{"id":7118,"date":"2006-08-22T21:54:35","date_gmt":"2006-08-23T02:54:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/?p=7118"},"modified":"2019-08-05T22:01:18","modified_gmt":"2019-08-06T03:01:18","slug":"can-one-person-put-a-curse-on-another","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/can-one-person-put-a-curse-on-another\/","title":{"rendered":"Can one person put a curse on another?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Question:<\/h2>\n

A friend asked me about someone putting curses on others and what does the Bible have to say about it?  Could you share some thoughts in this regard?  He feels like he is cursed by what his great-grandfather did years ago.<\/p>\n\t

Answer:<\/h2>\n

Your question doesn’t deal with a matter of one person cursing at another (using profanity) or one person wishing ill-harm on another, but a person believed to be able to bring ill-fortune on a person and his descendants by his mere desire for it to be so.<\/p>\n

We know that God has pronounced curses on people who go against His will. For example, after the destruction of Jericho, God declared through Joshua, “Then Joshua charged them at that time, saying, “Cursed be the man before the LORD who rises up and builds this city Jericho; he shall lay its foundation with his firstborn, and with his youngest he shall set up its gates<\/em>” (Joshua 6:26). And such happened many years later, “In his days Hiel of Bethel built Jericho. He laid its foundation with Abiram his firstborn, and with his youngest son Segub he set up its gates, according to the word of the LORD, which He had spoken through Joshua the son of Nun<\/em>” (I Kings 16:34). Because of God’s sovereignty, He is able to bring about whatever He declares.<\/p>\n

Such is not the case with men. We have limited lives and then are not involved in the world again. Anyone’s hatred dies with him. “For the living know that they will die; but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. Also their love, their hatred, and their envy have now perished; nevermore will they have a share In anything done under the sun<\/em>” (Ecclesiastes 9:5-6). To claim that a person’s desire can affect the world beyond their death is to claim attributes of deity for them.<\/p>\n

Now, this doesn’t mean that a person’s actions won’t have repercussions even past his death. If I had a fortune, but squandered it, my children may live poorer lives than if the money remained for them to inherit. But it is more than material things. Parents are charged with teaching their children and when they fail in their responsibilities, a child may continue in the bad habits he learned from his parents. It is the negative side of Proverbs 22:6.<\/p>\n

Generally, a person who claims to be able to remotely affect the lives of other people is called a sorcerer in the Bible. Sorcery is condemned (Deuteronomy 18:9-12), not because it is real, but because people deceive others with their fakery. See the lesson on Witchcraft<\/a> for more details.<\/p>\n

In general, a person is responsible for their own lives; that is the point of Ezekiel 18. You can’t claim any responsibility because you had bad parents, bad children, or anything else involving other people. They have influence over you, but in the end, your decisions are your own.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Question: A friend asked me about someone putting curses on others and what does the Bible have to say about it?  Could you share some thoughts in this regard?  He feels like he is cursed by what his great-grandfather did years ago. Answer: Your question doesn’t deal with a matter of one person cursing at…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20],"tags":[1567,354,604],"class_list":["post-7118","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-answer","tag-curses","tag-responsibility","tag-witchcraft"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":26749,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-are-blessings-and-curses\/","url_meta":{"origin":7118,"position":0},"title":"What are blessings and curses?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 20, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: A student of mine asked this question and I'm not sure how to answer. I appreciate any help you can give me. Thanks. I want to know what are curses and what brings curses upon a person? And what is a blessing? How can a person be blessed? Answer:\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":7660,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/who-is-the-commander-of-the-lords-army\/","url_meta":{"origin":7118,"position":1},"title":"Who is the commander of the Lord’s army?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 29, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Who is the commander of the Lord's army? Answer: \"And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":19740,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/what-is-the-difference-between-coveting-and-stealing\/","url_meta":{"origin":7118,"position":2},"title":"What is the difference between coveting and stealing?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 11, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: What is the difference between coveting and stealing? Answer: Coveting is wanting to possess what another person has. A similar word to \"coveting\" is \"greed.\" \"For the wicked boasts of his heart's desire, and the greedy man curses and spurns the LORD\" (Psalms 10:3). In other words, a covetous\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":24522,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/did-jesus-become-a-curse\/","url_meta":{"origin":7118,"position":3},"title":"Did Jesus become a curse?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 10, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Good day, In Galatians 3:10-13, did Jesus become a curse? Please give some insight into this verse. Thanks. Answer: \"The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, 'All the nations will be blessed in you.'\" So then those who\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":49956,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/i-think-you-misused-some-verses-in-careful-what-you-say\/","url_meta":{"origin":7118,"position":4},"title":"I think you misused some verses in “Careful What You Say”","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 14, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: This is something I think can be especially difficult among the churches of Christ just because of our tradition. There is a very popular way of reading the Bible in the churches of Christ that goes way back to our roots and the reasoning is that a belief or\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":23301,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-is-the-hebrew-word-for-bless-in-job-15-translated-as-curse\/","url_meta":{"origin":7118,"position":5},"title":"Why is the Hebrew word for “bless” in Job 1:5 translated as “curse?”","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 9, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: My Bible has a footnote on Job 1:5 that says the word \"curse\" in this passage is actually the Hebrew word for \"bless.\" I don't understand this. 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