Heres additional insights on Thursdays Topic from Rolly Cainglet Obedencio . Its a little late, but better late than never: THURSDAY: BLESSING AND CURSING Presented by Rolly Cainglet Obedencio The two words “blessing” and “cursing” and their verbal forms “bless” and “curse” are taken from the passage of James in chapter 3, verses 9-10, “With it we BLESS our Lord and Father, and with it we CURSE men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both BLESSING and CURSING. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way” (NAU, emphasis mine). It is interesting that both nouns “blessing” and “cursing” and their verbal forms “bless” and “curse” are hapax legomenon (single occurrence) in the epistle of James. Hence, we have no choice but to explore their respective range of meanings, especially the verbs, outside the book of James, from the NT and from the OT. Then we will explore the assertions of James regarding the subject. To “bless” originally means in Greek (eúlogéō) to “speak well of” as in praising God (Lk 1:64; 24:53), to “give thanks” as in blessing the food (Mt 14:19; Lk 24:30), to “consecrate” (1 Cor 10:16), to “confer favor or benefit” (Acts 3:26; Eph 1:3; Mt 25:34; Lk 1:42), and to request God’s favor for someone, especially who curses (Lk 6:28), or when we are reviled (1 Cor 4:12), among other 41 examples in the NT. It is from this Greek word eúlogéō that the English words “eulogize” (to speak or write in high praise of, or to extol) and “eulogy” (a commendatory oration or writing especially in honor of one deceased) are derived. The usage of eúlogéō (331 times) is also replete with meanings and nuances in the Greek version of OT, which is provided by its Hebrew counterpart (barak): to “bestow power” for success, prosperity, or fertility, as to multiply (Gn 1:22, 28); or to “declare a person endowed with power” for success, prosperity, or fertility, as Abraham (Gn 12:2), Jacob (Gn 27:29), or Pharaoh (Ex 12:32); or to “wish someone power for success, prosperity, or fertility (Gn 24:60); or to “greet” someone on arrival (1 Sam 13:10); or to “bless God,” or “praise God,” that is, to declare God as the origin of power for success, prosperity, or fertility (Gn 24:48; Ps 96:2); or to “curse” (1 Kgs 21:10). It is from these usages that James’ use of the hapax legomenon (single occurrence), eúlogéō, can be understood. To “curse” originally means in Greek (kataráomai) to “doom,” or “imprecate evil on,” especially the unhelpful wicked (Mt 25:41), the withered fig tree (Mk 11:20), those who mistreat you (Lk 6:28) and those persecute you (Rom 12:14). Kataráomai is the Greek translation of several Hebrew words: ä´är, to “inflict with a curse” (Gn 5:29), qälal, to “be small, slight, swift, or trifling” (Gn 8:21), and qäbab, to “utter a curse” (Num 23:8). A being or thing “inflicted with a curse” (´ä´är) would have a miserable life or condition, as the serpent’s going with its belly and eating dust (Gn 3:14). The cursed (´ä´är) ground would need hard labor to produce plants for food (Gn 3:17; cf. 5:29). When Cain was cursed (ä´är, Gn 4:11) for the sin of murdering his brother Abel, the ground would no longer yield its strength to him, and he would be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth (Gn 4:12). When Canaan was cursed (ä´är), he was pronounced to be “a servant of servants” to his brothers (Gn 9:25, NAU). It seems that a curse was declared as a punishment by God for any crime, disobedience or negligence committed by a violator (Deut 27:15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26; cf. 28:16, 17, 18, 19; Jer 11:3; 17:5; 48:10; Mal 1:14; 2:2; 3:9). It was also used as an expression of displeasure of one’s condition (Jer 20:14, 15). God alone has the right to curse (Gn 12:3; 27:29), and humans have no right to curse Him or anybody (Ex 22:28; Num 22:12), unless they are sanctioned by God to do so (Josh 9:23), or is under an oath to do so (1 Sam 14:24, 28). And cursed is the one who curses someone (Num 24:9). The above mentioned survey, therefore, is a brief list of the senses on the usage of ´ä´är. In the context of cursing, qälal, on the other hand, is sometimes synonymous with ´ä´är, especially in cursing the ground. Genesis 8:21 records, “I will never again curse [lüqallël, piel infinitive construct of qälal] the ground on account of man, for the intent of mans heart is evil from his youth” (NAU, [ ] mine). “Cursed [´árûrâ, qal passive participle feminine singular absolute form of ä´är] is the ground because of you [Adam]” (Gn 3:17, NAU, [ ] mine). Both words are used in the same verse practically in the same meaning in Genesis 12:3, “And the one who curses [qälal] you I will curse [´ä´är]” (NAU, [ ] mine; cf. Exo 22:27). Qälal could also mean “despised” (Gn 16:4, 5, NAS) in the qal form. It means to “curse” in the piel form (Ex 21:17), as in cursing his father or mother (Ex 21:17; Lev 20:9) or God (Ex 22:27; 24:15), a deaf man (Lev 19:14) which are all prohibited, and the sin is punishable by death (Lev 20:9; 24:14, 23). Although similar in meaning with ä´är in Job 3:8 (“Let those curse [qäbab] it who curse [ä´är] the day,” NAU, [ ] mine), qäbab is oftentimes used to curse people, especially enemies (Num 22:11, 17; 23:8, 11, 13, 25, 27; 24:10; Prov 11:26; 24:24). It is not clear whether this kind of cursing is a crime punishable by death or not. There is not any explicit indication in all its 14 occurrences in the OT. What is apparent, though, is that qäbab is used to express some feelings of displeasure, such as fear or dread (Nem 22:3; cf. 22:11 as the result of that dread), anger (Prov 11:26) and indignation (Prov 24:24) toward people, situation, thing or place (Job 5:3). To hate one’s fellowmen is to sin (Lev 19:7), and “those who hate the righteous will be condemned” (Ps 34:21). To be angry is to be “guilty” (Mt 5:22), not just “danger” as expressed in Greek, enochos (Mt 5:21; Mk 3:29; Jas 2:10). Based on the short survey in both OT and NT, in what sense did James use blessing and cursing in James 3:9? You be the judge. James says that “with it” (feminine article in Greek, aútē), that is, tongue (glōssa, feminine noun in v. 8), “we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way (Jas 3:9-10 NAU).” Both verbs “bless” and “curse,” in the present tense indicative mood, assert that it is the usual action of our tongue to keep on blessing and cursing, and both blessing and cursing come from the same mouth, which is unnecessary. With the present indicative sense of oú chrē, the last part of verse 10 can be more literally translated into “it does not need, my brothers, for these things thus to happen.” In other words, James conclusively asserts that blessing and cursing do not necessarily co-exist from the same mouth. He supports this assertion by two illustrative questions—a fountain and a fig tree—both beginning with an interrogative particles, mēti and mē, respectively, that expect a negative answer for each (vv 11-12). The first question “Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water?” (v 11, NAU) expects a negative answer that a fountain does not send out fresh and bitter water from the same opening. The second question “Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs?” (v 12, NAU) also expects a negative answer that a fig tree does not have the ability to produce olives, nor a vine produce figs, and assert the impossibility of the first salty water to produce sweet. What point James was illustrating was that a Christian should not be double-tongued or double-faced. James warns that a tongue/mouth should not be used for both blessing and cursing men who were made in the likeness of God, which is God’s image, because after creating man—male and female—in His image, He blessed them to be procreators and rulers over His creatures (Gn 1:26, 27, 28). Blessing men, thus, was the original role of the tongue, instead of cursing them. Cursing men, therefore, is tantamount to cursing God: “You shall not curse God, nor curse a ruler of your people” (Exo 22:28, NAU), and “’Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me’” (Mt 25:40, NAU). Questions for applications: In what other aspects can we be double-tongued or double-faced? In what sense are we guilty of cursing our fellowmen?
Posted on: Sat, 15 Nov 2014 18:22:09 +0000
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