Coming Up Higher: Chapter 11

Paul L. Cox

Renunciation of Curses Listed in Deuteronomy 28:15-68
Paul L. Cox

In 1989, when I first started doing deliverances, the word curse frequently came up in dealing with evil issues in people’s lives. Following those early deliverances, we began looking at generational curses and asking the Lord to cancel their affects in people’s lives. Then, from what the Lord had been teaching us, I started teaching a seminar called Tipping the Scales, Blessings and Curses. This seminar was recorded and released. In 2008, after some intensive research, I discovered that what I had been teaching about the biblical view of curses was basically wrong. Needless to say, I was chagrined to find out that I had been releasing incorrect information.

In my defense, I have noticed that many do not understand the actual biblical meaning of the word curse. The English word curse has broad connotations ranging from a simple synonym for misfortune to a condition of unrelieved hopelessness brought on by supernatural forces, magical or divine. Therefore, when we read the translated Old Testament and see the English word curse, we assume that we understand the meaning of that word. However, in reality, the four Hebrew words that are translated as curse have many more than four different meanings.

My serendipity about the word curse began when I noticed that many books about the nature of curses listed as a primary source an article in the Journal of Biblical Literature entitled “The Problem of ‘Curse’ in the Hebrew Bible.” This doctoral disseration by C. H. Drichto includes a multi-language study of the word curse and clearly delineates the precise meaning of each of the four Hebrew words translated as curse in the Old Testament.

Brichto makes it clear that the starting point for our understanding of the word curse must be the exact definition of the word. The historical meaning of the word curse, by definition, is an imprecation. An imprecation is an exact formula or series of words by which a curse is invoked. Therefore, to say that some evil took place in the family line that cursed or brought a curse on subsequent generations, would be to misuse the word curse. The word curse is a formulized set of words uttered against someone else. So, what are these Hebrew words.

According to Brichto, four Hebrew words are translated into the English as curse: alah, arur, qualet, and qabab. Only, qabab, means imprecation. Here is his explanation of the other words:

1. Alah - The number one meaning is “oath.” An oath is a promise with the promise that a penalty will take place (curse) if there is a false assertion or failing of one to keep his word. Although other scholars have translated alah as an imprecation, Brichto’s argument for the definition of alah is convincing.

2. Arur - The Authorized Version translates this word as “curse” sixty-two times, and as “bitterly” once; forms include to curse, cursed be he, to be cursed, cursed; to curse, lay under a curse, put a curse on, to be made a curse, be cursed. The word is best rendered “banned.” Its basic sense is best rendered spell. When applied to the earth or rain, it is a spell which bars fertility to men. When applied to men or animals, it bars them from the benefits of fertility or association with their fellow creatures. The power of the curse is derived from deity or an agency endowed by God of the society with unusual powers.

3. Qualet: is translated as “curse” 39 thirty-nine times, “swifter” five times, “light thing” five times, “vile” four times, “lighter” four times, “despise” three times, “abated” twice, “ease” twice, “light” twice, “lighten” twice, “slightly” twice, and is translated miscellaneously twelve times. The word actually means to be slight, be swift, be trifling, be of little account, be light, to be slight, be abated (of water), to be swift, to be trifling, be of little account, to be swift, show oneself swift, to appear trifling, be too trifling, be insignificant, to be lightly esteemed, to make despicable, to curse, to be cursed, to make light, lighten, to treat with contempt, bring contempt or dishonor, to shake, to whet, to shake oneself, be moved to and fro. Qualet is best translated “abuse” or “to treat harshly or injuriously.” It is a general term for punishment, misfortune, disaster, or harm.

4. Qabab, qabab. A primitive root; Eight occurrences; translates as “curse” seven times, and “at all” once. It means to curse, utter a curse against.

With this understanding we can now carefully examine the passage in Deuteronomy 28:15-68. The Hebrew word translated as curse in the New King James Version in Deuteronomy 28:15 is qualet.
“But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you.

Rather than translating qualet as curse, a more accurate translation for qualet is misfortune, disaster, or harm. In other words, the evil that would come down the family line could result in generational misfortune, disaster, or harm.

Deuteronomy 28:20 uses another Hebrew word, arur. “
The LORD will send on you cursing, confusion, and rebuke in all that you set your hand to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, because of the wickedness of your doings in which you have forsaken Me.”

In this passage the Lord is saying that because of your sin He will “ban” you from enjoying the benefits of His blessings.

An accurate reading of the Deuteronomy passage is that evil in a generational line will be passed down as an iniquity rather than as a curse. The Old Testament word for iniquity is the Hebrew word avah meaning to bend or twist. The sin in a family line starts a twisting in that line, and that twisting is carried down through the line until it is broken by the power of the blood of Jesus Christ.

What happens when this generational iniquity is broken? The good news is that breaking this generational evil through the power of the blood of Jesus Christ releases the generational blessings given to the family line. The word bless is a translation of the Hebrew word b?k which means “to endue with power for success, prosperity, fecundity, longevity.” The generational iniquity covers up the blessings which are available for thousands of generations.

Now is the time to renounce all the generational evil and to ask the Lord to release the generational blessings given to your line.


Renunciation of the Generational Evil Listed in Deuteronomy 28:15-68

In the name of Jesus—
I break off all evil that has come against me from generational iniquity committed in the city and from all curses in the country.

I break all generational iniquity that has come against my provision for a healthy life.

