What does βλασφημέω (blasphēméō) mean in the Bible?
G987 is a verb for blaspheming, reviling, defaming, or speaking abusively against someone or something. The object and narrative judgment matter.
Greek · G987
βλασφημέω
To vilify; specially, to speak impiously
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βλασφημέω G987
Pronunciation blasphēméō
What does βλασφημέω (blasphēméō) mean in the Bible?
G987 is a verb for blaspheming, reviling, defaming, or speaking abusively against someone or something. The object and narrative judgment matter.
Reader summary
Full entry for βλασφημέω (G987) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G987?
The BSB source-word alignment has 34 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include heaped abuse on (3), blasphemes (2), slander (2), will not be discredited (2), [and] they heap abuse on you (1).
Where does βλασφημέω (blasphēméō) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 9:3. Its strongest book concentrations include Acts (4), Mark (4), Revelation (4), 2 Peter (3).
What This Word Actually Means
G987 is a verb for blaspheming, reviling, defaming, or speaking abusively against someone or something. The object and narrative judgment matter. In Matthew 9:3 and Mark 2:7, scribes accuse Jesus of blasphemy after he declares a paralytic's sins forgiven, but the Gospel narratives display his authority rather than endorsing their verdict. In Matthew 26:65, the high priest makes the same charge during Jesus' hearing. Matthew 27:39 then uses the verb for passersby reviling the crucified Jesus.
The same lexical range can describe speech directed against God, holy realities, Jesus, other people, or Christian teaching. A charge of blasphemy is therefore not self-proving merely because a religious authority makes it. Mark 3 places Jesus' grave warning about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit inside a conflict where his opponents attribute his liberating work to an unclean spirit. The verb by itself does not define every element of that warning, diagnose a frightened conscience, or authorize leaders to label criticism as an unforgivable offense.
Lexical sourceCanonical parallelBook contextPastoral application
How the Bible Uses It
G987 ranges across charges of blasphemy, abusive speech against Jesus, and speech against God or holy realities. The Gospels also show that an accusation can be mistaken, so speaker, object, and narrative evaluation must remain distinct.
- Matt.9.3
On seeing this, some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming!”
The scribes call Jesus' pronouncement blasphemy. Matthew presents this as their charge, then narrates the healing so readers may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.
- Matt.26.65
At this, the high priest tore his clothes and declared, “He has blasphemed! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy.
The high priest declares blasphemy after Jesus answers about the Christ and the Son of Man. The term reports the hearing's verdict; Matthew's larger Passion narrative governs the reader's judgment of Jesus.
- Matt.27.39
And those who passed by heaped abuse on Him, shaking their heads
Passersby revile Jesus while he is crucified. Here the verb describes abusive speech against him rather than an accusation that he has blasphemed.
- Mark.2.7
“Why does this man speak like this? He is blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
The scribes reason that Jesus is blaspheming because God alone can forgive sins. Jesus' healing addresses their reasoning and demonstrates the Son of Man's authority.
- Mark.3.28
Truly I tell you, the sons of men will be forgiven all sins and blasphemies, as many as they utter.
Jesus first states the breadth of forgiveness for human sins and blasphemies. The following exception must be read within the dispute over opponents attributing his Spirit-empowered work to an unclean spirit.
