Bible Dictionary
EVIL ONE
A personal designation for the spiritual adversary who tempts and opposes humanity. The term is often understood as referring to Satan, the devil, or the accuser.
Definition
The Evil One is the personal spiritual enemy who leads people into temptation. The designation corresponds to the personal form of evil and is associated with Satan, the adversary or accuser, and the devil.
Biblical Usage
The Revised Version uses “the evil one” in passages where the King James Version has “evil.” The expression refers to the enemy of humanity, whose work is to lead people into temptation.
Historical Background
The entry observes that many peoples have expressed belief in a personal spirit of darkness opposed to a spirit of light and working against human good.
Related Figures
Historical Bible Dictionaries
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE)
<p>(ho poneros):</p><p>Nearly all peoples who have expressed their religious thought and feeling believe in a spirit that presides over the destinies of men for their good. They believe that there is also a spirit, a person, whose work it is to lead men into temptation: a spirit of light and a spirit of darkness. Feelings and preferences may have much to do with the conclusions. In Mt 5:37,39,45; 6:13, the King James Version gives "evil," the Revised Version (British and American) "the evil one," margin, "evil," the personal form referring to the enemy of the race known by various terms: Satan, "the adversary" or "the accuser," occurs 50 times; Beelzebub is found 7 times; devil, 35 times; it means "accuser," "calumniator."</p><p>See SATAN.</p><p>David Roberts Duncan</p>