Several months ago, I received an email from a reader/listener asking about the

use of certain biblical texts in the context of cursing. It said:

I have been reading Judika Illes Encyclopedia of 5000 Spells and came across Psalm
s 109 being used as a hex. I did not know that you could use Bible verses as a h
ex. Can you give me more info of this Psalms 109 hex?
So I thought that today I might start to look at some of the cursing Psalms, with
an eye to their historical precedents, their place in American folk magic, and s
ome ideas of what to do with them. Before I get too far into the topic, however
, please let me emphasize that using any curse is tricky, and biblical ones can
be especially so. Many of them are based on specific theological ideas about th
e Old Testament G-d and His will regarding the administration of justice. If a
curse isn t justified, not only might it not work, it might backfire as according
to the theology involved, the curse would go against G-d s will, and thus invite d
estruction on the curser. Basically, as always, be careful with curses.
To look at biblical curses historically, the first hurdle most folks have to lea
p is the hurdle of modern thinking. Many who study the Bible are incredibly unc
omfortable with the idea that it contains admonitions to do harm to others, yet
it clearly does. Repeatedly G-d tells his chosen people to exterminate tribes,
towns, and even civilizations down to the last man, woman, and child (see Deuter
onomy and I Samuel). He inflicts suffering on even his most loyal subjects (see
Job). Some view this all as an historical account, or a gloss for political st
ruggles in a religious context, or as something undone by New Testament theology
. Cursing in the Bible, though, is not limited to cataclysmic events on a natio
nal level or a cosmic wager between G-d and Satan it s often deeply personal. There
are several accounts in the Bible of G-d s representatives dishing out curses:
2 Kings 2
The prophet Elisha curses a group of children for calling him
the children are eaten by a pair of bears.

bald,

and

Numbers 5 A magical ritual is prescribed for determining if a woman has abeen un

faithful. If she has and she is pregnant from her adultery, the ritual causes s
pontaneous abortion.
Acts 5
Acts 13
blind.

Peter curses a man and woman who lied to him, and they die.
Paul curses a man pretending to be an Apostle/sorcerer, and the man goes

(You can read more about magic in the bible here, by the way)
It should be apparent, then, that the Bible doesn t contain only sweetness and lig
ht and the works of a good G-d the way many modern people might prefer it. Rather
, it contains a mix of history, folklore, philosophy, and even some occult infor
mation straddling the line of morality on all accounts. Rather than viewing it
through the lens of today, when we might not understand why anyone would resort
to cursing in the name of a higher power, it is helpful to have a little more pe
rspective. Theologian Tomas O Curraoin writes about curses in an article for th
e Irish Catholic digest The Furrow:
The stand taken by the Old Testament was certainly uncompromising; whereas the co
ntemporary world which influences us all is, to say the least, more accommodatin
g. The maledictions found in the psalms are merely an expression of that fundame
ntal attitude of the Old Testament to evil and to evil-doers. They take their or
igin in certain human situations, and express an attitude to God, to Life, to th
e cosmic struggle between good and evil, which is certainly not characteristic o
f the world-attitude today. In fact there is no question of justifying, in the s
ense of excusing, the use of curses in the psalms. The psalms are inspired, and

do not need to be justified

(from

The Malediction in the Psalms ).