Canonical parallelPassage contextBook context
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It heaped abuse on 3× Matthew 27:39, Mark 15:29, Luke 23:39
blasphemes 2× Mark 3:29, Luke 12:10
slander 2× Jude 1:8, Jude 1:10
will not be discredited 2× 1 Timothy 6:1, Titus 2:5
[and] they heap abuse on you 1× 1 Peter 4:4
[and] to slander 1× Revelation 13:6
{they} blasphemously 1× Acts 13:45
am I denounced 1× 1 Corinthians 10:30
blaspheme 1× Acts 26:11
blasphemed 1× Acts 19:37
blasphemous 1× Luke 22:65
curse 1× Revelation 16:11
cursed 1× Revelation 16:21
He has blasphemed 1× Matthew 26:65
He is blaspheming 1× Mark 2:7
insulted [him] 1× Acts 18:6
is blasphemed 1× Romans 2:24
is blaspheming 1× Matthew 9:3
of blasphemy 1× John 10:36
slanderously 1× Romans 3:8
the ones who blaspheme 1× James 2:7
They blaspheme 1× 2 Peter 2:12
they cursed 1× Revelation 16:9
they utter 1× Mark 3:28
to be spoken of as evil 1× Romans 14:16
to blaspheme 1× 1 Timothy 1:20
to malign 1× Titus 3:2
to slander 1× 2 Peter 2:10
will be defamed 1× 2 Peter 2:2
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 9:3 βλασφημεῖ to is blaspheming Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Matthew 26:65 Ἐβλασφήμησεν to He has blasphemed Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Matthew 27:39 ἐβλασφήμουν to heaped abuse on Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural Mark 2:7 βλασφημεῖ to He is blaspheming Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular Mark 3:28 βλασφημήσωσιν to they utter Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Plural Mark 3:29 βλασφημήσῃ to blasphemes Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Singular Mark 15:29 ἐβλασφήμουν to heaped abuse on Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural Luke 12:10 βλασφημήσαντι to blasphemes Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Dative Masculine Singular Luke 22:65 βλασφημοῦντες to blasphemous Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural Luke 23:39 ἐβλασφήμει to heaped abuse on Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 9:3
Aligned rows 34
Books represented 14
Matthew 3 Mark 4 Luke 3 John 1 Acts 4 Romans 3 1 Corinthians 1 1 Timothy 2 Titus 2 James 1 1 Peter 1 2 Peter 3 Jude 2 Revelation 4
Source forms
βλασφημοῦντες 5x blasphēmountes Luke 22:65, Acts 13:45, 1 Peter 4:4, 2 Peter 2:10
βλασφημεῖν 3x blasphēmein Acts 26:11, 1 Timothy 1:20, Titus 3:2
βλασφημοῦσιν 3x blasphēmousin James 2:7, Jude 1:8, Jude 1:10
ἐβλασφήμησαν 3x eblasphēmēsan Revelation 16:9, Revelation 16:11, Revelation 16:21
βλασφημεῖ 2x blasphēmei Matthew 9:3, Mark 2:7
βλασφημῆται 2x blasphēmētai 1 Timothy 6:1, Titus 2:5
ἐβλασφήμουν 2x eblasphēmoun Matthew 27:39, Mark 15:29
Βλασφημεῖς 1x Blasphēmeis John 10:36
Parsing patterns
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural 5x Luke 22:65, Acts 13:45, 1 Peter 4:4, 2 Peter 2:10
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural 3x Revelation 16:9, Revelation 16:11, Revelation 16:21
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural 3x James 2:7, Jude 1:8, Jude 1:10
Verb - Present Infinitive Active 3x Acts 26:11, 1 Timothy 1:20, Titus 3:2
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural 2x Matthew 27:39, Mark 15:29
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular 2x Matthew 9:3, Mark 2:7
Verb - Present Subjunctive Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Singular 2x 1 Timothy 6:1, Titus 2:5
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular 1x Matthew 26:65
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Distinguish an accusation of blasphemy from the narrator's judgment about whether blasphemy occurred.
- Read the warning about the Holy Spirit within Mark 3:22-30 before applying it to a person's conscience.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim every harsh criticism, doctrinal disagreement, or report of wrongdoing is blasphemy.
