WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT CURSES?

What is a curse?

A curse is a request for harm, misfortune, or destruction upon someone else.

Curses may be wishful thinking and a impulsive verbal self-expression of anger.

Some curses may be fulfilled by human means of retribution.

Other curses may be directed towards the demonic and Satan for supernatural fulfillment.

Yet biblical curses exist that are directed toward and entrusted to God for His judgment and wrath.

What is the ultimate curse?

The ultimate curse, is to be under the just wrath of God for our sin for transgressing God’s law. We all have sinned (Romans 3:23) and accordingly are cursed for our own choices and rebellion against God. Our greatest concern should not be whether we are under a human or demonic curse, but rather to see whether we are under God’s curse for breaking His perfect law.

Galatians 3:10 “For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.’”

What does it mean that Jesus became a curse for us?

The only way for the curse of sin to be broken is through the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. Jesus offers us His redemption, or purchase, of us from the curse of the law through the substitutionary atonement of His

If you are still under the curse of sin, here are three helpful videos and resources to consider:

Galatians 3:13 “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’”

Can curses still happen today?  What examples of curses are in the Bible?

While there is much anecdotal evidence for curses, we have to be careful with what we ascertain from our observations.  It is easy, but unwise, to speculate on things that we do not fully understand (1 Timothy 1:4). Our knowledge must be deductive from God’s biblical truths rather than induced from our human experiences and opinions.

Curses do appear across the Scriptures, with greater attention given to them in the Old Testament than in the New Testament.  While less attention is given to curses in the New Testament, there does not seem to be any time when curses cease.  The reality of witchcraft, the occult, and curses is never denied by the Bible and their practice is repeatedly prohibited by God (Deuteronomy 18:10-12, Galatians 5:20).  In fact, curses are not described to be ended until the new creation comes (Revelation 22:3 “No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him.”) and the curse on earth from Adam’s sin is lifted (Genesis 3:17).  A thorough list of many relevant passages on curses is shared towards the end of this resource. You may find it helpful to see the early church’s response to the demonic and curses as well (Spiritual Warfare in the Early Church, free PDF here: www.spiritualwarfare.blog/free-books )

Although there may seem to be a correlation between someone’s suffering and another person’s curse, we cannot always directly attribute the causation to the demonic. Demonic spirits are deceitful and want to instill fear and false worship, so often they desire for people to overemphasize and overestimate their powers, involvement, and abilities.  Sometimes demons claim power they do not have and actions they did not take. Demons would love for us to be distracted and misdirected by blame shifting our problems onto a curse instead of focusing on God and taking personal responsibility for our sin.

Proverbs 26:2 “Like a sparrow in its flitting, like a swallow in its flying, a curse that is causeless does not alight.” An undeserved curse or wish for harm on a righteous/innocent person is not honored by God, in the same way we cannot tell a wild bird where to land.

We must not forget that God’s power, knowledge, and abilities are far greater than any humans, demons, or Satan himself.  If we walk in God’s righteousness as His followers, we do not need to fear the power of Satan nor the curses of our enemies.  Even if we believe ourselves to be under a demonically-empowered curse, our solution is simply to go to God in faith by prayer.

Numbers 22:12 “God said to Balaam, ‘You shall not go with them. You shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.’”

What should I do if I think I have a curse on me? How can I break or stop a curse?

There is no biblical example for seeking details about a curse.  Knowledge of the who, what, when, how, and why of a curse does not give us special power to stop or break a curse.  If we are concerned that some has “put a curse” on us, an object, or a place we simply need to go to God in prayer and faith under His authority and with His empowerment.

The apostle Paul was directly attacked by a demon, “a messenger [angelos/ἄγγελος] of Satan”, that brought real suffering into his life. Instead of trying to ascertain the source of his demonic harassment, Paul simply went to God three times in faith.  The Lord’s response was clear, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” (2 Corinthians 12:9–10)

Whether your suffering is 0%, 10%, 50%, or 100% related to a demonically-empowered curse, the solution is the same, go to God in faith. Repent and believe. Go to God in prayer and ask Him to intervene. Evaluate your situation biblically. Take responsibility for what you can change. Trust God with what you don’t know or can’t fix. Learn to be content even in seasons of intense suffering. May we find our strength in God by being weak in ourselves and more dependent on Him.

