What Is a Curse

There are different words used in the original Hebrew that are translated as curse. One of those words is barak. You may notice something familiar about this word—it’s the same word used for bless that we spoke of in our last study.

Naturally, you may be wondering how the same word can mean both bless and curse. The two seem to be complete opposites of each other. But the reality is that they both do the same thing, just in different ways.

A blessing is praising someone. So at its core, it is simply a statement about someone. A curse is putting someone down. At its core, it is also simply a statement about someone. That’s why the same word in Hebrew can mean either a blessing or a curse. It’s the context that determines which one it is.

The use of the Hebrew word barak translated as a curse is rare. In fact, of the 330 times the word is used, it is only translated negatively as curse or blaspheme six times—four times as curse in the book of Job and two times as blaspheme in 1 Kings:

Typically, the other words translated as curse are the Hebrew words:

• ʾārar – to curse or pronounce a curse.
• qəlālāh – a curse or imprecation (noun form).
• ʾālāh – to swear an oath or call down a curse.
• meʾerāh – a curse or calamity from God.
• qalal – to make light of, to insult or dishonor.

A Curious Linguistic Coincidence

On a side note:

You may have noticed that one of the Hebrew words translated as curse is ʾālāh. It sounds very similar to the Arabic word Allāh, the name used for God in Islam. While the two words are not the same and do not share the same meaning, they both trace back to the same ancient Semitic root: ʾ-l-h.

From that single root, two very different directions developed. In Hebrew, the word ʾālāh came to mean an oath or curse—something often spoken when calling upon God as witness in judgment. In Arabic, the same root developed into ʾilāh (a god) and later Allāh.

It’s striking that one ancient root produced both a word for a curse and a word for a god. Though this is only a linguistic coincidence, the symbolism is hard to ignore. It’s almost as if the One who formed the languages of men allowed this contrast to stand as a sign—a poetic way of exposing the nature of a certain false god.

So while “Allah” does not literally mean “a cursed god,” the symbolic echo between the Hebrew and Arabic forms paints a vivid picture. It reminds us that not every being called “god” is truly God. Thus, the phrase “a cursed god” becomes a fitting symbolic description of Allah.

It’s an interesting thought, and I just wanted to share it with you. Let’s continue our study in all seriousness now.

Can Christians Be Cursed

When we studied the word bless, we discovered that it meant praising someone or speaking well of them. Often it accompanied a prayer—a request for the person being praised to receive some kind of benefit. But it never had power on its own.

No blessing ever had the power to bring about any form of prosperity without God giving that prosperity. God wasn’t obligated to prosper someone just because they were being prayed for. Ultimately, a blessing was only words unless God honored those words.

The same thing applies to a curse. Just speaking evil of someone or asking for some evil to fall upon them has no power unless God Himself grants that power. Let’s look at several examples.

Satan spoke evil of Job. He said that Job only feared God because God had been good to him. But Satan accused Job, saying that if Job were to suffer, he would no longer fear God. In other words, Satan cursed Job and asked for him to suffer.

Notice that God was the one who permitted Satan to make Job suffer. However, God also set limits on what Satan could do. This shows us two things. First, a curse has no power in itself. Second, God controls which requests for evil against someone are granted and which are not.

In this case, God granted the request of Satan but limited it. As we study the rest of the book, we can draw out the reasons God allowed it. But since we are simply studying the power of a curse right now, I will let you look into that yourself.

Balaam is another great example. He was asked to curse the Hebrews, but God would not allow him to even speak against them (a curse is simply speaking), let alone grant any request for their harm.

They requested Balaam to do it again. But hear what he told them—he could not go beyond the word of the Lord to do anything, meaning he was powerless unless God granted the power.

Again we see in these verses that a curse has no power unless God grants it. In fact, as we read further in the Scriptures, Balaam was forced to bless them instead. So not only are curses spoken in vain unless God honors them, but God can also bless those that curses were intended for instead.

There are people today who believe they have some kind of power. Many believe curses and words have power in themselves. They speak evil against people and request from devils for evil to come against those people. But even Satan himself could not go beyond what God would allow.

A Christian does not need to have any fear of a curse. No matter how strong the devils these people pray to may be, they are not able to perform any evil unless God allows it. No words or rituals performed to curse someone have any power in themselves.

Yes, sometimes people can speak evil of Christians (curse them). But their words are in vain and have no power unless God Himself allows it. Christians do not need to fear those who claim to have power to curse them.

Even “generational curses” that are sometimes said to be “attached” to a Christian are powerless. Some preach on generational curses as though Christians need deliverance from them. Some claim it is because someone in your family line “legally” gave the devil permission to harm you.

But no one has any authority over God. And since God is the one who grants or denies permission in such matters, there is no “legal right” that any devil has over anyone unless God Himself grants it.

Besides, a Christian is in a new family once they receive Jesus anyway. They have been adopted into the family of God. Any “generational curse” would end at that moment.

Jesus Ended the Curse for Us

The law spoke badly of us. It pointed out our sins and made us aware of our guilt. It rightly demanded our death. That was the curse of the law.

That law proceeded from God, so this request for death from the law was in line with His righteousness and justice. Death was a request God would certainly grant. But Jesus stepped in between us and the law.

While it was trying to point its finger at us, Jesus stood in our place.

He took the blame. He took our guilt. He took the cost of our sins and carried them to the cross. He made us free from the curse of the law by being our stand-in.

Continue To Unit 5:5 – Superstition and Ritualism OR

Return To Christianity 101 Unit 5 To Review What You Have Gone Over