the land and the largeness and seeming unmanageableness of the territory. (See Numbers 13:32)

The MEV translation of the main verse in question (Isaiah 45:7) also helps to clear away the fog:

“I form the light and create darkness; I make peace and create calamity; I, the Lord, do all these things.”

When taken in context, the “calamity” that God intended to “create” was the collapse of the Babylonian empire through an attack from Cyrus, king of Persia, who was anointed of God to release the Jewish captives and commission them to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the city and the temple. As God caused the collapse of the Egyptian empire and the deliverance of the children of Israel from Egypt, so He caused the collapse of the Babylonian empire and their deliverance from Babylon. Sourcing these changes in the condition of Israel’s existence, a a result of divine intervention, is far different than blaming God with the existence of all the evil that abounds in this world.

Other ways the Hebrew words ra or ra-ah’ are translated in the KJV

In the King James Version, the original Hebrew word ra’ or ra-ah’ is found 664 times. It  was rendered “evil” 440 times, but it has also been translated wickedness 59 times, wicked 26, mischief 21, hurt 20, bad 13, mischief 19, bad 14, trouble 9, sore 9, evils 8, ills 8, affliction 5, harm 5, adversity 3, grievous 2, mischiefs 2, naught 2, noisome 2, sad 2, wickedly 2, adversities 1, afflictions 1, calamities 1, distress 1, and misery 1 time, as well as several other words.[1]

When all this is considered, it further helps to see, in essence, that God was saying, “I have the power to disrupt, to bring calamities, afflictions, adversities, harm, grief, distress, and misery—to those who oppose the truth and live wickedly. However, the root motive of God’s action is not wickedness, but JUSTICE.

The source of evil

God is not the source of evil in this world: it proceeds from a fallen angel (Satan), a fallen man (Adam) and a fallen world system corrupted by the first two. Jesus told some of his detractors:

“You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it” (John 8:44 NKJV).

Also, Paul laid the blame where it also belongs in Romans 5:12:

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—

This passage makes it clear that the evil residing in Satan was not authored by God. It streamed from “his own resources.” The sin nature that is in human beings did not come from God; it has been passed on to us from Adam. These two sources of evil exist solely because of the free will God grants both angels and human beings. Without it, loving, worshiping, and serving God would be meaningless, because these things could never be genuine and sincere actions toward the Almighty—but the result of a some supernatural kind of “programming” resulting in spiritual robots. So God endures the negative because of the power of the positive.

Comparing other passages

Finally, in deciphering the correct meaning of Isaiah 45:7, let’s look at the way that verse has been rendered in other translations, not yet mentioned in this article:

NKJV (New King James Version)
“I form the light and create darkness, I make peace and create calamity; I, the LORD, do all these things.”

BBE (The Bible in Basic English)
“I am the giver of light and the maker of the dark; causing blessing, and sending troubles; I am the Lord, who does all these things.”

NIV (New International Version)
“I form the light and create darkness, I bring prosperity and create disaster; I, the LORD, do all these things.”

NLT (New Living Translation)
“I create the light and make the darkness. I send good times and bad times. I, the LORD, am the one who does these things.”

HCSB (Holman Christian Standard Bible)
“I form light and create darkness, I make success and create disaster; I, Yahweh, do all these things.”

The word translated “peace” in Isaiah 45:7 is shalom which can mean blessing, prosperity, health, success, fruitfulness, rest, and wholeness (nothing missing and nothing broken). So just as shalom can be rendered numerous ways, so it is with the Hebrew word ra or ra-ah’.

ENDNOTES

[1] These numbers may differ slightly from one source to another, but the point is still relevant. These numbers are from the KJC—the King James Concordance.