Words the Bible translates as curse
English uses one word here. The Bible uses 20 words, and they do not mean the same thing. Each is listed with what it actually means, most frequent first.
- barakhבָּרַךְto bless: to invoke or hand on God's favor and life-giving power for someone, and (of people toward God) to honor him as its source
+1 more meaning
- to kneel: to go down on the knees, as in reverence before God or to make an animal lie down
- qalalקָלַלto declare someone worthless: to revile, or to curse
+3 more meanings
- to be light in weight, and so to be swift, to die down, or to count for little
- to make something lighter: to ease a burden, or to lower a person's standing
- to shake something to and fro, and so to work an edge onto a blade
- kataraomaiκαταράομαιto curse someone: to call down ruin on a person or thing, normally by invoking God against them, as the exact opposite of blessing them
- ararאָרַרto curse: to declare a person, animal, or piece of ground cut off from blessing and handed over to ruin, by a formal word that God is expected to make good
- kataraκατάραa curse: a pronouncement calling down ruin on someone, and the doomed condition that pronouncement creates
- alahאָלָהa binding oath: a sworn pledge that seals a promise or covenant by invoking a curse on whoever breaks it
+1 more meaning
- a curse: an invoked doom pronounced on the guilty or on those who break a sworn covenant
- qelalahקְלָלָהa curse: words that call down harm, the doom they bring, and the disgrace of becoming a byword
- anathemaἀνάθεμαaccursed: a person or thing handed over to God for destruction and cut off forever from his people
- araἀράcursenot studied yet
- shevu'ahשְׁבוּעָהa solemn sworn promise that binds the one who makes it, calling God to witness that the word will be kept
- anathematizōἀναθεματίζωto place under a curse: to declare in solemn words that someone, most often the speaker himself, is handed over to God for destruction
- naqavנָקַבto make a hole through something by boring or piercing it
+2 more meanings
- to mark someone or something out distinctly, especially by naming: to designate or specify by name
- to speak against God by uttering his Name, taken as blaspheming or cursing him
- qavavקָבַבto curse: to pronounce a solemn, binding curse of harm against a person
- za'amזָעַםto condemn in anger: to burn with indignation against someone, and to voice that anger as a denunciation or curse.
- kakologeōκακολογέωto curse/revilenot studied yet
- alahאָלָהto swear under a curse: to bind a promise or a claim with a curse on whoever breaks or defies it, or to lay such an oath on someone else.
- me'erahמְאֵרָהa curse that takes effect: the blight that settles on someone's work, land, or household and drains it of any increase
- katanathemaκατανάθεμαcursenot studied yet
- katanathematizōκαταναθεματίζωto cursenot studied yet
- ta'alahתַּאֲלָהcursenot studied yet
Keep looking
Every English meaning beginning with C is on its letter page, and the whole index starts at Browse.