I break off all generational iniquity that has come against my creativity, my ability to produce and reproduce, my need for food and shelter, the work of my hands, and the capital I have invested

I break off all generational iniquity that has come against me and against my family in the areas of travel and transportation.

I repent for any evil we have done in our family line in forsaking the Lord Jesus Christ.

I renounce all generational iniquity that has resulted in confusion; I renounce all generational iniquity that has resulted in rebuke, and I renounce all generational iniquity that has brought destruction and sudden ruin. Father, will You remove all confusion, rebuke, destruction, and ruin that has touched my family line and the things we have put our hands to do.

I repent of all generational sin and iniquity that has resulted in my family line being plagued with diseases and that has brought destruction to my family line to prevent us from taking the land the Lord wants us to have.

I renounce all generational iniquity that has brought wasting disease, fever and inflammation, scorching heat and drought, and blight and mildew to plague us until we perish.

I renounce all generational iniquity that has resulted in the sky above us being bronze and the ground beneath us being iron, so that God does not hear our prayers and our work becomes fruitless toil.

I renounce all generational iniquity that has resulted in the rain upon our country turning into dust and powder. I renounce all generational iniquity that has resulted in the rain coming down from the skies until we are destroyed.

I renounce all generational iniquity that has resulted in defeat before our enemies. I renounce all generational iniquity that has allowed our enemies to come against us from one direction and caused us to flee in seven directions. I renounce all generational iniquity that has caused my family line to become a thing of horror to all the kingdoms of the earth.

I renounce all generational iniquity that would cause our carcasses to become food for all the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth with no one to frighten them away.

I renounce all generational iniquity that would resulted in boils like those of Egypt and in tumors, diseases, festering sores, and the itch, from which we cannot be cured.

I renounce the all generational iniquity that has resulted in the affliction of madness, blindness, and confusion of mind.

I renounce all generational iniquity that has allowed, at midday, the groping about like a blind man in the dark. I renounce all generational iniquity that has resulted in being unsuccessful in everything we do, day after day being oppressed and robbed, with no one to rescue us.

I renounce all generational iniquity that has resulted in times when the woman we were pledged to be married was taken and ravished by another. I renounce all generational iniquity that resulted in building a house without being able to live in it. I renounce all generational iniquity that has resulted in planting a vineyard, but not enjoying its fruit.

I renounce all generational iniquity that resulted in our oxen being slaughtered before our eyes, and not being able to eat any of it. I renounce all generational iniquity that resulted in our donkeys being forcibly taken from us without being returned. I renounce all generational iniquity that resulted in our sheep being given to our enemies, with no one to rescue them.

I renounce all generational iniquity that has resulted in our sons and daughters being given to another nation and the wearing out of our eyes watching for them day after day, powerless to lift a hand.

I renounce all generational iniquity that resulted in people whom we do not know eating what our land produces.

I renounce all generational iniquity that resulted that in our ancestors having nothing but cruel oppression all of our days.

I renounce all generational iniquity that caused many seeds to produce little harvest because locusts devoured the crop.

I renounce all generational iniquity that caused my ancestors to plant vineyards and cultivate them but not to drink the wine or gather the grapes, because worms ate them. I renounce all generational iniquity that resulted in my ancestors not benefiting from their labor.

I renounce all generational iniquity that resulted in the alien who lived among us to rise above us higher and higher, and resulted in our sinking lower and lower.

I renounce all generational iniquity that resulted in others lending to me, and my being unable to lend to them; I renounce all generational iniquity that made others the head, and me the tail.

I renounce all generational iniquity in the family line that resulted in others coming upon me to pursue me and overtake me until I was destroyed, because I did not obey the LORD our God and observe the commands and decrees he gave me.

I renounce all generational iniquity that came upon me because my ancestors did not serve the LORD their God joyfully and gladly in the time of prosperity, and as a consequence, they had to serve the enemies the LORD sent against them in hunger and thirst, in nakedness and dire poverty,

I renounce all generational iniquity that resulted in an iron yoke being put on my ancestors’ necks until they were destroyed.

I renounce all generational iniquity that came against my ancestors and me causing fearful plagues, harsh and prolonged disasters, and severe and lingering illnesses.

I renounce all generational iniquity that came against my ancestors and me causing all the clinging diseases of Egypt.

I renounce all generational iniquity that came against my ancestors and me to destroy us and all generational iniquity that brought any kind of sickness and disaster that was not recorded by Moses in The Book of the Law.

I renounce all generational iniquity that caused our family not to be as numerous as the stars in the sky but caused us to be few in number, because we did not obey the LORD our God.

I renounce all generational iniquity that came upon my ancestors and has come upon me to ruin and destroy us and to uproot us from the land that we were to possess.

I renounce all generational iniquity that came upon my ancestors and me so that we would be scattered among all nations, from one end of the earth to the other.

I renounce all generational iniquity that came upon my ancestors and me so that we would find no resting place for the soles of our feet.

I renounce all generational iniquity that came upon my ancestors and me so that we would have an anxious mind, eyes weary with longing, and a despairing heart.

I renounce all generational iniquity that came upon my ancestors and me so that we would live in constant suspense, filled with dread both night and day, never sure of our life.

I renounce all generational iniquity that resulted in saying in the morning, “If only it were evening!” and in the evening, “If only it were morning!”— because of the terror that will fill our hearts and the sights that our eyes would see.