Define

• Hebrew: קְלָלָה (qelalah) – a declared judgment of ruin, loss, or divine disfavor invoked as the direct penalty for breaking covenant with God; אָלָה (alah) – a binding oath-curse that activates if obedience fails.
• Greek: κατάρα (katara) – a pronouncement of calamity or wrath from God upon transgressors; ἐπικατάρατος (epikataratos) – “under curse” (Gal 3:10, 13; Deut 27:26 LXX).

Related words

• Blessing
• Offerings
• Sins Requiring Death - No Offering

Additional Info

• Torah framework: Deut 27:15–26 – twelve אָרוּר (arur) curses for specific violations; Deut 28:15–68 – comprehensive national curses for covenant breach.
• Consequences listed:
  • Barren land and womb (Deut 28:16–18).
  • Defeat, oppression, exile (Deut 28:25, 36, 48–52).
  • Disease, madness, blindness (Deut 28:20–22, 28–29).
  • Family disintegration (Deut 28:30–32, 41).
• Generational reach: Exod 20:5; 34:7 – curse visits children to third and fourth generation for idolatry.
• Reversible by repentance: Lev 26:40–42; Deut 30:1–3; 2 Chr 7:14.
• Ultimate form: Separation from God’s presence (Deut 28:64–68); “hanging on a tree” (Deut 21:23; Gal 3:13).

Connections

• Adam’s fall: Gen 3:17 – אֲרוּרָה הָאֲדָמָה (ground cursed); toil and death as consequence.
• Covenant oaths: Deut 29:20–21 – the disobedient bear every קְלָלָה (qelalah) in the book.
• Gerizim and Ebal: Deut 27:13; Josh 8:33–34 – public reading of curses for disobedience.
• Exile: Lev 26:33–39; Jer 44:22 – land enjoys sabbaths while Israel suffers curse.
• Christ becoming curse: Gal 3:13 – Χριστὸς… γενόμενος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν κατάρα (Christ became a curse for us), quoting Deut 21:23.