God tells us that He will bless us when we obey Him and curse us when we disobey Him (compare Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28). He explains to us that He curses those who sin against Him. Are we therefore to curse those who sin against us—who have become our enemies?

In Matthew 5:43-44, we read: “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you…”

Christ loved us and died for us when we were sinners and His enemies, hoping that we would become His friends. Once that relationship of friendship with Him and His Church (His Body) has been established, He tells us to love one another with the same godly love with which He loved and loves us. This love (to love others AS He has loved us) He does not require of us in regard to our enemies in the world. But He does tell us that we are to love them which is really only possible if we have God’s love (agape) in us. How are we to love them?

The Study Bible says:

“‘You have heard that it was said.’ This phrase indicates Jesus is addressing common teachings or interpretations of the Law that were prevalent among His audience. It reflects the oral traditions and teachings of the Jewish leaders, such as the Pharisees and scribes, who often expanded upon the written Law with their own interpretations. This introduction sets the stage for Jesus to contrast these teachings with His own authoritative interpretation.

“‘Love your neighbor.’This part of the verse references Leviticus 19:18, which commands the Israelites to love their neighbors as themselves. In the Jewish context, ‘neighbor’ was often understood to mean fellow Israelites or those within one’s own community. Jesus later expands this definition in the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-27), illustrating that ‘neighbor’ includes all people, regardless of ethnicity or social standing.

“‘and ‘Hate your enemy’. This phrase is not a direct quote from the Old Testament but reflects a common interpretation or attitude that had developed over time. While the Law commanded love for one’s neighbor, it did not explicitly instruct hatred for enemies. However, due to historical conflicts and the desire for national purity, some Jewish groups, such as the Qumran community, may have adopted a stance of enmity towards outsiders or those perceived as threats. Jesus challenges this mindset by teaching love for enemies, as seen in the following verses (Matthew 5:44-48) which aligns with the broader biblical theme of God’s love and mercy extending to all humanity.”

Luke 6:27-28 says: “But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.”

The Study Bible points out:

“‘bless those who curse you.’ This phrase calls believers to respond to hostility with kindness, reflecting the teachings of Jesus on loving one’s enemies. In the cultural context of the time, cursing someone was a serious offense, often invoking harm or divine retribution. Jesus’ instruction to bless instead of retaliate is countercultural and radical, emphasizing the transformative power of love and forgiveness. This teaching aligns with Proverbs 25:21-22, which advises feeding one’s enemy and offering them drink, suggesting that such actions can lead to reconciliation and peace. The concept of blessing those who curse is also seen in the life of Jesus, who, during His crucifixion, asked for forgiveness for those who were executing Him (Luke 23:34).”

We are not to curse even our enemies by telling them, for example, ”go to hell,” wishing them eternal condemnation. Rather, we should pray for them—not to be blessed by God for their sinful ways or while they live in sin, but for their realization THAT their ways are sinful, and that they need to repent of them and cease from “spitefully” using us.

Barnes’ Notes on the Bible explains:

“Bless them that curse you – The word ‘bless’ here means to ‘speak well of’ or ‘speak well to’ – not to curse again or to slander, but to speak of those things which we can commend in an enemy; or, if there is nothing that we can commend, to say nothing about him. The word ‘bless,’ spoken of God, means to regard with favor or to confer benefits, as when God is said to bless his people. When we speak of our ‘blessing God,’ it means to praise Him or give thanks to Him. When we speak of blessing people, it ‘unites’ the two meanings, and signifies to confer favor, to thank, or to speak well of.”

However, we have a duty to speak the Truth, when appropriate, and not to hide the Truth by keeping silent when there is a duty to speak, or to engage in flattery. Paul called a false prophet a “son of the Devil” (Acts 13:10); and Christ said the same to the Jews at His time (John 8:44). He did in no way flatter the evil and hypocritical Pharisees, nor did He remain silent when there was a duty to speak (compare Matthew 23:13-33). (Note also our two-part Q&A, “Who is to warn the leaders of the world?”)

Matthew Poole’s Commentary says about Luke 6:26-27: “Bless them that curse you: do not return reviling.”

This might include, being silent in the face of persecution.

Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible adds:

“Bless them that curse you: when wicked men curse you, as Shimei cursed David, do not ‘render evil for evil, or railing for railing, but contrariwise, blessing’; give good words, use kind language, mild and soft expressions [or saying nothing in return]; such as may either win upon them, or put them to shame and silence… Blessing here, does not signify praising them, for that would be sinful…”

It would be sinful, indeed, to “bless” a false teacher—an enemy of God—by wishing him “good luck” or “a nice day,” because if we would, we would become a partaker of his evil deeds (compare 2 John 10-11).

Romans 12:14, 20 reads: “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse… Therefore ‘If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.’”

