What is blaspheming the name of the Lord and what is cursing God?

Question

Leviticus‬ ‭24‬:‭10‬–‭12‬,‭14‬ (‭NLT‬‬):

¹⁰ One day a man who had an Israelite mother and an Egyptian father came out of his tent and got into a fight with one of the Israelite men. ¹¹ During the fight, this son of an Israelite woman blasphemed the Name of the Lord with a curse. So the man was brought to Moses for judgment. His mother was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri of the tribe of Dan. ¹² They kept the man in custody until the Lord’s will in the matter should become clear to them. … ¹⁴ “Take the blasphemer outside the camp, and tell all those who heard the curse to lay their hands on his head. Then let the entire community stone him to death.”

Also reminds me of Job’s wife. She also talked about cursing God so you die.

His wife said to him, “Are you still trying to maintain your integrity? Curse God and die.”

Also reminds me of Ananias and Sapphira. They lied to the Holy Spirit and they died, could that fit in the category of blasphemy and cursing God?

What is blaspheming the name of the Lord really? And what is cursing God?

Answer 1

Blasphemy English definition

Blasphemy is generally defined as the act or offense of speaking sacrilegiously about God or sacred things, synonymous with irreverence and disrespect of God or Christ. ^[1]

Blasphemy

In the Old Testament at least five different Hebrew verbs are translated "blaspheme" in English translations. Translators choose "blaspheme" when, for instance, the verbs "curse" (qalal), "revile" (gadap), or "despise" (herep) are used with God as the object. No special verb is reserved for cursing or insults directed at God. ^[1]

Blasphemy is a broader term than a curse. Blasphemy would include things like:

• Speaking against God’s name in a disrespectful manner. (See Leviticus 24:10-16)
• Attributing the works of the Holy Spirit to evil forces (See Matthew 12:22-32).
• Denying or mocking God’s attributes and actions. (See Revelation 13:6)

Cursing God

Blasphemy involves cursing or reviling God, or acting in a way that scorns Him, mocks Him, or denounces Him. When someone commits blasphemy, they're shaking their fist in God's face (so to speak), defying Him and insulting Him, and refusing to acknowledge His goodness or His authority over them. ^[2]

Cursing God is more specific. It involves:

• Speaking against God with the intent to insult or show contempt.

As seen in point one, this is a direct and explicit form of blasphemy because it involves using words to disrespect, demean, or challenge God’s authority and holiness.

So:

Cursing God is a specific act that falls under the category of blasphemy.

Ananias and Sapphira:

Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Holy Spirit, which led to their deaths. This is the New Testament.

In the New Testament, blasphemy may be:

• Of evil-speaking generally, (Acts 13:45); The Jews contradicted Paul "and blasphemed," the Revised Version, margin "railed." (So in the King James Version of Matthew 15:19 = Mark 7:22; Colossians 3:8, but in the Revised Version (British and American) "railings"; Revelation 2:9 the Revised Version, margin "reviling"; so perhaps in 1 Timothy 1:20; or Hymeneus and Alexander may have blasphemed Christ by professing faith and living unworthily of it.)

• Against God: (i) uttering impious words (Revelation 13:1-6); (ii) unworthy conduct of Jews (Romans 2:24) and Christians (1 Timothy 6:1); (iii) of Jesus Christ, alleged to be usurping the authority of God (Matthew 9:3 = Mark 2:7 = Luke 5:21), claiming to be the Messiah, the son of God (Matthew 26:65 = Mark 14:64), or making Himself God (John 10:33-36).

• Against Jesus Christ: Saul strove to make the Christians he persecuted blaspheme their Lord (Acts 26:11). So was he himself a blasphemer (1 Timothy 1:13).

This is not labeled as blasphemy or cursing God in the scripture; however, it is no doubt a severe offense against God because it involves obvious deceit and disrespect towards the Holy Spirit.

I would say that it is blasphemy. My reason being is because it involved deceit and a lack of reverence for the Holy Spirit’s role and authority. And therefore, God's role and authority.