H3994 H3994
a curse, malediction; divine imprecation bringing ruin and deprivation as consequence of covenant-breaking
Derived from the root אָרַר (to curse), this noun denotes a formal imprecation or curse, especially one carrying divine authority. In Deuteronomy 28:20 God sends the מְאֵרָה upon the disobedient, while Malachi 2:2 and 3:9 invoke it against faithless priests and a withholding nation. Proverbs contrasts the curse on the house of the wicked (3:33) with blessings on the generous (28:27). The Spanish maldición and French malédiction both capture the gravity of this formal, binding denunciation.
Senses
1. sense 1 — A divine or authoritative curse bringing material and spiritual ruin. All five occurrences point to covenant consequences: Deuteronomy 28:20 ties it to disobedience, Malachi 2:2 and 3:9 to priestly and communal unfaithfulness, and Proverbs to moral character. Multilingual glosses (spa maldición, fra malédiction, eng curse) uniformly render it as a solemn imprecation rather than a casual word of ill-will. 5×
AR["اللَّعْناتِ", "اللَّعْنَةَ", "بِاللَّعْنَةِ", "لَعْنَةُ"]·ben["অভিশাপ", "অভিশাপে"]·DE["[במארה]", "[המארה]", "[מארות]", "[מארת]", "der-verfluchen"]·EN["With-the-curse", "curses", "the-curse", "the-curse-of"]·FR["le-malédiction", "malédiction", "מארות", "מארת"]·heb["ב-מארה", "ה-מארה", "מארות", "מארת"]·HI["में-शाप", "शाप", "शाप।"]·ID["Dengan-kutuk", "Kutukan", "kutuk", "kutuk-itu", "kutukan"]·IT["curses", "il-maledire", "il-maledire-di", "maledizione"]·jav["ing-ipat-ipat", "ipat-ipat", "ipata-punika", "laknat-saking", "supata"]·KO["그-저주를", "에-저주", "저주-가", "저주-를", "저주들이"]·PT["Com-a-maldição", "Maldicao-de", "a-maldição", "maldições"]·RU["Проклятие-ЙХВХ -", "Проклятием", "проклятие", "проклятий"]·ES["Con-la-maldición", "Maldición-de", "la-maldición", "maldiciones"]·SW["Laana-ya", "kwa-laana", "laana"]·TR["-Lanetle", "laneti", "lanetler"]·urd["لعنت", "لعنت-سے", "لعنتیں"]
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
† מְאֵרָה n.f. a curse Dt 28:20 Mal 2:2; 3:9; cstr. מְאֵרַת Pr 3:33; pl. מְאֵרוֹת Pr 28:27.