Note the parallel Scripture in Proverbs 25:21-22: “If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat; And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; For so you will heap coals of fire on his head, And the Lord will reward you.”

Some say, this passage wants to convey that if we behave like this towards our enemies, we increase God’s wrath on them, as heaping coals of fire signifies the pouring out of God’s anger. But the better explanation is the following, as, for example, expressed by Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers:

“Thou shalt make him burn with shame at the thought of the wrong he has done thee. Thus, to bring a sinner to repentance is well-pleasing to the Lord, who shall reward thee for it.”

Barnes’ Notes on the Bible states in general:

“To curse denotes properly to devote to destruction. Where there is power to do it, it implies the destruction of the object… Where there is not power to do it, to curse implies the invoking of the aid of God to devote to destruction.”

This is not the attitude we ought to have in a relationship with anyone, including our enemies. Rather than wishing our enemy utter destruction, we hope and pray that God will lead him to repentance so that he ceases from his evil ways.

1 Corinthians 4:12 says: “Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure…”

This shows that blessing means, refraining from reviling.

1 Peter 3:9 adds: “… not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.”

This brings us to the issue of dealing with strangers. In our hateful world, many treat strangers as enemies, and when it comes to strangers or aliens without documentation, they are being reviled as criminals and invaders who don’t deserve any love, mercy or assistance, but who must be hunted to be placed in demeaning detention camps or prisons or in concentration camps to be deported to countries from which they had fled—or even to countries where they had never been or grown up.  This is, in effect, cursing a stranger. For instance, being in the USA illegally, all by itself, does not constitute a crime. Rather, it is a civil violation. However, entering the country illegally would be a crime in the sense of a misdemeanor, but not a felony. But the same is true every time one breaks a traffic law. If one speeds, that person is committing a crime in the sense of an infraction or a misdemeanor, but not a felony. As everyone has, at times, committed a traffic violation, he or she condemns him or herself when he or she curses a stranger by calling them a criminal.

The Bible tells us in Exodus 23:4-5: “If you meet your enemy’s ox or his donkey going astray, you shall surely bring it back to him again. If you see the donkey of one who hates you lying under its burden, and you would refrain from helping it, you shall surely help him with it.”

So, if we want to treat an undocumented alien as an enemy, we are still obligated to help him or her when in need. This might conflict with certain laws of the land, which, in accordance with some interpretations, would make it unlawful to help or assist an undocumented alien in any way (not even giving him or her a ride to the hospital or a grocery store). If such a situation arises, one has to decide whether one wants to obey God rather than man. Read our free booklet, “Obeying God Rather Than Man.”

In Job 31:28-30, righteous Job said this: “This also would be an iniquity deserving of judgment, For I would have denied God who is above.  If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me, Or lifted myself up when evil found him.  (Indeed I have not allowed my mouth to sin By asking for a curse on his soul)…”

Proverbs 24:17-18 gives us the following admonition: “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, And do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles; Lest the LORD see it, and it displease Him, And He turn away His wrath from him.”

Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible points out:

“Rejoice not when thine enemy falleth… These words are spoken not to the wicked man… but to the just man, or Solomon’s son, or the children of Wisdom; for by the ‘enemy’ is meant such who are at enmity with the people of God, as the seed of the serpent, and those after the flesh, are: and when these ‘fall’, saints should not ‘rejoice’; as when they fall into sin… Joy may be expressed at the fall of the public enemies of God and his people, as was by the Israelites at the destruction of Pharaoh and his host (Exodus 15:1), and as will be by the church at the destruction of antichrist, and which they are called upon to do (Revelation 18:20), partly on account of their own deliverance and safety, and chiefly because of the glory of God, and of his justice displayed therein; see Psalm 58:10, but as private revenge is not to be sought, nor acted, so joy at the calamity and ruin of a private enemy, or a man’s own enemy, should not be expressed…

“… and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth; even secret joy should not be indulged, gladness in the heart, though it does not appear in the countenance, and is not expressed in words; no, not at the least appearance of mischief, when he only stumbles and is ready to fall; and much less should there be exultation and rejoicings made in an open manner at the utter ruin of him.”

Jeremiah said that he never desired the evil day for his enemies (compare Jeremiah 17:16).

We even read in Proverbs 16:7: “When a man’s ways please the LORD, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.”

This applies to our own personal lives, and also to our national relationship with other countries. We should ask ourselves whether, when we live in war, we are living in a way pleasing to God.

Insofar as the general distinction between blessing and cursing is concerned, we read in Exodus 21:17: “And he who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.”

Proverbs 30:11 adds: “There is a generation that curses its father, And does not bless its mother.”

Matthew 15:3-6 states: “He answered and said to them, ‘Why do you also transgress the commandment of God because of your tradition? For God commanded, saying, “Honor your father and your mother”; and, “He who curses father or mother, let him be put to death.” But you say, “Whoever says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever profit you might have received from me is a gift to God’– then he need not honor his father or mother.” Thus you have made the commandment of God of no effect by your tradition.’”