- Do not claim that religious office makes a blasphemy accusation self-validating.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. to vilify; specially, to speak impiously
Strong's G987
Lexical occurrences 34 verses Greek text appearances 35 times 16 shown below Word forms 5 forms 34 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Jude 1:8–10 Source Gloss
to vilify; specially, to speak impiously
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
16 of 35 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 9:3 Verb Third Person Singular Present Active Indicative
βλασφημεῖ. blasfhmei
I speak evil against, blaspheme
Read verse Matthew 26:65 Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Active Indicative
Ἐβλασφήμησε· eblasfhmhsen
I speak evil against, blaspheme
Read verse Matthew 27:39 Verb Third Person Plural Imperfect Active Indicative
ἐβλασφήμουν eblasfhmoun
I speak evil against, blaspheme
Read verse Mark 3:28 Verb Third Person Plural Aorist Active Subjunctive
βλασφημήσωσιν· blasfhmhswsin
I speak evil against, blaspheme
Read verse Mark 3:29 Verb Third Person Singular Aorist Active Subjunctive
βλασφημήσῃ blasfhmhsh
I speak evil against, blaspheme
Read verse Mark 15:29 Verb Third Person Plural Imperfect Active Indicative
ἐβλασφήμουν eblasfhmoun
I speak evil against, blaspheme
Read verse Luke 12:10 Verb Aorist Active Participle Dative Singular Masculine
βλασφημήσαντι blasfhmhsanti
I speak evil against, blaspheme
Read verse Luke 22:65 Verb Present Active Participle Nominative Plural Masculine
βλασφημοῦντες blasfhmountev
I speak evil against, blaspheme
Read verse Luke 23:39 Verb Third Person Singular Imperfect Active Indicative
ἐβλασφήμει eblasfhmei
I speak evil against, blaspheme
Read verse John 10:36 Verb Second Person Singular Present Active Indicative
Βλασφημεῖς, blasfhmeiv
I speak evil against, blaspheme
Read verse Acts 13:45 Verb Present Active Participle Nominative Plural Masculine
βλασφημοῦντες. blasfhmountev
I speak evil against, blaspheme
Read verse Acts 18:6 Verb Present Active Participle Genitive Plural Masculine
βλασφημούντων, blasfhmountwn
I speak evil against, blaspheme
Read verse Acts 19:37 Verb Present Active Participle Accusative Plural Masculine
βλασφημοῦντας blasfhmountav
I speak evil against, blaspheme
Read verse Acts 26:11 Verb Present Active Infinitive
βλασφημεῖν· blasfhmein
I speak evil against, blaspheme
Read verse Romans 2:24 Verb Third Person Singular Present Passive Indicative
βλασφημεῖται blasfhmeitai
I speak evil against, blaspheme
Read verse Romans 3:8 Verb First Person Plural Present Passive Indicative
βλασφημούμεθα, blasfhmoumeqa
I speak evil against, blaspheme
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Grammatical Forms
How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 5 Aligned forms 34 Tenses Present, Aorist, Imperfect, Future Voices Active, Passive
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
Tenses
Voices
Participle verbal adjective — the action as a modifying quality 8×
Present Active Luke 22:65 · Acts 13:45 · 1 Pet 4:4 · 2 Pet 2:10 · 2 Pet 2:12 · Acts 18:6 · Acts 19:37 7×
Aorist Active Luke 12:10 1×
Infinitive verbal noun — the action in abstract 4×
Present Active Acts 26:11 · 1 Tim 1:20 · Titus 3:2 3×
Aorist Active Rev 13:6 1×
Indicative states a fact or reality 17×
Present Active Jas 2:7 · Jude 1:8 · Jude 1:10 · Matt 9:3 · Mark 2:7 · John 10:36 6×
Aorist Active Rev 16:9 · Rev 16:11 · Rev 16:21 · Matt 26:65 4×
Imperfect Active Matt 27:39 · Mark 15:29 · Luke 23:39 3×
Present Passive Rom 2:24 · Rom 3:8 · 1 Cor 10:30 3×
Future Passive 2 Pet 2:2 1×
Subjunctive possibility, probability, or purpose 4×
Present Passive 1 Tim 6:1 · Titus 2:5 2×
Aorist Active Mark 3:28 · Mark 3:29 2×
Imperative command or strong request 1×
Present Passive Rom 14:16 1×
Discourse Aspect
How this verb appears across 35 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect
Tense
present 23 aorist 8 imperfect 3 future 1
Voice
active 27 passive 8
Mood
indicative 17 participle 9 infinitive 4 subjunctive 4 imperative 1
NT Occurrences
Matthew 9:3 βλασφημεῖ present active indicative ongoing Matthew 26:65 Ἐβλασφήμησεν aorist active indicative completed Matthew 27:39 ἐβλασφήμουν imperfect active indicative background Mark 2:7 βλασφημεῖ present active indicative ongoing Mark 3:28 βλασφημήσωσιν aorist active subjunctive subjunctive Mark 3:29 βλασφημήσῃ aorist active subjunctive subjunctive Mark 15:29 ἐβλασφήμουν imperfect active indicative background Luke 12:10 βλασφημήσαντι aorist active participle participle Luke 22:65 βλασφημοῦντες present active participle participle Luke 23:39 ἐβλασφήμει imperfect active indicative background John 10:36 Βλασφημεῖς present active indicative ongoing Acts 13:45 βλασφημοῦντες present active participle participle Acts 18:6 βλασφημούντων present active participle participle Acts 19:37 βλασφημοῦντας present active participle participle Acts 26:11 βλασφημεῖν present active infinitive infinitive Romans 2:24 βλασφημεῖται present passive indicative ongoing Romans 3:8 βλασφημούμεθα present passive indicative ongoing Romans 14:16 βλασφημείσθω present passive imperative imperative 1 Corinthians 4:13 δυσφημούμενοι present passive participle participle 1 Corinthians 10:30 βλασφημοῦμαι present passive indicative ongoing 1 Timothy 1:20 βλασφημεῖν present active infinitive infinitive 1 Timothy 6:1 βλασφημῆται present passive subjunctive subjunctive Titus 2:5 βλασφημῆται present passive subjunctive subjunctive Titus 3:2 βλασφημεῖν present active infinitive infinitive James 2:7 βλασφημοῦσιν present active indicative ongoing 1 Peter 4:4 βλασφημοῦντες present active participle participle 2 Peter 2:10 βλασφημοῦντες present active participle participle 2 Peter 2:12 βλασφημοῦντες present active participle participle 2 Peter 2:2 βλασφημηθήσεται future passive indicative prospective Jude 1:10 βλασφημοῦσιν present active indicative ongoing Jude 1:8 βλασφημοῦσιν present active indicative ongoing Revelation 13:6 βλασφημῆσαι aorist active infinitive infinitive Revelation 16:11 ἐβλασφήμησαν aorist active indicative completed Revelation 16:21 ἐβλασφήμησαν aorist active indicative completed Revelation 16:9 ἐβλασφήμησαν aorist active indicative completed
Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.
Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Additional Occurrences
Jude 1:8–10 βλασφημοῦσιν blasphēméō
to speak abusively; to slander
Luke 12:8–12 βλασφημήσας blasphēméō
Having blasphemed
Luke 23:39–43 ἐβλασφήμει blasphēméō
He was blaspheming, reviling
Luke 5:17–26 βλασφημεῖ blasphēméō
Blasphemes
Mark 3:20–30 βλασφημέω blasphēméō
to slander, speak irreverently
New Testament Witnesses
to speak abusively, slander
blaspheme
blasphemes
Showing 8 selected witnesses from 34 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
βλασφημέω is built from this root:
βλάσφημος G989
Why This Word Matters
Defines the nature of hardened rejection.
Describes willful rejection of the Spirit’s testimony about Christ.
Recognizes divine prerogative claimed by Jesus.
Marks irreverent, defiant speech toward sacred or spiritual realities, exposing contempt rather than humility.
Highlights irreverent speech toward sacred or spiritual realities.
Canonical Themes
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
Blasphemy language is morally serious, but the Gospels also teach readers to test who is speaking and whether the accusation is true. Religious experts accuse Jesus while he exercises authority to forgive and heal. Passersby later revile him at the cross. Jesus warns opponents who have persistently described the Spirit's liberating work as demonic. These scenes do not minimize speech against God, and they do not give leaders an unlimited label for suppressing criticism.
Pastoral use should protect both reverence and truth: name abusive defamation honestly, distinguish it from responsible correction, and address anxious questions about the unforgivable sin from Mark's full narrative rather than from the verb alone.
Anchor passage
Matt.9.3
Doctrinal connections
- Matthew 9:3-8 distinguishes the scribes' accusation from Jesus' demonstrated authority to forgive and heal.
- Matthew 26:63-68 places the formal charge within Jesus' hearing and subsequent abuse.
- Matthew 27:39-43 portrays verbal abuse against the crucified Jesus.
- Mark 3:22-30 supplies the stated controversy governing Jesus' warning about the Holy Spirit.
βλασφημέω is cataloged in the local registry as a Greek verb with Strong's ID G987. Selected BSB source-word forms include βλασφημεῖ, Ἐβλασφήμησεν, ἐβλασφήμουν, βλασφημήσωσιν, with English alignments such as is blaspheming, He has blasphemed, heaped abuse on, He is blaspheming, they utter. The pastoral entry uses the local registry and BSB source-word witnesses as controls; it does not reproduce lexical-source wording as public prose.
From Old to New Testament
Old Testament law and narrative provide backgrounds for speech against God and formal charges, but each Gospel scene supplies its own decisive evaluation. A lexical link alone cannot transfer every legal feature into Jesus' disputes.
Canonical parallelPastoral application
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain