“I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.” ~ Isaiah 45:7 KJV
Why does the Bible’s King James Version (KJV) say God created evil?
If you look at the definition of “evil,” there are multiple ways of describing it.
Let’s break this down.
God Is The Creator of Everything
Without a doubt, God created everything.
The Book of Genesis clearly outlines how God created “the heavens and earth” and everything afterward. In truth, He also made everything before, like the angels.
Now, everything God created was good.
“God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.” – Genesis 1:31
“For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving.” – 1 Timothy 4:4
And everything God creates is good.
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” – James 1:17
So, back to the question … why does Isaiah 45:7 say God created evil in the Bible’s King James Version?
Let’s start by looking at the translation and the context of the scripture.
The Two Applications of Ra’
The Hebrew word used in Isaiah 45:7 is ra’,* which the King James Version translated into “evil.”
But, ra’ has two applications in the Bible.
The term can be used as wickedness and sin (moral evil) or refer to events such as disaster, adversity, affliction, misfortune, calamity, or harmful natural events.
“Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God.” – 3 John 1:11 NIV
“The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; I hate arrogant pride and the evil way and perverse utterances.” – Proverbs 8:13 NET
“And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord . So the Lord strengthened Eglon king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the Lord.” – Judges 3:12 NKJV
“A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart.” – Matthew 12:35 NLT
Most modern Bible translations use the events version of Isaiah 45:7:
- NIV: “I bring prosperity and create disaster.”
- ESV: “I make well-being and create calamity.”
- NKJV: “I make peace and create calamity.”
- NASB2020: “Causing well-being and creating disaster.”
- MSG: “I make harmonies and create discords.”
- NLT: “I send good times and bad times.”
Holy, Good, and Loving
The Bible proves everything God makes is good.
He is such a loving creator that He gave us the power of choice. Without it, we would basically be robots, like AI, answering prompts.
He did not and does not create moral evil. Moral evil is not a “thing” to be made but an intentional action or inaction (both are choices) contrary to God’s good purposes, law, and holy character.
Now that you know what moral evil is, you also know that moral evil does not conform to God’s will.
- God is holy.
“They were calling out to each other, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Heaven’s Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory!’” – Isaiah 6:3 NLT
“For the Scriptures say, ‘You must be holy because I am holy.’” – 1 Peter 1:16 NLT
- God is good.
“Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!” – Psalm 34:8 NLT
“The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him.” – Nahum 1:7 NIV
- God is loving.
“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.” – 1 John 4:8 NIV
Therefore, His purposes and plans are holy, good, and loving.
And we must remember that God is sovereign and the Ruler of the Universe. Sometimes, He creates calamity (ra’—evil) to accomplish His will.
And like any loving Father, He will protect His children, His people – all those who follow Him. Don’t ever doubt that.
God Protects Those Who Follow Him
Returning to the verse in Isaiah 45, let’s review the entire context of that passage.
Israel was the chosen nation, and Babylon was being more than just a bully. They were the evil superpower of their time.
But that was about to change.
In Isaiah 45:1, God anointed and used Cyrus, the Persian king (the only place in the Bible where a Gentile ruler is “anointed”), to do a special task for Him. Cyrus allowed God’s city, Jerusalem, to be rebuilt and set the exiles free from Babylon without expecting anything in return.
Isaiah 45 shows He brought calamity (or “evil”) to Babylon through Cyrus to restore His chosen people to their homeland.
“who carries out the words of his servants and fulfills the predictions of his messengers, who says of Jerusalem, ‘It shall be inhabited,’ of the towns of Judah, ‘They shall be rebuilt,’ and of their ruins, ‘I will restore them,’” – Isaiah 44:26 NIV
“I will go before you and will level the mountains ; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron.” – Isaiah 45:2 NIV
And this battle was foretold approximately 290 years earlier:
“In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and also to put it in writing: ‘This is what Cyrus king of Persia says: “The Lord, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Any of his people among you may go up, and may the Lord their God be with them.”’” – 2 Chronicles 36:22-23 NIV
Evidently, superpowers don’t listen or read!
We already know God creates light, darkness, peace, and calamity. Isaiah 45:7 directly relates to Cyrus’s overthrowing of Babylon and explains what God will do to Israel’s enemy.
The answer to the original question of why it says God created evil is that God created disaster and calamity to rain down on Babylon. This is the “evil” used in this passage, as described by the Hebrew word ra’.
God is Good – And Loves You
In the same way, He used Cyrus, He uses people (you and me) as His agents of peace and redemption to accomplish His greater kingdom purposes.
God’s sovereign rule over everything gives you hope. You can trust and “know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” – Romans 8:28 NASB2020
Your circumstances may seem bright or dark, peaceful or devastating, but God promises to bring them together for your ultimate benefit, even through hardship, affliction, and evil (aka ra’).
Your life is sprinkled with both positive and negative experiences (good and evil – also ra’), which are needed for you to grow spiritually.
The next time you read the Bible, be sure to consider its true definition and context. You will find that God is sovereign, good, and loves you!