Here we see that blessing is equated with honoring and helping, while the unwillingness to help is equated with dishonor and by extension, with cursing.

Exodus 22:28 states: “You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people.”

But this is what people, in their despair, will do, as stated in Isaiah 8:21: “They will pass through it hard pressed and hungry; and it shall happen, when they are hungry, that they will be enraged and curse their king and their God, and look upward.”

They will try to find fault for their misfortune in others, including the king and God.

Ecclesiastes 10:20 says: “Do not curse the king, even in your thought; Do not curse the rich, even in your bedroom; For a bird of the air may carry your voice, And a bird in flight may tell the matter.”

This must not be misunderstood to mean that we have to turn a blind eye to the misrule of a leader. We must, as a Church, point out their sinful conduct (see our Q&As, quoted above), and when we are asked to pray for our leaders, this does not mean to bless them for their evil deeds, but only, to inspire them so that God’s Church can lead a quiet life and fulfill its commission (compare 1 Timothy 2:1-2).

In Acts 23:1-5, we read: “Then Paul, looking earnestly at the council, said, ‘Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.’ And the high priest Ananias commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth. Then Paul said to him, ‘God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! For you sit to judge me according to the law, and do you command me to be struck contrary to the law?’ And those who stood by said, ‘Do you revile God’s high priest?’ Then Paul said, ‘I did not know, brethren, that he was the high priest; for it is written, “You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”

Here, Paul equates cursing with speaking evil. This passage has been understood in different ways. Some say, Paul had weak eyes so that he did not recognize Ananias. Others say, he did not know that Ananias was the high priest. The better explanation is that Paul recognized Ananias as the high priest, but said, that he was astonished that this hypocritical whitewashed wall could hold the office of high priest. William Barclay, “The Acts of the Apostles,” wrote on page 164: “Paul knew perfectly well that Ananias was high priest. But Ananias was notorious as a glutton, a thief, a rapacious robber and a quisling in the Roman service. Paul’s answer really means, ‘This man sitting there—I never knew a man like that could be high priest of Israel.’”

Ecclesiastes 7:21-22 says: “Also do not take to heart everything people say, Lest you hear your servant cursing you. For many times, also, your own heart has known That even you have cursed others.”

Nehemiah 13:23-25 brings up another interesting aspect of “cursing”:

“In those days I also saw Jews who had married women of Ashdod, Ammon, and Moab. And half of their children spoke the language of Ashdod, and could not speak the language of Judah, but spoke according to the language of one or the other people. So I contended with them and cursed them, struck some of them and pulled out their hair, and made them swear by God, saying, ‘You shall not give your daughters as wives to their sons, nor take their daughters for your sons or yourselves.’”

Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers points out:

“Cursed them.—Nehemiah simply echoed the covenant sanction on this very point.”

This, however, does not seem to be the best explanation.

The Benson Commentary states: “I cursed them — That is, excommunicated them, and cast them out of the society of God’s people; in the doing of which, I denounced God’s judgments against them.”

The Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary agrees:

“cursed them—that is, pronounced on them an anathema which entailed excommunication.”

Likewise Matthew Poole’s Commentary:

“Cursed them, i.e. caused them to be excommunicated and cast out of the society and privileges of God’s people. This and the following punishments were justly inflicted upon them, because this transgression was contrary both to a very plain and express law of God, and also to their own late solemn covenants and promises…”

Christ tells us that if a sinning member does not want to listen to the Church, he needs to be disfellowshipped and be treated “like a heathen and a tax collector” (Matthew 18:17; also note Paul’s statement regarding excommunication in 1 Corinthians 5:4-5). Such decisions have nothing to do with cursing the person, but they signify that God’s curse is over them unless they repent.

James 3:8-10 says: “But no man can tame the tongue. It is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.”

Matthew Poole’s Commentary states:

“Therewith bless we God; pray, and speak well of God… And therewith curse we men; rail on, revile, speak evil of, as well as wish evil to.”

To repeat: This does not mean that we must shy away from saying that sin brings about evil consequences. This is not cursing a person, but expresses the wish that the person repents so that he or she can be spared from experiencing God’s terrible wrath (compare John 3:36; Revised Standard Version).

Finally, we are admonished that we must not avenge ourselves.

Romans 12:19 states: “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.”

At the same time, it is not wrong to ask God to avenge us on those who persecute us because we belong to God.

In Revelation 6:9-11, we read how in a vision, murdered “souls” ask God to avenge them: “When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, ‘How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?’ Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.”

Asking God to avenge us on our enemies who persecute us without cause is not the same as cursing them. Rather, we plead with God to show His majesty and power on those who mistreat, malign and even kill God’s people.

Lead Writer: Norbert Link