What does קְלָלָה (qĕlālāh) mean in the Bible?
קְלָלָה (qĕlālāh): Curse as divine judgment invoked against covenant-breakers; moves from spoken vilification to enacted supernatural harm
Hebrew · H7045
קְלָלָה
Vilification
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קְלָלָה H7045
Pronunciation qĕlālāh
What does קְלָלָה (qĕlālāh) mean in the Bible?
קְלָלָה (qĕlālāh): Curse as divine judgment invoked against covenant-breakers; moves from spoken vilification to enacted supernatural harm
Full entry for קְלָלָה (H7045) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H7045?
The BSB source-word alignment has 33 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include and a curse (3), and cursing (3), curse (3), a curse (2), an object of cursing (2).
Where does קְלָלָה (qĕlālāh) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 27:12. Its strongest book concentrations include Deuteronomy (11), Jeremiah (9), Genesis (2), Proverbs (2).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It and a curse 3× Deuteronomy 11:26, 2 Kings 22:19, Jeremiah 49:13
and cursing 3× Deuteronomy 30:19, Jeremiah 24:9, Jeremiah 25:18
curse 3× Deuteronomy 21:23, Deuteronomy 29:27, Proverbs 26:2
a curse 2× Genesis 27:12, Zechariah 8:13
an object of cursing 2× Jeremiah 26:6, Jeremiah 44:8
curses 2× Deuteronomy 28:15, Deuteronomy 28:45
of vilification 2× Jeremiah 42:18, Jeremiah 44:12
the curse 2× Deuteronomy 23:5, Nehemiah 13:2
The cursing [that] 2× Psalms 109:17, Psalms 109:18
. . . 1× 1 Kings 2:8
and an object of cursing 1× Jeremiah 44:22
and curses 1× Deuteronomy 30:1
and the curse 1× Deuteronomy 11:29
and the curses 1× Joshua 8:34
as a curse 1× Proverbs 27:14
but a curse 1× Deuteronomy 11:28
deliver the curse 1× Deuteronomy 27:13
So the curse 1× Judges 9:57
the cursing [I receive] 1× 2 Samuel 16:12
will use this curse 1× Jeremiah 29:22
Your curse 1× Genesis 27:13
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 27:12 קְלָלָ֖ה to a curse Noun - feminine singular Genesis 27:13 קִלְלָתְךָ֖ to Your curse Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular Deuteronomy 11:26 וּקְלָלָֽה׃ to and a curse Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular Deuteronomy 11:28 וְהַקְּלָלָ֗ה to but a curse Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - feminine singular Deuteronomy 11:29 הַקְּלָלָ֖ה to and the curse Article | Noun - feminine singular Deuteronomy 21:23 קִלְלַ֥ת to curse Noun - feminine singular construct Deuteronomy 23:5 הַקְּלָלָ֖ה to the curse Article | Noun - feminine singular Deuteronomy 27:13 הַקְּלָלָ֖ה to deliver the curse Article | Noun - feminine singular Deuteronomy 28:15 הַקְּלָל֥וֹת to curses Article | Noun - feminine plural Deuteronomy 28:45 הַקְּלָל֣וֹת to curses Article | Noun - feminine plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 27:12
Aligned rows 33
Books represented 12
Genesis 2 Deuteronomy 11 Joshua 1 Judges 1 2 Samuel 1 1 Kings 1 2 Kings 1 Nehemiah 1 Psalms 2 Proverbs 2 Jeremiah 9 Zechariah 1
Source forms
הַקְּלָלָ֖ה 4x haq·qə·lā·lāh Deuteronomy 11:29, Deuteronomy 23:5, Deuteronomy 27:13, Nehemiah 13:2
וְלִקְלָלָ֖ה 3x wə·liq·lā·lāh Jeremiah 25:18, Jeremiah 44:12, Jeremiah 49:13
וְהַקְּלָלָ֑ה 2x wə·haq·qə·lā·lāh Deuteronomy 30:19, Joshua 8:34
וְלִקְלָלָ֔ה 2x wə·liq·lā·lāh 2 Kings 22:19, Jeremiah 24:9
הַקְּלָלָ֔ה 1x haq·qə·lā·lāh Deuteronomy 29:27
הַקְּלָל֥וֹת 1x haq·qə·lā·lō·wṯ Deuteronomy 28:15
הַקְּלָל֣וֹת 1x haq·qə·lā·lō·wṯ Deuteronomy 28:45
וְהַקְּלָלָ֗ה 1x wə·haq·qə·lā·lāh Deuteronomy 11:28
Parsing patterns
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular 7x 2 Kings 22:19, Jeremiah 24:9, Jeremiah 25:18, Jeremiah 42:18
Noun - feminine singular 7x Genesis 27:12, 1 Kings 2:8, Psalms 109:17, Psalms 109:18
Article | Noun - feminine singular 5x Deuteronomy 11:29, Deuteronomy 23:5, Deuteronomy 27:13, Deuteronomy 29:27
Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - feminine singular 4x Deuteronomy 11:28, Deuteronomy 30:1, Deuteronomy 30:19, Joshua 8:34
Noun - feminine singular construct 3x Deuteronomy 21:23, Judges 9:57, Proverbs 26:2
Article | Noun - feminine plural 2x Deuteronomy 28:15, Deuteronomy 28:45
Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular 2x Jeremiah 26:6, Jeremiah 44:8
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular 1x Deuteronomy 11:26
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Curse as divine judgment invoked against covenant-breakers; moves from spoken vilification to enacted supernatural harm
Source Gloss
vilification
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Curse as divine judgment invoked against covenant-breakers; moves from spoken vilification to enacted supernatural harm
vilification BDB: curse Usage: (ac-) curse(-d, -ing).
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
A vilification or curse that comes without cause and will not land on its target
A vilification or loud blessing given early in the morning that is perceived as a curse by the recipient
Showing 2 selected witnesses from 33 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain