Definition and Etymology:
The term "blaspheme" originates from the Greek word "blasphēmein," which means to speak evil of, slander, or show contempt or disrespect for God or sacred things. In the biblical context, blasphemy is considered a grave sin, as it involves irreverence towards God, His name, His attributes, or His works.

Biblical References:
Blasphemy is addressed in both the Old and New Testaments, highlighting its seriousness and the consequences associated with it.

· Old Testament:
In the Mosaic Law, blasphemy was a capital offense. Leviticus 24:16 states, "Whoever blasphemes the name of the LORD must surely be put to death. The whole congregation must stone him. Whether he is a foreign resident or a native, if he blasphemes the Name, he must be put to death." This underscores the severity with which blasphemy was regarded in ancient Israel.

· New Testament:
The New Testament continues to emphasize the seriousness of blasphemy, particularly against the Holy Spirit. In Mark 3:28-29, Jesus warns, "Truly I tell you, the sons of men will be forgiven all sins and blasphemies, as many as they utter. But whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven; he is guilty of eternal sin." This passage highlights the unforgivable nature of blaspheming the Holy Spirit, often interpreted as a willful and persistent rejection of the Holy Spirit's work and testimony about Christ.

Examples of Blasphemy in Scripture:
· Direct Blasphemy Against God:
In 2 Kings 19:22, the Assyrian king Sennacherib is accused of blaspheming God by mocking and challenging His power: "Whom have you taunted and blasphemed? Against whom have you raised your voice and lifted your eyes in pride? Against the Holy One of Israel!"

· Blasphemy Against Jesus:
During Jesus' trial, the religious leaders accused Him of blasphemy for claiming to be the Son of God. In Matthew 26:65, the high priest tore his clothes and said, "He has blasphemed! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy."

Theological Implications:
Blasphemy is not merely about using God's name in vain but encompasses any act or speech that shows contempt for God or His divine authority. It reflects a heart attitude that is rebellious and irreverent towards the Creator. The Bible teaches that words are powerful and that believers are called to honor God with their speech. James 3:9-10 reminds us, "With the tongue we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, this should not be!"

Practical Considerations for Believers:
Christians are encouraged to guard their hearts and tongues against blasphemy. Ephesians 4:29 advises, "Let no unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building up the one in need and bringing grace to those who listen." Believers are called to speak truthfully and reverently, reflecting the holiness of God in their words and actions.1. (v.) To speak of, or address, with impious irreverence; to revile impiously (anything sacred); as, to blaspheme the Holy Spirit.

2. (v.) Figuratively, of persons and things not religiously sacred, but held in high honor: To calumniate; to revile; to abuse.

3. (v. i.) To utter blasphemy.

987. blasphemeo -- to slander, hence to speak lightly or profanely ...
... things. Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: blasphemeo Phonetic Spelling:
(blas-fay-meh'-o) Short Definition: I speak evil against, blaspheme Definition: ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/987.htm - 9k1442. gadaph -- to revile, blaspheme
... gadaph. 1443 . to revile, blaspheme. Transliteration: gadaph Phonetic Spelling:
(gaw-daf') Short Definition: blasphemed. Word Origin a prim. ... blaspheme, reproach ...
/hebrew/1442.htm - 6k

5006. naats -- to spurn, treat with contempt
... root Definition to spurn, treat with contempt NASB Word Usage blaspheme (1), blasphemed
(1), despise (3), despised (5), given (1), rejects (1), spurn (3 ...
/hebrew/5006.htm - 6k

5344. naqab -- to pierce
... to pierce. Transliteration: naqab Phonetic Spelling: (naw-kab') Short Definition:
appoint. appoint, blaspheme, bore, curse, express, with holes, name, pierce, ...
/hebrew/5344.htm - 5k

2778. charaph. -- to reproach
... 2778a . to reproach. Transliteration: charaph. Phonetic Spelling: (khaw-raf')
Short Definition: betroth. betroth, blaspheme, defy, rail, reproach, upbraid ...
/hebrew/2778.htm - 5k

1288. barak -- to kneel, bless
... abundantly, altogether, at all, blaspheme, bless, congratulate, curse, greatly,.
A primitive root; to kneel; by implication to bless ...
/hebrew/1288.htm - 6k

4167. muq -- to mock, deride
... root Definition to mock, deride NASB Word Usage mock (1). be corrupt. A primitive
root; to jeer, ie (intens.) Blaspheme -- be corrupt. 4166, 4167. muq. 4168 ...
/hebrew/4167.htm - 5k

Whether the Damned Blaspheme?
... OF THE SIN OF BLASPHEMY, IN GENERAL (FOUR ARTICLES) Whether the damned blaspheme?
Objection 1: It would seem that the damned do not blaspheme. ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether the damned blaspheme.htm

