A severe or even violent denunciation of that which is viewed as detestable and worthy of cursing. The Hebrew verb (qa·vavʹ, execrate) appears in the account of King Balak’s futile efforts to get the prophet Balaam to execrate the nation of Israel and thus present that nation before God as worthy of his curse. (Nu 22:11, 17; 23:11, 13, 25, 27; 24:10) An imprecation, that is, an invocation of evil from a divine source, is not always stated but may be implied.​—See CURSE; MALEDICTION.