Definition and Usage:
In biblical terms, "crookedness" often refers to moral or ethical deviation from God's righteous path. It is synonymous with iniquity, perversity, and moral corruption. The term is used to describe actions, thoughts, or paths that are not aligned with God's will and commandments.

Old Testament References:
The concept of crookedness is prevalent in the Old Testament, where it is frequently contrasted with righteousness and uprightness. In Proverbs 2:15, the term is used to describe those who have left the path of wisdom: "whose paths are crooked and whose ways are devious." Here, crookedness is associated with deceit and moral deviation.

Isaiah 59:8 further illustrates this idea: "The way of peace they have not known, and there is no justice in their tracks. They have made their paths crooked; no one who treads on them will know peace." This passage highlights the consequences of crookedness, emphasizing the absence of peace and justice.

New Testament References:
In the New Testament, crookedness is often used metaphorically to describe spiritual and moral waywardness. In Luke 3:5, John the Baptist quotes Isaiah, proclaiming, "Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The crooked shall become straight, and the rough ways smooth." This prophecy speaks to the transformative power of repentance and the coming of the Messiah, who will straighten the crooked paths of humanity.

Acts 2:40 records Peter's exhortation to the early church: "With many other words he testified, and he urged them, 'Be saved from this corrupt generation.'" The term "corrupt" here is akin to crookedness, indicating a generation that has strayed from God's truth.

Theological Implications:
Crookedness is fundamentally a departure from God's design and order. It represents the human tendency to deviate from divine law and pursue self-interest. The Bible consistently calls believers to reject crookedness and embrace righteousness. In Proverbs 3:5-6, believers are encouraged to trust in the Lord and acknowledge Him in all their ways, promising that "He will make your paths straight."

Moral and Ethical Considerations:
From a moral standpoint, crookedness is a warning against the dangers of sin and the importance of integrity. The Bible teaches that those who walk in crookedness will face divine judgment, while those who pursue righteousness will find favor with God. Proverbs 11:3 states, "The integrity of the upright guides them, but the perversity of the treacherous destroys them."

Practical Application:
Believers are called to examine their lives for any form of crookedness and to seek God's guidance in aligning their paths with His will. This involves repentance, a commitment to ethical living, and a reliance on the Holy Spirit for strength and direction. As Philippians 2:15 encourages, Christians are to "be blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine as lights in the world."

Conclusion:
While the Bible acknowledges the reality of crookedness in the world, it also offers hope through the redemptive work of Christ. By turning away from crooked paths and embracing the righteousness of God, believers can experience the fullness of life that He intends.(n.) The condition or quality of being crooked; hence, deformity of body or of mind; deviation from moral rectitude; perverseness.5558. seleph -- crookedness, crooked dealing
... 5557, 5558. seleph. 5559 . crookedness, crooked dealing. Transliteration: seleph
Phonetic Spelling: (seh'-lef) Short Definition: crookedness. ...
/hebrew/5558.htm - 6k

6143. iqqeshuth -- crookedness
... 6142, 6143. iqqeshuth. 6144 . crookedness. Transliteration: iqqeshuth Phonetic
Spelling: (ik-kesh-ooth') Short Definition: deceitful. ...
/hebrew/6143.htm - 6k

3891. lazuth -- deviation, crookedness
... 3890, 3891. lazuth. 3892 . deviation, crookedness. Transliteration: lazuth
Phonetic Spelling: (lez-ooth') Short Definition: devious. ...
/hebrew/3891.htm - 6k

Theophilus. ...
... [Way-2-83] Theophilus.? Theophilus. You might as well ask, why a circle must be
perfectly round, or a straight line free from every degree of crookedness. ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/law/the way to divine knowledge/way-2-83 theophilus .htm

Moral Depravity.
... Depravatus literally and primarily means "very crooked," not in the sense of original
or constitutional crookedness, but in the sense of having become crooked. ...
/.../finney/systematic theology/lecture xxii moral depravity.htm

Ep. Xli. To the People of C??sarea, in his Father's Name.
... As then the straightness or crookedness of the course of the body depends upon the
clearness or dulness of the eye, so must the Church necessarily share the ...
/.../cyril/select letters of saint gregory nazianzen/ep xli to the people.htm