  • Is there a lie you’ve believed? Repent and treasure the truth.

  • Is there a sin you’ve been practicing? Repent and put on righteousness.

  • Is there bitterness in your heart? Repent and forgive as you have been forgiven.

  • Is there an active enemy opposing you? Love and pray for your enemies.

  • Is there a confusing or complex situation in which you don’t know what to do? Cry out desperately to the Holy Spirit for wisdom.

  • Is there an ongoing illness or chronic/terminal disease? Plead with the Lord for physical healing but finish your prayer with a genuine “nevertheless, not my will but Your will be done.”

  • Is there unceasing suffering in your life? Carry your burden to the Lord in prayer and ask for relief, but also trust that “His grace is sufficient, His power is made perfect in my weakness.”

How should I respond to those who curse me?

First of all, we should not respond in fear (Psalm 27:1), knowing that God’s ultimate power over judgment in Hell is far greater than any human power to harm us (Matthew 10:28). Secondly, we should look for ways to show love and bless our enemies, lifting them up to the Lord for salvation. At times, we must also ask the Lord for deliverance from our enemies’ attacks should He not change their hearts.

Luke 6:27–28 “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, [28] bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.”

Should Christians use curses on their enemies? Imprecatory prayer?

Across the Psalms we see many imprecatory prayers (Psalms 5, 10, 17, 35, 58, 59, 69, 70, 79, 83, 109, 129, 137, 140) which are simply requests for God to curse one’s enemies with His sovereign judgment, punishment, and destruction.  We must know that the imprecatory Psalms of the Bible were ultimately seeking God’s vindication of Himself and entrusting to Him the timing and means of their deliverance.

Psalm 109:17–20 “He loved to curse; let curses come upon him! He did not delight in blessing; may it be far from him! [18] He clothed himself with cursing as his coat; may it soak into his body like water, like oil into his bones! [19] May it be like a garment that he wraps around him, like a belt that he puts on every day! [20] May this be the reward of my accusers from the LORD, of those who speak evil against my life!” (ESV)

The imprecatory psalms were not written for vengeance, but rather as a call to God for deliverance by entrusting themselves and their situation to God for His justice, protection, and sovereign will.  Christians are warned about a spirit of vindictiveness, with the command to entrust any revenge to God instead of seeking it out ourselves (Romans 12:19–21). While there may be a way to call for a curse upon our enemy as a form of deliverance and protection, we must test our hearts to ensure such prayers are not rooted in hatred and that we love our enemies even while asking the Lord to defeat them (Matthew 5:43–44).

Proverbs 26:27 “Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling.”

What are generational curses?  Can I have a generational curse on me?

Sin has eternal consequences in Hell but sin also has earthly consequences that affect those around us, to include the generations beyond us.  The below passage (Exodus 20:5–6) is directed towards the lost, “those who hate me”, as they persist in the ongoing rebelliousness of sin. This passage describes how the effects of sin carry forward many generations through their influence and example. Yet love is extended to those who choose to love and obey the Lord.

Exodus 20:5–6  (also Exodus 34:6-7 and Deuteronomy 5:9-10) “You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, [6] but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.”

In Ezekiel we see that children have the opportunity to learn from their parent’s sins and to instead choose righteousness.  We see that the eternal consequences of sin does not extend through the generations, but each individual is subject to their own personal response to or rejection of the Lord.

Ezekiel 18:14, 20 “Now suppose this man fathers a son who sees all the sins that his father has done; he sees, and does not do likewise…The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.”

If you feel like your family lineage is “cursed”, the solution is simple: turn to Jesus for salvation to escape the eternal consequences of sin and the influence of your forefathers’ lostness. If you are already born-again, and want to escape the generational sin-patterns of your ancestors, then you can choose to repent of your own sin and obey the commands of God.

Can objects be cursed? Can places be cursed?

