2672. kataraomai

Lexical Summary

kataraomai: To curse, to invoke evil upon

Original Word: καταράομαι
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: kataraomai
Pronunciation: ka-ta-RAH-o-my
Phonetic Spelling: (kat-ar-ah'-om-ahee)
KJV: curse
NASB: curse, accursed, cursed
Word Origin: [middle voice from G2671 (κατάρα - curse)]

1. to curse, to damn
2. (by analogy) to doom

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

curse.

Middle voice from katara; to execrate; by analogy, to doom -- curse.

see GREEK katara

HELPS Word-studies

Cognate: 2672 kataráomai – to curse. See 2671 (katara).

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from katara
Definition
to curse
NASB Translation
accursed (1), curse (3), cursed (1).

Thayer's Greek Lexicon

STRONGS NT 2672: καταράομαι

καταράομαι, καταρωμαι; (deponent middle from κατάρα); 1 aorist 2 pers singular κατηράσω; (perfect passive participle κατηραμένος (see below)); from Homer down; the Sept. mostly for קִלֵּל and אָרַר; to curse, doom, imprecate evil on: (opposed to εὐλογεῖν) absolutely, Romans 12:14; with the dative of the object (as in the earlier Greek writings), Luke 6:28 Rec. (Baruch 6 (Epistle Jer. ) ; (Josephus, contra Apion 1, 22, 16)); with the accusative of the object (as often in the later Greek writings, as Plutarch, Cat. min. 32, 1 variant (Buttmann, § 133, 9; Winer's Grammar, 222 (208))), Matthew 5:44 Rec.; Luke 6:28 G L text T Tr WH; James 3:9; a tree, i. e. to wither it by cursing, Mark 11:21 (see Hebrews 6:8 in κατάρα). perfect passive participle κατηραμένος in a passive sense, accursed (Wis. 12:11; (2 Kings 9:34); Plutarch, Luc. 18; and κεκατηραμ. Deuteronomy 21:23; (Sir. 3:16)): Matthew 25:41 (also occasionally κεκαταρανται, Numbers 22:6; Numbers 24:9; (but Tdf. etc. κεκατήρανται; see Veitch, under the word.

Topical Lexicon

Overview

Strong’s Greek 2672, καταράομαι, frames the act of pronouncing a curse—invoking divine judgment rather than divine favor. While the term communicates hostility, Scripture consistently sets it against the grace-filled alternative of blessing, thereby revealing God’s redemptive heart even in passages that speak of judgment.

Occurrences in the New Testament

1. Matthew 5:44; Luke 6:28 – In His Sermon on the Mount and its Lukan parallel, Jesus urges disciples to “bless those who curse you” (Matthew 5:44). The command transforms the instinct to retaliate into an opportunity to mirror the Father’s benevolence.
2. Mark 11:21 – Peter recalls how Jesus “cursed” the barren fig tree. The sign-act dramatizes the certainty of judgment on fruitless religiosity.
3. Romans 12:14 – Paul repeats the Master’s ethic: “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.” The imperative grounds Christian ethics in the gospel of grace, prohibiting malediction even toward enemies.
4. James 3:9 – James laments that with the same tongue “we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness.” The inconsistency exposes the heart and calls believers to single-minded purity.
5. Matthew 25:41 – The Judge addresses the “cursed” who refused mercy, consigning them to “the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” The scene reveals the ultimate outcome of hardened unbelief.

Old Testament Background

In the Hebrew Scriptures blessing and cursing form covenantal bookends (Genesis 12:3; Deuteronomy 28). While human agents may utter either, the decisive sentence belongs to God. The Septuagint often renders Hebrew נָקַב or אָרַר with καταράομαι, reinforcing continuity between Testaments: God alone has the prerogative to ratify or nullify spoken maledictions (Numbers 22–24; Proverbs 26:2).

Theological Significance

1. Divine prerogative: Scripture portrays cursing ultimately as God’s judicial act (Matthew 25:41). Human curses, when uttered, are often presumptuous attempts to assume that prerogative.
2. Ethical reversal in Christ: Jesus forbids retaliation, redirecting His disciples toward blessing. In doing so He reflects His own redemptive work, for “when He was reviled, He did not retaliate” (1 Peter 2:23).
3. Eschatological certainty: The fig-tree incident (Mark 11) and the separation of sheep and goats (Matthew 25) proclaim that fruitlessness and lovelessness will receive decisive judgment.

