The word “evil” appears frequently in English versions of the Hebrew Bible. Usually, it translates Hebrew ra‘. Over the centuries, however, English Bibles have used this rendering less frequently. While the KJV (or AV; 17th century) has “evil” 489.00 times in the Old Testament, the JPS (20th century) uses it only 120.00 times. Contemporary English dictionaries define “evil” as something or someone extremely immoral or malevolent, especially regarding supernatural forces. When someone today, with this more restrictive understanding of “evil,” reads the Old Testament in English, and encounters this word, does the meaning that comes to mind square with what the ancient author and audience thought when using or hearing ra‘ ? How does the ancient use of this term compare or contrast with current English usage? To answer such questions, this paper will consider selected Hebrew lexica, demonic activity in the Old Testament (especially in regard to ra‘), selected passages in English versions, and the potential of other Hebrew terms to convey the idea of “evil” per contemporary usage. Having looked extensively at the use of this term in the Hebrew Bible, the thesis of this paper is that the current meaning of “evil” does not fit most if any Old Testament contexts. A concluding suggestion is that English translations of ra‘, in commentary or new versions, should avoid using “evil” unless the contextual meaning conforms to contemporary standard (not slang) usage.