To denounce is to publicly declare someone or something to be wrong or evil. It is a harsh word, but somehow doesn’t seem to have the impact that comes with ojneidi÷zein, especially in this context. The word is used three times in Matthew and is translated “insult” the other two times.
Matt. 5:11 “Blessed are you when people <insult> you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me.
Matt. 11:20 Then He began to <denounce> the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent.
Matt. 27:44 The robbers who had been crucified with Him were also <insulting> Him with the same words.
“These terms have an especially wide range of meaning, from simple reproach to cursing and blasphemy, with invective, mockery, affront, insult, and abuse included in between. In the language of the LXX, ojneidi÷zw has a technical meaning, because it goes along with declarations of war, is the deed of enemies. It is also an Israelite term for the period of slavery in Egypt and for all the defeats suffered by the chosen people: a dishonor . . . Whatever the source, ojneidismoß is shameful, causes blushing, and is dreaded above all else, because it implies scorn . . . Reading these uses of ojneidismoß , which are all in agreement, may give us a precise idea of the word’s meaning, but it cannot make real to us the emotive density of this term in the world of the first-century christian.” — Ceslas Spicq, Theological Lexicon of the New Testament, pp. 585-587
John has called the nation to repent and pointed them to the promised Messiah, the promised King. But has the doubting nation caused Jesus’ cousin to falter? (11:1-2) In chapters 11-13, I think Jesus is taking the nation to task for failing to heed the call of John, for not embracing her king. Jesus’ judgment is not a gentle nudge in the right direction, but an insulting reprimand.
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