An expression of contempt or malediction for someone. To be cursed is to suffer various kinds of misfortune, sometimes to the extent of being cut off from one's family or community, or of suffering death itself.
Divine curses
Divine curses came into effect after the fall
Genesis 3:14–19 See also Genesis 5:29, Genesis 8:21 This curse refers to the flood; the curse of Genesis 3:17 is not revoked here.
So the LORD God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and every beast of the field! On your belly will you go, and dust you will eat, all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” To the woman He said: “I will sharply increase your pain in childbirth; in pain you will bring forth children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” And to Adam He said: “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat, cursed is the ground because of you; through toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it will yield for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread, until you return to the ground — because out of it were you taken. For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”
Divine curses come from disobeying the law
Deuteronomy 28:15–19 See also Leviticus 26:14–39; Deuteronomy 11:26–28, Deuteronomy 27:9–26, Deuteronomy 28:20–68, Deuteronomy 29:18–21; Jeremiah 11:2–4, Jeremiah 11:8; Daniel 9:11–14; Galatians 3:10
If, however, you do not obey the LORD your God by carefully following all His commandments and statutes I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you: You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country. Your basket and kneading bowl will be cursed. The fruit of your womb will be cursed, as well as the produce of your land, the calves of your herds, and the lambs of your flocks. You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out.
Human curses
Human curses upon other human beings
2 Kings 2:23–24 See also Genesis 9:24–25; Joshua 9:22–23; 1 Samuel 14:24–28; Nehemiah 13:25
From there, Elisha went up to Bethel, and as he was walking up the road, a group of boys came out of the city and jeered at him, chanting, “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!” Then he turned around, looked at them, and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Suddenly two female bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys.
Human curses upon God
Job 2:9; Revelation 16:9 See also Isaiah 52:5; Ezekiel 20:27
Then Job’s wife said to him, “Do you still retain your integrity? Curse God and die!”
And the people were scorched by intense heat, and they cursed the name of God, who had authority over these plagues. Yet they did not repent and give Him glory.
Human beings are forbidden to curse God and others
Leviticus 24:15–16 Exodus 22:28; 1 Kings 21:13; Exodus 21:17; Matthew 15:4 parallel Mark 7:10; Leviticus 20:9; Leviticus 19:14 cursing the deaf
And you are to tell the Israelites, ‘If anyone curses his God, he shall bear the consequences of his sin. Whoever blasphemes the name of the LORD must surely be put to death; the whole assembly must surely stone him, whether he is a foreign resident or native; if he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death.
People can curse the day they were born
Jeremiah 20:14 See also Job 3:1–10
Cursed be the day I was born! May the day my mother bore me never be blessed.
Paul wishes himself cursed for the sake of Israel
Jesus Christ took the curse of the law upon himself
Galatians 3:13–14 See also Deuteronomy 21:22–23
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.” He redeemed us in order that the blessing promised to Abraham would come to the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.
Christians are exhorted to bless those who curse them
Luke 6:27–28 See also Matthew 5:39–42 parallel Luke 6:29–30; Romans 12:14; 1 Corinthians 4:12–13
But to those of you who will listen, I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
Related themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bible Aquifer. Formatted for this site, with Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.