Passage Explorer
Word study · Greek

blasphēmeō

to blaspheme, to speak against

Say it: blas-fay-MEH-oh (approximate)

βλασφημέω

What it means

To speak abusively, and especially to speak against God or what is holy. Jesus is accused of it when he forgives sins (2:7) and again at his trial (14:64). When Jesus warns about blaspheming the Holy Spirit (3:29), the context is people who call the Spirit's work evil.

Open question Debated

Exactly what "blasphemy against the Holy Spirit" covers has been debated through church history; in Mark 3 it follows the charge that Jesus works by an unclean spirit.

Range of meaning

  • SlanderSpeak abusively of someone.
  • BlasphemeSpeak against God.

In Mark

  • Chapter 2

    "Why does this man speak blasphemies like this?" (2:7).

  • Chapter 3

    Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (3:28-29).

  • Chapter 14

    "You have heard the blasphemy" (14:64).

Every verse (4)

Verses where G0987 is tagged in the Hebrew text: STEPBible Data (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0. About our sources