1944. epikataratos

Lexical Summary

epikataratos: Cursed

Original Word: ἐπικατάρατος
Part of Speech: Adjective
Transliteration: epikataratos
Pronunciation: eh-pee-kat-AR-ah-tos
Phonetic Spelling: (ep-ee-kat-ar'-at-os)
KJV: accursed
NASB: cursed
Word Origin: [from G1909 (ἐπί - over) and a derivative of G2672 (καταράομαι - curse)]

1. accursed, damned
2. (by analogy) doomed

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

accursed.

From epi and a derivative of kataraomai; imprecated, i.e. Execrable -- accursed.

see GREEK epi

see GREEK kataraomai

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from epikataraomai (to invoke curses on)
Definition
accursed
NASB Translation
cursed (2).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 1944: ἐπικατάρατος

ἐπικατάρατος, ἐπικατάρατον (ἐπικαταράομαι to imprecate curses upon), only in Biblical and ecclesiastical use, accursed, execrable, exposed to divine vengeance, lying under God's curse: John 7:49 R G; Galatians 3:10 (Deuteronomy 27:26); Galatians 3:13 (Deuteronomy 21:23); (Wis. 3:12 (); ; 4 Macc. 2:19; in the Sept. often for אָרוּר).

Topical Lexicon

Scope and Range of the Word

ἐπικατάρατος describes a person or state placed under divine malediction. It is stronger than mere disapproval; it signals exposure to God’s judicial wrath and exclusion from covenant blessing.

Occurrences in the New Testament

1. John 7:49 – Pharisees dismiss the listening crowd: “But this crowd that does not know the Law is accursed.”
2. Galatians 3:10 – Paul cites Scripture against legalistic self-reliance: “For all who rely on works of the Law are under a curse, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things written in the Book of the Law.’”
3. Galatians 3:13 – The climactic assertion of redemption: “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us, for it is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.’” (all quotations)

Old Testament Foundations

Deuteronomy 27:26 and 21:23 stand behind Paul’s argument. The Mosaic covenant pronounced covenant-curse upon any law-breaker and upon anyone hanged on a tree—public display of divine judgment. By invoking these passages Paul shows that the Law itself anticipates both universal guilt and a substitutionary remedy.

Theological Significance

1. Universality of the Curse. Galatians 3:10 applies the term to “all” who seek life by Law-keeping. Because perfect obedience is unattainable, every person falls beneath the curse apart from grace (Romans 3:19-20).
2. Representative Curse-Bearing. Galatians 3:13 teaches penal substitution: Christ “became” the curse, not by sinning, but by assuming the covenant penalty. The wording underscores the exchange—He entered the condition of ἐπικατάρατος so believers might inherit the blessing of Abraham (Galatians 3:14).
3. Finality of Redemption. By exhausting the curse on the cross, Jesus removes every legal ground for condemnation (Romans 8:1). The term therefore marks the pivotal shift from Law to faith, from condemnation to justification.
4. Self-Blindness of Legalism. In John 7:49 religious leaders pronounce the crowd accursed, ironically exposing their own ignorance of the Law’s true demands and of the One who fulfills it. The word thus unveils the hypocrisy of external religion.

Historical and Rabbinic Background

Second-Temple Judaism regarded crucifixion as confirmation of divine rejection, echoing Deuteronomy 21:23. Early Christian preaching turned this stigma upside-down, proclaiming that the cursed One is in fact the Messiah (Acts 5:30-31). The startling claim sharpened the scandal of the cross and drew clear lines between gospel faith and covenantal nomism.

Pastoral and Ministry Implications

• Preaching. Proclaim both the dread reality of the curse and the glorious liberation secured by Christ. Only against the dark backdrop does the gospel shine its brightest.
• Assurance. Believers need not fear returning condemnation; Christ has already borne the full judicial weight.
• Counseling. Shame and self-loathing often masquerade as lingering curse. Point sufferers to the objective fact that in Christ no curse remains (Galatians 3:13-14; Colossians 2:14).
• Missions. In animistic or folk-religious contexts where fear of curses dominates, this truth directly answers deepest cultural anxieties—Jesus breaks every curse and brings blessing.
• Ethical Living. Freedom from the curse is not license for sin but empowerment by the Spirit promised to Abraham (Galatians 3:14). The church embodies that blessing through holiness, compassion, and global witness.

Connection with Related Terms

While ἀνάθεμα (anathema) also denotes being accursed, ἐπικατάρατος uniquely stresses the juridical curse issuing from violated covenant stipulations. Together they form a sobering vocabulary of divine justice and, in Christ, triumphant grace.

Eschatological Outlook

Revelation 22:3 promises, “There will no longer be any curse.” The disappearance of the curse in the new creation is the final outworking of Galatians 3:13. What Christ accomplished at Calvary will one day pervade the cosmos, confirming that ἐπικατάρατος has no lasting claim on the people of God.

Forms and Transliterations

επαρατοι ἐπάρατοί επικατάρατα επικατάρατοι επικατάρατοί Επικαταρατος επικατάρατος Ἐπικατάρατος eparatoi epáratoí Epikataratos Epikatáratos

Englishman's Concordance

John 7:49 Adj-NMP
GRK: τὸν νόμον ἐπάρατοί εἰσιν
KJV: the law are cursed.
INT: the law accursed are

Galatians 3:10 Adj-NMS
GRK: γὰρ ὅτι Ἐπικατάρατος πᾶς ὃς
NAS: for it is written, CURSED IS EVERYONE
KJV: it is written, Cursed [is] every one
INT: indeed Cursed [is] everyone who

Galatians 3:13 Adj-NMS
GRK: ὅτι γέγραπται Ἐπικατάρατος πᾶς ὁ
NAS: for us -- for it is written, CURSED IS EVERYONE
KJV: it is written, Cursed [is] every one
INT: it has been written Cursed [is] everyone who

Strong's Greek 1944
3 Occurrences

ἐπάρατοί — 1 Occ.
Ἐπικατάρατος — 2 Occ.