This study will explore what “blessing” and “curse” mean in Scripture, how these words are used, and how they culminate in the cross of Jesus Christ. We will look closely at the Old and New Testaments, trace covenant promises and warnings, and answer crucial questions… When the Bible says “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”… Was Jesus cursed? What does that mean?
Although “blessed” and “cursed” are common words, Scripture gives them precise, covenant‑shaped meaning. God blesses, people bless, and believers are called to bless rather than curse. At the same time, the Bible warns that sin incurs curse, which are real consequences under God’s moral government. The good news is that Christ “redeemed us from the curse of the law” (Galatians 3:13). Understanding this truth frees us from fear, keeps us from superstition, and anchors our hope in Christ.
Creation Blessing and the Pattern of God’s Favor
The first pages of Scripture present blessing as God’s favor that imparts fruitfulness, life, and purpose. Blessing is not merely a feeling; it is God’s effective word for flourishing.
“Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it…’” (Genesis 1:28)
God blesses the living world (Genesis 1:22), blesses the Sabbath (Genesis 2:3), and later blesses Noah (Genesis 9:1). Blessing is God’s disposition and decision to bring life where He wills; it is concrete, covenantal, and purposeful.
Abrahamic Blessing and the Nations
Blessing becomes explicitly missional with Abraham when God ties His worldwide blessing to His promise and to Abraham’s seed.
“I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3)
Abraham receives a blessing, but its not just for him, for all families of the earth. This promise anticipates Christ and the gospel going to the nations (cf. Galatians 3:8–9). Blessing therefore includes reconciliation with God and participation in His redemptive plan.
The Priestly Blessing: God’s Name on His People
Under Moses, the blessing is formalized in priestly speech, placing God’s Name upon Israel so that peace and grace mark the community.
“The LORD bless you and keep you; The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24–26)
Blessing is the shining of God’s face, His gracious attention, resulting in protection and shalom (peace / well-being).
Covenant Blessings and Curses: Deuteronomy 28 and Leviticus 26
Scripture connects blessing and curse to covenant obedience and disobedience. These are not random fortunes; they are covenant outcomes under God’s moral government.
“Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God… that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you…” (Deuteronomy 28:1–2)
Obedience brings abundance, security, and fruitfulness (Deuteronomy 28:3–14). Disobedience brings scarcity, disease, defeat, and exile (Deuteronomy 28:15–68; Leviticus 26). The covenant community experiences blessing/cursing not as arbitrary luck but as moral cause and effect under God’s rule.
The Blessed and the Cursed Way
The Psalms and Proverbs contrast the blessed life of those who fear the Lord with the end of the wicked.
“Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly… But his delight is in the law of the LORD… He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water…” (Psalm 1:1–3)
“The blessing of the LORD makes one rich, And He adds no sorrow with it.” (Proverbs 10:22)
“Rich” in wisdom literature includes wholeness, integrity, and God’s favor. It is never a license for greed. The blessed person is steady, fruitful, and God‑focused.
Balaam, Balak, and the Limits of Cursing
Numbers 22–24 shows that spiritual opposition cannot overturn what God has blessed.
“How shall I curse whom God has not cursed? And how shall I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced?” (Numbers 23:8)
Human attempts to curse are powerless when God has declared blessing (Romans 8:31). This anchors our confidence: hostile words cannot overturn God’s decree. As Proverbs says,
“Like a flitting sparrow, like a flying swallow, So a curse without cause shall not alight.” (Proverbs 26:2)
Personal Blessing and the Tongue
In worship, the righteous “bless” the LORD (Psalm 103:1). To bless God is to praise Him. People can also bless each other (Genesis 27; Luke 2:34). But Scripture warns that our tongues can be both blessing and a curse.
“With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men… Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be so.” (James 3:9–10)
Believers are called to guard speech, refusing to weaponize our words (Ephesians 4:29; 1 Peter 3:10).
What About “Generational Curses”?
In Exodus God says:
“For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.” (Exodus 20:5-6)
This does not mean God holds children personally guilty for their parents’ sins. Rather, it reveals that sinful patterns can be learned, repeated, and reinforced through generations, carrying their consequences forward. When the next generation walks in the same rebellion, they share in both the sin and its results.
Ezekiel makes this individual responsibility explicit:
“The soul who sins shall die. The son shall not bear the guilt of the father, nor the father bear the guilt of the son…” (Ezekiel 18:20).
Scripture recognizes that sin’s patterns often influence families, but it also proclaims hope… these cycles can be broken through repentance, which is turning to God, and walking in obedience. In Christ, we are not bound to ancestral guilt (2 Corinthians 5:17), and God’s mercy reaches farther than judgment for those who love Him and keep His commands.
“Choose Life”: Blessing, Curse, and Decision
“I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life…” (Deuteronomy 30:19)
Blessing and curse meet us as moral alternatives. God invites His people to choose life by loving Him, obeying His voice, and clinging to Him (Deuteronomy 30:20).
“Blessed” in Jesus’ Teaching
At the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus opens His public teaching with the Beatitudes, redefining blessing around the kingdom.
“Blessed are the poor in spirit… Blessed are those who mourn… Blessed are the meek… Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness…” (Matthew 5:3–6)
“Blessed” (makarios) describes the favor and joy of those aligned with God’s reign. It is not about comfort or popularity; it is about right standing, right desires, and right hope. Jesus pronounces blessing even in persecution (Matthew 5:10–12).
