Curses

Curses are pronouncements of harm or judgment: God cursed the serpent and the ground after the fall and set curses for breaking his covenant, and Christ redeemed believers from the curse of the law. Christian traditions differ on generational curses, some teaching that curses pass down family lines and must be broken and others that each person bears his own iniquity, and the passages each side cites are listed.

The curse of the fall

• Genesis 3:14
  And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:So the LORD God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and every beast of the field! On your belly will you go, and dust you will eat, all the days of your life.
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• Genesis 3:17-19
  ¹⁷And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;And to Adam He said: “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat, cursed is the ground because of you; through toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. ¹⁸Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;Both thorns and thistles it will yield for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. ¹⁹In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.By the sweat of your brow you will eat your bread, until you return to the ground— because out of it were you taken. For dust you are, and to dust you shall return.”
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• Romans 8:20-22
  ²⁰For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,For the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, but because of the One who subjected it, in hope ²¹Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God. ²²For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.We know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until the present time.
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Blessings and curses of the covenant

• Deuteronomy 11:26-28
  ²⁶Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse;See, today I am setting before you a blessing and a curse— ²⁷A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I command you this day:a blessing if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God that I am giving you today, ²⁸And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.but a curse if you disobey the commandments of the LORD your God and turn aside from the path I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known.
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• Deuteronomy 28:15
  But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:If, however, you do not obey the LORD your God by carefully following all His commandments and statutes I am giving you today, all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:
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• Deuteronomy 30:19
  I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing. Therefore choose life, so that you and your descendants may live,
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• Malachi 3:8-9
  ⁸Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In tithes and offerings.Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you ask, ‘How do we rob You?’ In tithes and offerings. ⁹Ye are cursed with a curse: for ye have robbed me, even this whole nation.You are cursed with a curse, yet you—the whole nation—are still robbing Me.
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Iniquity visited on the children

• Exodus 20:5-6
  ⁵Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on their children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, ⁶And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.but showing loving devotion to a thousand generations of those who love Me and keep My commandments.
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• Exodus 34:7
  Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.maintaining loving devotion to a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin. Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished; He will visit the iniquity of the fathers on their children and grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.”
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• Numbers 14:18
  The Lord is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.‘The LORD is slow to anger and abounding in loving devotion, forgiving iniquity and transgression. Yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished; He will visit the iniquity of the fathers upon their children to the third and fourth generation.’
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• Lamentations 5:7
  Our fathers have sinned, and are not; and we have borne their iniquities.Our fathers sinned and are no more, but we bear their punishment.
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Each one bears his own sin

• Ezekiel 18:20
  The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him.The soul who sins is the one who will die. A son will not bear the iniquity of his father, and a father will not bear the iniquity of his son. The righteousness of the righteous man will fall upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked man will fall upon him.
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• Ezekiel 18:2-4
  ²What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge?“What do you people mean by quoting this proverb about the land of Israel: ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the teeth of the children are set on edge’? ³As I live, saith the Lord God, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel.As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, you will no longer quote this proverb in Israel. ⁴Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.Behold, every soul belongs to Me; both father and son are Mine. The soul who sins is the one who will die.
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• Deuteronomy 24:16
  The fathers shall not be put to death for the children, neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers: every man shall be put to death for his own sin.Fathers shall not be put to death for their children, nor children for their fathers; each is to die for his own sin.
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• Jeremiah 31:29-30
  ²⁹In those days they shall say no more, The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children’s teeth are set on edge.“In those days, it will no longer be said: ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the teeth of the children are set on edge.’ ³⁰But every one shall die for his own iniquity: every man that eateth the sour grape, his teeth shall be set on edge.Instead, each will die for his own iniquity. If anyone eats the sour grapes, his own teeth will be set on edge.
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Redeemed from the curse

• Galatians 3:13
  Christ 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:Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree.”
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• Galatians 3:10
  For 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.All who rely on works of the law are under a curse. For it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”
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• Revelation 22:3
  And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be within the city, and His servants will worship Him.
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The causeless curse

• Proverbs 26:2
  As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come.Like a fluttering sparrow or darting swallow, an undeserved curse does not come to rest.
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• Numbers 23:8
  How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the Lord hath not defied?How can I curse what God has not cursed? How can I denounce what the LORD has not denounced?
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Bless, and curse not

• Luke 6:28
  Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you.bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.
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• Romans 12:14
  Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.Bless those who persecute you. Bless and do not curse.
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See also

• Cursing
• Blessing
• Witchcraft
• Redemption
• Law of Moses

Notes

1. Verses are quoted in the translation chosen in the Translation menu at the top of the page. See Translations for sources and copyright notices.
2. Each reference links to the full chapter so the verse can be read in context.