Curse
κατάραStrong’s G2671katara
Appears in 5 verses of the New Testament
In short
Katara is the Greek word usually translated “curse” and “cursing”. It appears in 5 verses of the New Testament.
“Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:”
Meaning
Usually translated “curse” and “cursing”. Open the dictionary entry below for the full range of meaning, with the verses it cites.
How it's translated
- a curse 3
- curse 1
- cursing 1
- of a curse 1
Word-by-word English from the STEPBible tagged text.
Where it's used most
- Galatians 2
- Hebrews 1
- James 1
- 2 Peter 1
4 books in all.
Explore in Scripture
- Galatians 3:10For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.
- Galatians 3:13Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:
- Hebrews 6:8But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned.
- James 3:10Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
Greek dictionary
κατάρα katara · curse
κατ-άρα, -ας, -ἡ [in LXX chiefly for קְלָלָה ;] a curse: Gal.3:10, 13 Heb.6:8, 2Pe.2:14; opposite to εὐλογία, Jas.3:10; concrete, of Christ, Gal.3:13 (see Lft. in l).† (AS)
From STEPBible’s Greek lexicon (based on Abbott-Smith).
Webster's 1828 Dictionary
How the English word “curse” was understood when the King James Version was still the common Bible of English readers.
CURSE, verb transitive
preterit tense and participle passive cursed or curst.
- To utter a wish of evil against one; to imprecate evil upon; to call for mischief or injury to fall upon; to execrate.“Thou shalt not curse the ruler of thy people” Exodus 22:28“Bless and curse not” Romans 12:14“CURSE me this people, for they are too mighty for me” Numbers 22:6
- To injure; to subject to evil; to vex, harass or torment with great calamities.
- To devote to evil.
All definitions and other forms of “curse”
CURSE, verb intransitive
To utter imprecations; to affirm or deny with imprecations of divine vengeance.
- “Then began he to curse and to swear” Matthew 26:74
CURSE, noun
- Malediction; the expression of a wish of evil to another.
- Imprecation of evil.“They entered into a curse and into an oath” Nehemiah 10:29
- Affliction; torment; great vexation.“I will make this city a curse to all nations” Jeremiah 26:6
- Condemnation; sentence of divine vengeance on sinners.“Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law” Galatians 3:13
- Denunciation of evil.“The priest shall write all these curses in a book” Numbers 5:23
Noah Webster, An American Dictionary of the English Language (1828). Verse references are checked against the KJV. Read the full entry.
Verses are from the King James Version. Word meanings come from the original Greek, not from any one translation.