The Arians Blaspheme Christ, if by the Words "Created" and " ...
... Book I. Chapter XVI. The Arians blaspheme Christ, if by the words "created"
and "begotten" they mean and understand? The Arians ...
/.../ambrose/works and letters of st ambrose/chapter xvi the arians blaspheme.htm

"Eternal Sin"
... "Verily I say unto you, All their sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men, and
their blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: but whosoever shall ...
/.../chadwick/the gospel of st mark/chapter 3 28-30 eternal sin.htm

James ii. 6, 7
... oppress the Christians, who drag them before the judgment-seat,"if not on account
of their faith, yet for the sake of extortion,"who blaspheme that holy ...
/.../neander/the epistle of james practically explained/james ii 6 7.htm

Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost and against the Son of Man. (Matt ...
... form of my manifestation, and are unable to recognize the Son of God in the veil
of flesh, with those who, through prejudice or ignorance, blaspheme the Son of ...
/.../section 163 blasphemy against the.htm

But Infirmity Pleadeth Its Part, and with Favor of the Crowds ...
... [2465] But the reason why it is worse to blaspheme than to perjure one's self, is,
that in false swearing God is taken to witness a false thing, but in ...
/.../augustine/against lying/section 38 but infirmity pleadeth.htm

Almighty.
... 8. God then is One, the Father, the Almighty, whom the brood of heretics
have dared to blaspheme. Yea, they have dared to blaspheme ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/lecture viii almighty.htm

John and Daniel have Predicted the Dissolution and Desolation of ...
... Let those persons, therefore, who blaspheme the Creator, either by openly expressed
words, such as the disciples of Marcion, or by a perversion of the sense ...
/.../irenaeus/against heresies/chapter xxvi john and daniel have.htm

Of Lies are Many Sorts, which Indeed All...
... in order that we may bring men to praise Him, without doubt we do by our example
and doctrine invite men not only to praise, but also to blaspheme God: because ...
//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/against lying/section 4 of lies are.htm

The Mistakes of Christ's Foes and Friends
... Verily I say unto you, All sins shall be forgiven unto the sons of men,
and blasphemies wherewith soever they shall blaspheme: 29. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture d/the mistakes of christs foes.htm

Blaspheme (16 Occurrences)
... 1. (v.) To speak of, or address, with impious irreverence; to revile impiously
(anything sacred); as, to blaspheme the Holy Spirit. ...Blaspheme (16 Occurrences). ...
/b/blaspheme.htm - 11k

Blasphemy (15 Occurrences)
... 26:65; Comp. Matthew 9:3; Mark 2:7). They who deny his Messiahship blaspheme
Jesus (Luke 22:65; John 10:36). Blasphemy against the ...
/b/blasphemy.htm - 20k

Hymenaeus (2 Occurrences)
... concerning faith. The apostle adds that he had delivered Hymeneus and Alexander
unto Satan, that they might learn not to blaspheme. 2 ...
/h/hymenaeus.htm - 13k

Forgiven (61 Occurrences)
... Mark 3:28 Most certainly I tell you, all sins of the descendants of man will be
forgiven, including their blasphemies with which they may blaspheme; (WEB KJV ...
/f/forgiven.htm - 26k

Blasphemed (28 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary (imp. & pp) of Blaspheme. Multi-Version Concordance
Blasphemed (28 Occurrences). Matthew 26:65 Then the ...
/b/blasphemed.htm - 15k

Belial (23 Occurrences)
... 1 Kings 21:10 And set two men, sons of Belial, before him, to bear witness
against him, saying, Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. ...
/b/belial.htm - 16k

Utter (111 Occurrences)
... Mark 3:28 Most certainly I tell you, all sins of the descendants of man will be
forgiven, including their blasphemies with which they may blaspheme; (See NAS ...
/u/utter.htm - 35k

Often (74 Occurrences)
... (WEB KJV WEY ASV DBY WBS YLT NAS RSV). Acts 26:11 Punishing them often in
all the synagogues, I tried to make them blaspheme. Being ...
/o/often.htm - 29k

Oftentimes (7 Occurrences)
... Acts 26:11 And punishing them oftentimes in all the synagogues, I strove to make
them blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even ...
/o/oftentimes.htm - 8k

Obsession (1 Occurrence)
... Multi-Version Concordance Obsession (1 Occurrence). Acts 26:11 Punishing them
often in all the synagogues, I tried to make them blaspheme. ...
/o/obsession.htm - 6k

What is blasphemy? What does it mean to blaspheme? | GotQuestions.org

Who were Hymenaeus and Alexander, and what does it mean that their faith was shipwrecked? | GotQuestions.org

Why does God allow people to mock Him? | GotQuestions.org

Blaspheme: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus