Wicked People: 4 Types Mentioned in the Bible

Wicked people have always existed since Cain murdered his brother Abel. It seems that today, people have increased their evil deeds, as cybercrime, human trafficking, murder, and hate crimes are on the rise. So, what has changed? Why are people so unscrupulous today? Let’s explore Proverbs 30 to learn about the four types of wickedness in the modern world.

My devotional scripture reading this morning was Proverbs 30. The subject matter of verses 11-14 is “wicked people.” Proverbs divide wicked people into four types: Prideful, disrespectful, oppressive, and hypocritical. Let’s examine the characteristics of these types from a biblical perspective and further discuss these four forms of evil that still exist today.

“There is a generation that curses its father,
And does not bless its mother.
There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes,
Yet is not washed from its filthiness.
There is a generation—oh, how lofty are their eyes!
And their eyelids are lifted up.
There is a generation whose teeth are like swords,
And whose fangs are like knives,
To devour the poor from off the earth,
And the needy from among men.”
— Proverbs 30:11-14 NKJV

In Proverbs 30, King Solomon reveals the four types of wicked people. In verse 11, he uncovers the first type: People who, rather than honor their parents, ill-treat them. The Bible refers to this first group as prideful.

What is Pride?

Pride is a feeling of pleasure related to self-worth. Pride is often derived from personal achievements or talents, desirable possessions, or membership in an ethnic, religious, gender, social, political, or professional community or organization. While pride is considered a good trait, there is another side of pride that is not. It is hubristic pride. Hubristic pride is an excessive pride that expects worship as a reward.

The Bible speaks against hubristic pride. This type of pride obsesses people who need praise and admiration. Therefore, achieving a high society status is at the top of their list of accomplishments. God hates hubristic pride, as it leads us to have an extreme self-love that elevates us above others and God.

“Six things the Lord hates;
Indeed, seven are repulsive to Him:
A proud look [the attitude that makes one overestimate oneself and discount others].”
— Proverbs 6:16-17 AMP

Wickedness breeds rebellion and disobedience toward God. This rebellion began with Satan, long before God created mankind. Like Satan, wicked people are full of pride, and they easily stand out in a crowd. Here’s how you can spot them.

• Prideful individuals consistently boast and brag, mostly about their own success and achievements.
• Prideful people are condescending towards others. Consequently, they display their disrespect and hatred towards those they consider inferior.
• People who are prideful lack the ability to admit fault. They never want to be wrong and never apologize, believing apologizing would make them appear inferior.

Examples of Wicked People in the Bible

Cain

Noted for killing his brother Abel in a jealous rage, Cain is the first wicked individual and murderer recorded in the Bible. The story is recorded in Genesis chapter 4.

Pharaoh

Pharaoh hardened his heart against God and enslaved the Israelites and refused to free them until God set plagues upon the land of Egypt (Exodus 7:14-12:32).

Sanballat, Tobiah, and Geshem

Sanballat the Horonite, the governor of Samaria, was Nehemiah’s primary adversary. Through false accusations and threats of violence, Sanballat conspired with Tobiah the Ammonite and Geshem the Arab to oppose Nehemiah’s efforts to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls (Nehemiah chapters 2 and 4).

Ahab and Jezebel

The king and queen of Israel, Ahab and Jezebel, cruelly ruled northern Israel. Ahab, influenced by his wife Jezebel, promoted the worship of the ancient Canaanite gods Baal and Ashera. Jezebel suppressed the worship of Yahweh in Israel and sought to kill God’s prophets (1 Kings 18:4). 

Naboth, one of Jezebel’s subjects, owned a vineyard close to the palace. Ahab offered to buy the vineyard and turn it into a vegetable garden for himself. But Naboth refused Ahab’s offer. For that reason, Ahab and Jezebel had Naboth killed. Their evil rule angered God. The prophet Elijah prophesied Ahab’s death (1 Kings 21). Ahab was killed in battle (1 Kings 22:34-38). Afterward, Jezebel was thrown from a window and eaten by dogs (2 Kings 9:30-37). The story of Ahab and Jezebel serves as a warning against idolatry, the dangers of evil influence, and the consequences of injustice and wickedness.

Haman

The wicked Persian prime minister in the Book of Esther, Haman, who governed under King Xerxes, conspired against the Jews to eliminate their presence in the Persian kingdom. Haman hated Mordecai, King Xerxes’ Jewish advisor, because Mordecai refused to bow to him. Esther, Mordecai’s adopted daughter, uncovered Haman’s plot, and Haman was executed on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai (Esther 3-7).

Wicked People Are Disrespectful

In the Old Testament, anyone who cursed their parents was guilty of violating the Fifth Commandment. These abusive people wish the worst for their parents. In addition, they call their parents awful names that permanently injure them. This group of evil people generally hang out together and provoke each other to think ill of their parents. Not only do they curse their parents with their words, but they also do not bless them. They never say anything uplifting, and what’s worse, they refuse to pray for them. This behavior is characteristic of wicked people, contrary to the Bible’s instructions to honor our parents.

“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.”
— Exodus 20:12 NKJV

Wicked people of today fail to honor their parents. Rather than celebrate their parents, they take away their livelihood, ignoring the principles taught in biblical teachings. Here’s what the Bible says concerning those who disregard the command to honor their parents:

“And he who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.”
— Exodus 21:17 NKJV

Today, there’s a lot of talk about honoring our parents. However, we dishonor our parents when we take away their livelihood, such as social security and healthcare, benefits they earned as working citizens. Under the Old Covenant, such people were guilty of committing a capital offense. The penalty for cursing and rebelling against parents under the law was death, without exception. However, today, there is no penalty for such cruelty. Wicked people of today reward evil behavior with the pretense of a job as a public official to incite further violence against their parents.

Evil People Oppress Others

Oppression is best described as an unjust or cruel exercise of authority or power. Wicked individuals oppress others in various ways. A prime example of oppression is systemic and unjust racism, in which the justice system creates barriers and disadvantages for certain ethnic and social groups. In systemic oppression, one of the vehicles used is exploitation, in which one group exploits another by systematically transferring labor and other resources to themselves.

Wicked People Are Hypocritical

“There is a generation that is pure in its own eyes,
Yet is not washed from its filthiness.”
— Proverbs 30:12 NKJV

The third group of wicked people views themselves as “pure” in their own eyes. They profess a good opinion of themselves, and when they speak of their character, they appear as righteous. However, their righteousness points inward. Self-serving righteousness is hypocritical. These insincere individuals cannot see their error, as they are spiritually blind.

You [spiritually] blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the plate [examine and change your inner self to conform to God’s precepts], so that the outside [your public life and deeds] may be clean also.
— Matthew 23:25-26 AMP

This group of such deceitful individuals, though they maintain their own purity, is not cleansed from their filthiness. They profess to be Christians and have clean hearts, full of love. However, as Jesus said in Matthew 23, their hearts are filthy, and they do not know they are hypocrites—a true mark of wicked people. These are the biggest lying group of people. To be useful to God, they must pull down the strongholds of lies that they have built.

How to Respond to Wickedness

The Bible instructs us on how we should respond to evil. Romans 12:21 advises us not to let evil overcome us, and we are not to repay evil for evil, but overcome evil with good. The story of Joseph in the Book of Genesis is a testament to our ability to overcome evil. Joseph did not respond to wickedness. He resisted evil by refusing to think evil of those who had wronged him. Joseph had no fear of trouble or wicked people because he believed God was with him. You can read Joseph’s story in Genesis 37-50.

Here are three strategies that will help you overcome wickedness on the day of evil.

• Have faith in God – Achieving victory over evil requires faith in God, which enables one to respond as God would. For example, God does not retaliate evil with evil; He responds with goodness, patience, forgiveness, and kindness.
• Resist and expose evil – When you see wickedness approaching, oppose and expose evil by not taking part in it, nor condoning it. The Scripture says that if we run to and submit to God, the devil will leave (James 4:7).
• Pray – Prayer is a very effective weapon against wickedness. When we pray, we invite God into our lives to help us. Therefore, pray and ask God to protect and deliver you from evil.

Wicked People Are Not the Enemy

We fight a crafty enemy, who makes things appear as they are not. He makes right appear good, and good appear evil. He aims to make us fight each other by deception. However, in our fight to overcome wickedness, we must remember that our enemy is not flesh and blood.

“Our fight is not with people. It is against the leaders and the powers and the spirits of darkness in this world. It is against the demon world that works in the heavens.”
— Ephesians 6:12

Your sister, brother, friend, boss, co-worker, our President, your Congressman, and government officials are not the enemy. The forces of darkness are manipulating them to divide us. Let us therefore heed the words of Romans 12:21: “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good,” lest we also give in to the wickedness that we despise.