Blessing Others; Refusing to Curse
Disciples of Jesus should also reflect the gracious heart of God in their speech and conduct.
“Bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.” (Luke 6:28)
“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.” (Romans 12:14)
“not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing…” (1 Peter 3:9)
We are not free to curse those for whom Christ died. Our posture is blessing, intercession, and patient endurance, trusting God’s justice (Romans 12:19).
“Cursed Is Everyone Who Hangs on a Tree”: The Law’s Judgment and the Cross
Two key passages frame this doctrine. First, the law’s declaration:
“If a man has committed a sin deserving of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, his body shall not remain overnight on the tree… for he who is hanged is accursed of God.” (Deuteronomy 21:22–23)
Public exposure signified that the person lay under God’s judgment. Second, Paul applies this to the cross:
“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree’), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus…” (Galatians 3:13–14)
Was Jesus Cursed?
Yes and No. In a sense: Jesus, who is sinless and holy, willingly took upon Himself the law’s curse that our sins deserved. He did not become morally corrupt; Rather, He was treated as the curse‑bearer in our place. The language is substitutionary and judicial, not descriptive of His character. He is forever the Blessed One (Luke 1:68), yet at the cross He became the payment for our guilt and its penalty.
“who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree…” (1 Peter 2:24)
“For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)
In other words, the curse that rightly stood over lawbreakers fell upon Christ the Substitute, so that the blessing promised to Abraham (justification by faith) could be poured out on the Jew and Gentile alike (Galatians 3:8–9).
The “Curse of the Law” Explained
Paul writes,
“For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.’” (Galatians 3:10; Deuteronomy 27:26)
The curse of the law is the covenant penalty for failing to obey perfectly. Since all have sinned (Romans 3:23), all stand condemned under the law’s standard. Christ has redeemed (bought us out of) that curse by taking it upon Himself. The result is not merely removal of penalty but an impartation of blessing: the Spirit and the inheritance promised in the Abrahamic covenant can now be ours (Galatians 3:14, 18, 29).
“Hanged on a Tree” in Apostolic Witness
The apostles emphasize the “tree” to connect the cross with Deuteronomy’s language of curse.
“The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree.” (Acts 5:30)
“whom they killed by hanging on a tree.” (Acts 10:39)
“they took Him down from the tree and laid Him in a tomb.” (Acts 13:29)
This is deliberate: the One “accursed” in our place is precisely the One God raised and exalted. The curse He bore is ours; the resurrection vindicates Him and secures us.
Spiritual Blessing in the Heavenlies
In Christ, blessing becomes expansive and deeply spiritual.
“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” (Ephesians 1:3)
Notice our blessings are in “Heavenly Places”. This does not deny material provision; it reorders our expectations. The richest blessings are union with Christ, adoption, redemption, the Spirit’s seal, and a living hope (Ephesians 1:3–14; 1 Peter 1:3–5). Earthly gifts are good, but they are not the measure of divine favor (Philippians 4:11–13).
From Condemnation to Blessing: The Gospel Transfer
Outside of Christ, people will remain under wrath (John 3:18, 36). However, In Christ, condemnation is removed (Romans 8:1). This transfer is the heart of blessing: forgiven, justified, reconciled, indwelt by the Spirit, and kept by the power of God.
“Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered.” (Psalm 32:1)
Because we have been blessed, we speak and act as channels of blessing. We refuse to curse, even when wronged. We pray for enemies, return good for evil, and leave judgment to God. Our words are to be seasoned with grace (Colossians 4:6). We bless the LORD at all times (Psalm 34:1) and bless others, knowing that our Father hears.
Does “Cursing” Still Operate Today?
Scripture recognizes that people may utter curses, but their words have no authority over those shielded by Christ, unless there is a true moral cause (Proverbs 26:2). Believers do not need to fear hexes or incantations; we stand in Christ’s victory. Yet we are not careless about sin, because discipline remains (Hebrews 12:5–11), and God is not mocked (Galatians 6:7–8). The path of blessing is obedience born of faith.
The Final Judgment: The Blessed and the Cursed
Jesus’ parable of the sheep and goats frames eternity in terms of blessing and curse.
“Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” (Matthew 25:34)
“Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” (Matthew 25:41)
The final distinction is not between the outwardly successful and unsuccessful, but between those in Christ whose faith bore fruit in love, and those who refused Him. In the new creation, everything ends beautifully:
“And there shall be no more curse, but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it, and His servants shall serve Him.” (Revelation 22:3)
My Final Thoughts
A biblical blessing is God’s favor that gives life, peace, and fruitfulness; a biblical curse is the just penalty that falls on disobedience under God’s moral government. From Eden to Abraham to Sinai, blessing and curse shape the history of mankind, and they find their great meeting place at the cross. There, Jesus (holy, harmless, undefiled) did not become a sinner in Himself, but He voluntarily took our guilt and the law’s curse, “having become a curse for us,” so that the blessing promised to Abraham would flow to all who believe. In Him, the curse that hung over us is lifted; the record of debt is nailed to the tree; and the Spirit is given as the down payment of a blessed inheritance.
Therefore, we do not chase “blessings” as the world defines them. We seek the kingdom first. We bless and do not curse. We trust that no hostile word can alight without cause and that nothing can reverse what God has spoken over His people in Christ. And we live now as a blessed people: forgiven, adopted, and Spirit‑filled. We walk in obedience, using our tongues to heal, and waiting for the day when “there shall be no more curse,” and the Lamb will be our everlasting light. Maranatha. Amen.
