מְאֵרָה

From the study of Proverbs 28:27

Range of meaning

A curse: a spoken call for harm to fall on someone, from ʾārar, 'to curse, bind under a curse'. It is used of curses that God sends (Deut 28:20; Mal 2:2; 3:9) and of the curse of God resting on a house (Prov 3:33). In Israel and the wider ancient Near East a curse was not a swear-word. It was a serious appeal for harm, thought to have real force, especially when God backed it.

Against the English

'Curses' is the correct word. Modern readers may hear profanity, or a superstitious hex. The Hebrew means a formal or heartfelt call for ruin, tied to justice.

How it drifted

English 'curse' has drifted toward 'swear-word' in everyday speech. In popular culture it also suggests magic spells, cut off from any idea of moral justice.

Used elsewhere in the period

Prov 3:33: 'the LORD's curse (məʾērat YHWH) is on the house of the wicked'. Prov 11:26: people curse the one who holds back grain. Deut 15:9 and 24:15: the poor man 'cries to the LORD against you, and it will be sin in you'. Sirach 4:5–6 (2nd century BC) reads almost like a commentary on this verse: do not turn your eye away from the needy or give him cause to curse you, for if he curses you in bitterness his Maker will hear his prayer.

From the study of Proverbs 3:33

Range of meaning

A curse: the pronounced and effective sentence of harm, the opposite of berakhah (blessing). It comes from the root 'rr, the verb used in 'cursed is…' formulas (Gen 3:14; Deut 27:15–26). It is a rare noun, found only five times: Deut 28:20; Prov 3:33; 28:27; Mal 2:2; 3:9. In each case God is the one who sends the curse or who stands behind it. The result is withdrawal of fertility, prosperity, security and life.

Against the English

English 'curse' now suggests a hex, a spell put on someone, or a swear word. Religious readers may also hear eternal damnation. The Hebrew word is none of these. It is a judicial and covenant word: God's sentence against the guilty, worked out in this life as frustration, loss and decline.

How it drifted

In later English, 'curse' came to cover folk magic and profanity. In Christian use it also came to cover final, other-worldly condemnation. Neither belongs in this Hebrew word.

Used elsewhere in the period

Deut 28:20 is the closest parallel: 'Yahweh will send on you the curse (ham-me'erah), confusion and rebuke in everything you put your hand to.' This places the word inside the covenant curses of Deuteronomy. Prov 28:27 says the one who hides his eyes from the poor gets 'many curses', which links the word to the same neighbour ethics as Prov 3:27–28. Mal 3:9: 'with the curse you are cursed'. Ancient Near Eastern treaties and boundary stones end with curses calling on the gods to destroy the household and offspring of anyone who breaks the agreement. H. C. Brichto argued that the root 'rr means to place someone under a ban, cut off from benefits; that view is debated.

From the study of Malachi 2:2

Range of meaning

'Arar means to lay under a curse: to bind something under a ban so that it is cut off from blessing, life and success. Me'erah is the noun formed from it. The opposite is barakh/berakhah (bless/blessing). In the covenant setting, curse is the agreed penalty for breaking covenant loyalty (Deut 27:15–26; 28:15–68).

Against the English

English 'curse' can suggest swearing, or magic spells and hexes. Here it is a covenant sanction from the divine King: a judicial penalty that makes life, work and ritual fail.

How it drifted

Popular use links 'curse' to bad language or folk magic, and loses the legal, covenant setting.

Used elsewhere in the period

Deut 28:20 says 'YHWH will send (yeshallach) on you the curse (hamme'erah), confusion and rebuke (hammig'eret)'. Malachi 2:2 echoes the verb and noun, and 2:3 'I will rebuke' (go'er) echoes the third word. Me'erah also appears in Prov 3:33 ('the curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked') and Mal 3:9 ('you are cursed with a curse'). Ancient Near Eastern treaties, such as the Assyrian vassal treaties, end with curse lists against a vassal who breaks faith.