H0422 H0422
To swear an oath or adjure (Qal/Hiphil); also to curse or pronounce an imprecation.
A verb covering the solemn speech-acts of oath-taking and cursing. In its primary sense, it describes binding oneself or another by a sworn oath before God — whether in covenant-making (Hos 4:2; 10:4), legal proceedings (1 Kgs 8:31 = 2 Chr 6:22), or military command (1 Sam 14:24, Hiphil). Hosea's prophetic critique exposes Israel's false oaths as covenant betrayal. In Judg 17:2, the verb shifts to hostile cursing: Micah's mother 'cursed' the stolen silver, a distinct imprecatory act. Spanish distinguishes the senses well: 'jurar/juramentos' for oath-swearing versus 'maldecir/maldijiste' for cursing.
Senses
1. swear an oath, bind by oath (Qal/Hiphil) — To swear a solemn oath, take an oath before God, or (in the Hiphil) to adjure, to put another under oath. Saul adjured the army with a fast-oath (1 Sam 14:24), Solomon's temple dedication envisions oath-taking before the altar (1 Kgs 8:31 = 2 Chr 6:22), and Hosea denounces Israel's false swearing in covenant contexts (Hos 4:2; 10:4). The Qal expresses the voluntary act, while the Hiphil causative indicates imposing an oath on another. Spanish 'juramentos' and English 'oath/swearing' consistently mark this covenant-legal register. 5×
AR["بِأَيمانٍ", "قَسَمٌ", "لَعنٌ", "لِـ-يُلْعِنَهُ", "وَ-أَحْلَفَ"]·ben["অভিশাপ", "আর-শপথ-করাল", "শপথ-করাতে", "শপথগুলি-"]·DE["[אלות]", "diese", "und-er-bound-bei-oath", "zu-mache-ihn-schwoere"]·EN["Swearing", "an-oath", "and-he-bound-by-oath", "oaths", "to-make-him-swear"]·FR["ces", "ceux-ci", "et-il-lié-par-serment", "serment", "à-fais-lui-jure"]·heb["אלה", "אלות", "ו-השביע", "ל-האלותו"]·HI["और-शपथ-दिलाई", "शपथ", "शपथ-दिलाने-को-उसे", "शपथें", "शाप"]·ID["Bersumpah-palsu", "dan-bersumpah", "kutuk", "untuk-mengutuknya"]·IT["[אלות]", "a-fa-lui-giura", "e-egli-legò-da-giuramento", "questi"]·jav["kanggé-nyumpahi", "lan-sumpah", "ngipat", "sami-sumpah", "sumpah"]·KO["그리고-맹세하게-했다", "맹세들을", "맹세하게-하려고", "저주하고", "저주한다"]·PT["Amaldiçoar", "e-adjurou", "juram", "juramento", "para-fazê-lo-jurar"]·RU["и-заклял", "клятва", "клятву", "клятвы", "чтобы-заклясть-его"]·ES["Maldecir", "juramentos", "para-hacerle-jurar", "un-juramento", "y-conjuró"]·SW["Kulaani", "kiapo", "mbele-ya", "na-akalazimisha", "viapo-vya"]·TR["lanet", "lanetleme", "lanetler", "lanetletmek-için", "ve-and-içirdi"]·urd["اور-قسم-دلائی", "قسم", "قسم-کھلانے-کو", "قسمیں", "لعنت"]
2. curse, utter an imprecation — To curse, to utter an imprecation against someone. In Judg 17:2, Micah's mother pronounced a curse on whoever stole her silver (אָלִית, 'you cursed'), and the narrative turns on the power of that spoken malediction. Unlike sense 1, the speech-act is hostile and directed against a person rather than invoking God as witness to truthfulness. The multilingual evidence uniformly selects curse-vocabulary — English 'cursed,' Spanish 'maldijiste,' French 'maudit' — distinguishing this clearly from oath-swearing. 1×
AR["لَعَنْتِ"]·ben["অভিশাপ-দিয়েছিলে"]·DE["verfluchte"]·EN["cursed"]·FR["maudit"]·heb["אלית"]·HI["शाप-दिया"]·ID["mengutuk"]·IT["maledì"]·jav["ngipat-ipati"]·KO["저주했다"]·PT["amaldiçoaste"]·RU["прокляла"]·ES["maldijiste"]·SW["ulilaani"]·TR["lanetledin"]·urd["لعنت-کی-تھی"]
Related Senses
H0559 1. say, speak, tell (5297×)G3004 1. say, tell, speak (2226×)H1696 1. speak, say, tell (Piel) (1105×)H7121 1. call, summon, name (575×)H6680 1. command, order, charge (483×)H6030b 1. answer, respond, reply (289×)G2980 1. speak, talk (277×)H5046 1. Hifil: to tell, report (237×)G0611 1. answer or respond verbally (232×)H1288 1. Piel: bless, invoke blessing (227×)H7650 1. swear, take an oath (Niphal) (154×)H3789 1. Qal passive participle: written, recorded (112×)H1984b 1. praise, laud (Piel) (111×)H7592 1. ask, inquire, question (96×)H3034 1. give thanks, praise (Hifil) (94×)G1321 1. teach, instruct actively (92×)H3789 2. Qal active: write, compose (89×)G1125 1. to write, compose (a letter or document) (84×)H5046 2. Hifil: to declare, proclaim (79×)H7892a 1. song, musical composition (78×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† II. אָלָה vb. swear, curse (cf. I. אלה? so Thes LagOr ii. 3)— Qal Pf. 1 K 8:31 (= 2 Ch 6:22 all Vrss Th Bö Bä Kp reading וְאָלָה); אָלִית Ju 17:2; Inf. abs. אָלֹה Ho 4:2; אָלוֹת Ho 10:4. 1. swear, take oath before God 1 K 8:31 (= 2 Ch 6:22); in covenants Ho 4:2; 10:4 (falsely). 2. curse Ju 17:2. Hiph. Impf. וַיֹּ֫אֶ֗ל 1 S 14:24; Inf. לְהַאֲלֹתוֹ 1 K 8:31 = 2 Ch 6:22 adjure, put under oath.