Contrasts with Blessing

The pairing of blessing and cursing (e.g., Romans 12:14; James 3:9) underscores the binary direction of the tongue. Blessing aligns believers with God’s redemptive mission; cursing aligns with condemnation. The gospel calls believers out of the latter and into the former.

Usage in Teaching and Discipleship

• Discipleship curricula often place Matthew 5:44 alongside Romans 12:14, emphasizing continuity between Jesus’ teaching and apostolic practice.
• Children’s instruction highlights James 3:9 to show how words reveal the heart.
• Evangelism training employs the fig-tree narrative as a warning against empty profession.

Pastoral and Missional Implications

1. Counseling: When congregants harbor bitterness, pastors guide them from cursing to blessing, modeling forgiveness.
2. Intercession: Prayer meetings may include conscious “blessing of persecutors,” following Romans 12:14 to shape affections away from vengeance.
3. Public witness: Refusal to curse opponents offers a countercultural testimony, reflecting Christ’s own posture on the cross (Luke 23:34).

Eschatological Considerations

Matthew 25:41 shows καταράομαι in the perfect passive participle, depicting a state already determined at the final judgment. The term reminds readers that the present era of grace will conclude, after which irreversible sentences—blessing or cursing—will stand. Urgency for gospel proclamation flows from this certainty.

Summary

Καταράομαι highlights the stark choice between judgment and mercy. While only God’s verdict is final, followers of Christ are summoned to bless, trusting God with justice. The six New Testament occurrences trace a trajectory from prohibition (Matthew 5; Romans 12) through warning (Mark 11) to final judgment (Matthew 25), urging believers to speak life and manifest the gospel they profess.

Forms and Transliterations

καταραθείη κατάρασαί καταράσαιτο καταρασάμενον καταράσασθαι καταράσασθε καταράσει καταράση καταράσηται καταράσηταί καταράσθαι καταράσθαί καταρασθε καταράσθε καταρᾶσθε καταράσθω κατάρασιν καταράσομαι καταράσονται καταράται καταρωμεθα καταρώμεθα καταρώμενοι καταρώμενοί καταρωμένοις καταρώμενος καταρώμενός καταρωμένου καταρωμενους καταρωμένους κατηραμένην κατηραμενοι κατηραμένοι κατηρασάμην κατηράσαντο κατηρασατο κατηράσατο κατηράσατό κατηρασω κατηράσω κατηράτο κατηρώντο κεκατηραμένος κεκατήρανται katarasthe katarâsthe kataromenous kataroménous katarōmenous katarōménous katarometha katarōmetha katarṓmetha kateramenoi kateraménoi katēramenoi katēraménoi kateraso kateráso katērasō katērásō

Englishman's Concordance

Matthew 5:44 V-PP-AMP
GRK: εὐλογειτε τοὺς καταρωμένους ὑμᾶς καλῶς
KJV: bless them that curse you,
INT: bless those who curse you good

Matthew 25:41 V-RPM/P-NMP
GRK: ἐμοῦ οἱ κατηραμένοι εἰς τὸ
NAS: Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal
KJV: from me, ye cursed, into everlasting
INT: me those cursed into the

Mark 11:21 V-AIM-2S
GRK: συκῆ ἣν κατηράσω ἐξήρανται
NAS: which You cursed has withered.
KJV: which thou cursedst is withered away.
INT: fig tree which you cursed is dried up

Luke 6:28 V-PPM/P-AMP
GRK: εὐλογεῖτε τοὺς καταρωμένους ὑμᾶς προσεύχεσθε
NAS: those who curse you, pray
KJV: Bless them that curse you, and
INT: bless those who curse you pray

Romans 12:14 V-PMM/P-2P
GRK: καὶ μὴ καταρᾶσθε
NAS: you; bless and do not curse.
KJV: bless, and curse not.
INT: and not curse

James 3:9 V-PIM/P-1P
GRK: ἐν αὐτῇ καταρώμεθα τοὺς ἀνθρώπους
NAS: and Father, and with it we curse men,
KJV: and therewith curse we men, which
INT: in it we curse men

Strong's Greek 2672
6 Occurrences

καταρᾶσθε — 1 Occ.
καταρωμένους — 2 Occ.
καταρώμεθα — 1 Occ.
κατηραμένοι — 1 Occ.
κατηράσω — 1 Occ.