We see a few scriptural examples of healing through items (shadow of Peter in Acts 5:15 and handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched Paul in Acts 19:12). When new believers, who had previously practiced the magic arts, came to faith they confessed their practices and burned their valuable magic books (Acts 19:18-19), but we see no mention of other cursed items or places. In the Old Testament we see repeated prohibitions against idols, commands not to bring them into homes, and orders to burn and destroy them as well as false places of worship (Deuteronomy 7:25-26). While the command is given to destroy these objects and false places of worship, it is not out of fear of a curse being transferred by touch or proximity, it rather the concern of falling under the curse of false worship. In the New Testament we do see discussion regarding the question of food being offered to idols (1 Corinthians 10:1-22). In this passage we learn that the idols and food themselves are not what is significant, it is the idolatrous heart away from God and towards the demonic that provokes the Lord to His righteous justice.

Biblical Examples of Curses:

Curses are always associated with rebellion against God evidenced by disobedience to God’s commands and signifying the judgment and wrath of God.

Old Testament (ESV)

  • God’s Curse on the Serpent - Genesis 3:14-15 “The LORD God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. [15] I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

  • God’s Punishment (The Effects of the Curse) on Eve - Genesis 3:16 “To the woman he said, 'I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.”

  • God’s Punishment (The Effects of the Curse) on Adam - Genesis 3:17–19 “And to Adam he said, ‘Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; [18] thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. [19] By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

  • Noah’s Cursing of Canaan - Genesis 9:25 “he [Noah] said, ‘Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.’”

  • God’s Covenant Blessing with Abraham - Genesis 12:1–3 “Now the LORD said to Abram, 'Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. [2] And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. [3] I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’”

  • The Seriousness of Cursing Your Parents - Leviticus 20:9 “For anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother; his blood is upon him.”

  • Balaam’s Inability to Curse those Under God’s Protection - Numbers 22:12 “God said to Balaam… ‘You shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.’”

  • God Turns a Curse Into Blessing - Deuteronomy 23:5 “But the LORD your God would not listen to Balaam; instead the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the LORD your God loved you.”

  • Saul’s Cursing on Anyone Eating Food During a Battle Against the Philistines, Jonathan Cursed but then Redeemed - 1 Samuel 14:24 “And the men of Israel had been hard pressed that day, so Saul had laid an oath on the people, saying, ‘Cursed be the man who eats food until it is evening and I am avenged on my enemies.’ So none of the people had tasted food.”

  • David Cursing of Mt. Gilboa - 2 Samuel 1:21 “You mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew or rain upon you, nor fields of offerings! For there the shield of the mighty was defiled, the shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.”

  • Elisha Curses the Mocking Youth Such that 42 Get Mauled by Bears - 2 Kings 2:23–24 “He went up from there to Bethel, and while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, “Go up, you baldhead! Go up, you baldhead!” [24] And he turned around, and when he saw them, he cursed them in the name of the LORD. And two she-bears came out of the woods and tore forty-two of the boys.”

  • Imprecatory Psalms - Psalms 5, 10, 17, 35, 58, 59, 69, 70, 79, 83, 109, 129, 137, 140

  • Our Internal Heart Matters as Well As Our External Words - Psalm 62:4 “They take pleasure in falsehood. They bless with their mouths, but inwardly they curse.”

  • Our Tongues Can Be Used for Good (Blessing) and Harm (Cursing) - Proverbs 18:21 “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits.”

  • Do Not Gloat When Your Enemies Are Under God’s Judgment - Proverbs 24:17–18 “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and let not your heart be glad when he stumbles, [18] lest the LORD see it and be displeased, and turn away his anger from him.”

  • Those Who Curse Others Will Reap the Consequences of their Actions - Proverbs 26:27 “Whoever digs a pit will fall into it, and a stone will come back on him who starts it rolling.”

  • The Earthly Impact and Consequences of Sin on Future Generations - Exodus 20:5–6  (also Exodus 34:6-7 and Deuteronomy 5:9-10) “You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, [6] but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.”

  • The Individual’s Eternal Responsibility for the Curse of Sin - Ezekiel 18:14, 20 “Now suppose this man fathers a son who sees all the sins that his father has done; he sees, and does not do likewise…The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son. The righteousness of the righteous shall be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon himself.”

  • Obedience Leads to Blessing while Disobedience Leads to Cursing -  Deuteronomy 11:26–28 “See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse: [27] the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, [28] and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the LORD your God, but turn aside from the way that I am commanding you today, to go after other gods that you have not known.” (Deuteronomy 27-28)

  • Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Ebal as Symbolic Reminders of God’s Blessing and Curse - Joshua 8:33–34 “And all Israel, sojourner as well as native born, with their elders and officers and their judges, stood on opposite sides of the ark before the Levitical priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the LORD, half of them in front of Mount Gerizim and half of them in front of Mount Ebal, just as Moses the servant of the LORD had commanded at the first, to bless the people of Israel. [34] And afterward he read all the words of the law, the blessing and the curse, according to all that is written in the Book of the Law.”

  • You Are Cursed If You Trust In Anyone but God - Jeremiah 17:5 “Thus says the LORD: ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the LORD.”

New Testament (ESV)

  • Love Your Enemies - Matthew 5:43–44 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ [44] But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”

  • Do Not Be Afraid of Human and Demonic Curses - Matthew 10:28 “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.”

  • Description of the Lost - Matthew 25:41–46 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. [42] For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, [43] I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ [44] Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ [45] Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ [46] And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

  • Bless Those Who Curse You - Luke 6:27–28 “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, [28] bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.”

  • Peter’s Curse Upon Himself When Denying Jesus - Matthew 26:74 “Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the rooster crowed.” (Mark 14:71)

    • James 5:12 “But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your ‘yes’ be yes and your ‘no' be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation.”

  • Jesus Cursing the Fig Tree to Demonstrate His Judgment on Hypocrisy - Mark 11:12–14 “On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. [13] And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. [14] And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.”

    • Mark 11:21–25 “And Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” [22] And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. [23] Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. [24] Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” [25] And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

    • In Matthew 21:18–22 this event is connected with Jesus’ teaching on the power of faith in prayer.

    • As He goes to cleanse the temple, Jesus is pointing to the hypocrisy of those claiming to bear fruit, pointing to God’s judgment upon the “fruitless” Jewish people and their religious leaders.

  • Bless those who Curse You - Luke 6:27–28 “But I say to you who hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, [28] bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.”

    • Synonymous with slandering/reviling - 1 Corinthians 4:12–13 “When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; [13] when slandered, we entreat.”

      • Romans 12:14 “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.”

      • James 3:8–10 “but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. [9] With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. [10] From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.”

      • Revelation 16:9 “They were scorched by the fierce heat, and they cursed the name of God who had power over these plagues. They did not repent and give him glory.”

      • Revelation 16:10–11 "The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in anguish [11] and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds.”

      • Revelation 16:21 “And great hailstones, about one hundred pounds each, fell from heaven on people; and they cursed God for the plague of the hail, because the plague was so severe.”

  • Birth Differences Are Designed to Point to God, Not to Generational Sin - John 9:1–3 “As he passed by, he saw a man blind from birth. [2] And his disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ [3] Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.”

  • Trust the Lord’s Justice and Timing - Romans 12:19–21 “Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ [20] To the contrary, ‘if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.’ [21] Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”

  • Disobedience & Self-Reliance Leads to Being Cursed (under God’s Judgment) - Galatians 3:10–14 “For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.’ [11] Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for ‘The righteous shall live by faith.’ [12] But the law is not of faith, rather ‘The one who does them shall live by them.’ [13] Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree’—[14] so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promised Spirit through faith."

  • Cursed as an Analogy to Lostness - Hebrews 6:7–8 “For land that has drunk the rain that often falls on it, and produces a crop useful to those for whose sake it is cultivated, receives a blessing from God. [8] But if it bears thorns and thistles, it is worthless and near to being cursed, and its end is to be burned.”

  • Be Careful with How You Speak of Others - James 3:7–10 "For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, [8] but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. [9] With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. [10] From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so.”

  • The Curse of Sin will be Ended with the Return of Jesus - Revelation 22:3 “No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him.”

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