How a Desolate Man Ought to Commit Himself into the Hands of God
... under the rod of Thy correction. Smite my back and my neck that I may bend
my crookedness to Thy will. Make me a pious and lowly ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/kempis/imitation of christ/chapter l how a desolate.htm

The Fiftieth Chapter: How a Desolate Person Ought to Commit ...
... hands. I bow myself under Your correcting chastisement. Strike my back and
my neck, that I may bend my crookedness to Your will. Make ...
/.../kempis/the imitation of christ/the fiftieth chapter how a.htm

Concerning the Multitudes who were Healed. Comparison of the ...
... of it, and as it were at the feet of the body of Jesus"the church"coming to it with
their own deafness and blindness and lameness and crookedness, and in ...
/.../18 concerning the multitudes who.htm

Evil Alone is Corruption. Corruption is not Nature, but Contrary ...
... Again, in any corporeal thing, the corruption of beauty is ugliness; the corruption
of straightness is crookedness; the corruption of order is confusion; the ...
/.../chapter 35 name alone is.htm

On Pilgrimages.
... and, just as those who correct their work in any given material by a rule, and by
means of the straightness of that rule bring the crookedness which their ...
/.../gregory/gregory of nyssa dogmatic treatises etc/on pilgrimages.htm

Now was the Day Come Wherein I was in Deed to be Freed of My...
... goads Thou tamedst me; and how Thou hast evened me, lowering the mountains and hills
of my high imaginations, straightening my crookedness, and smoothing my ...
/.../augustine/the confessions of saint augustine/chapter iv now was the.htm

In the Country He Gives his Attention to Literature, and Explains ...
... Thou didst subdue me, and how Thou didst make me low, bringing down the mountains
and hills of my imaginations, and didst straighten my crookedness, and smooth ...
/.../augustine/the confessions and letters of st/chapter iv in the country he.htm

Crookedness (1 Occurrence)
... Multi-Version Concordance Crookedness (1 Occurrence). Proverbs 15:4 Gentleness of
tongue is a tree of life; but crookedness therein is a breaking of the spirit. ...
/c/crookedness.htm - 6k

Crop (33 Occurrences)

/c/crop.htm - 17k

Guideth (6 Occurrences)
... YLT). Proverbs 11:3 The integrity of the upright guideth them; but the
crookedness of the unfaithful destroyeth them. (DBY). Proverbs ...
/g/guideth.htm - 7k

Iniquity (299 Occurrences)
... Etymologically, it is customary to explain it as meaning literally "crookedness,"
"perverseness," ie evil regarded as that which is not straight or upright ...
/i/iniquity.htm - 43k

Distortion (1 Occurrence)
... 2. (n.) A wresting from the true meaning. 3. (n.) The state of being distorted,
or twisted out of shape or out of true position; crookedness; perversion. ...
/d/distortion.htm - 7k

Crooked-backed (1 Occurrence)
Crooked-backed. Crooked, Crooked-backed. Crookedness . Multi-Version Concordance ...
Crooked, Crooked-backed. Crookedness . Reference Bible.
/c/crooked-backed.htm - 6k

Job (60 Occurrences)
... 3. The Silent Friends 4. Whose Way Is Hid B) To Job's Ultimatum of Protest 1. The
Veiled Impeachment 2. Wisdom Insipid, Friends Doubtful 3. Crookedness of the ...
/j/job.htm - 62k

Gentleness (17 Occurrences)
... (WEB KJV ASV DBY WBS NAS). Proverbs 15:4 Gentleness of tongue is a tree of life;
but crookedness therein is a breaking of the spirit. (DBY). ...
/g/gentleness.htm - 13k

Destroyeth (38 Occurrences)
... (KJV DBY WBS). Proverbs 11:3 The integrity of the upright guideth them; but
the crookedness of the unfaithful destroyeth them. (DBY YLT). ...
/d/destroyeth.htm - 17k

Unfaithful (58 Occurrences)
... (DBY NIV). Proverbs 11:3 The integrity of the upright guideth them; but the
crookedness of the unfaithful destroyeth them. (DBY NIV). ...
/u/unfaithful.htm - 23k

What are the works of the law (Romans 3:20; Galatians 2:16)? | GotQuestions.org

What is a plumb line in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

Crookedness: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus