anathematizo marks oath-taking, whether binding a group to an action or accompanying a sworn denial.

The dominant attested use is a group’s binding oath to refrain from eating or drinking until Paul is killed; a rarer use occurs in a denial spoken with cursing and swearing.

1. Binding themselves to a pledged course · dominant

   In Acts 23:12, the aorist active plural form occurs as the plotters declare that they will neither eat nor drink until they kill Paul. Acts 23:14 and Acts 23:21 repeat the same pledged abstinence, with the APB rendering the clauses “bound ourselves with a devoted oath” and “bound themselves with an oath.”

   Acts 23:12Acts 23:14Acts 23:21
2. Cursing and swearing in a denial · rare

   In Mark 14:71, the present active infinitive occurs after “he began,” in a denial of knowing the man being discussed. The APB renders the clause “to invoke a curse and to swear,”.

   Mark 14:71

In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB presents the Acts clauses as people being “bound” with an oath, while Mark 14:71 renders the surrounding expression as invoking a curse and swearing. These renderings show the clauses’ overall presentation rather than a fixed English equivalent.