"You shall not revile God (Exodus 22:27)" - this word serves both the sacred and the ordinary. As for all the secular names whose letters are like the letters of the Divine Name, behold, these may be erased. "For God knows that on the day you eat of it you shall be as God [or: as gods] (Genesis 3:5)" - the first is sacred and the second is ordinary. "For therefore I have seen your face, as one sees the face of God (Genesis 33:10)" - this is ordinary. "This is God's camp (Genesis 32:2)" - this is sacred. "You are a prince of God [among us] (Genesis 23:6)" - sacred. Whoever has a son from any source, including a mamzer [a child of forbidden union], is liable for striking him and for cursing him. Why? We read here "A ruler among your people you shall not curse (Exodus 22:27)" as applying to one who acts as your people do, that is, when he has repented. But is such a one capable of repentance? Have we not learned, "That which is crooked cannot be made straight (Ecclesiastes 1:15)" - this refers to one who comes upon a forbidden woman and begets a mamzer from her? At all events, right now he does act as your people do. If one gave money but did not draw the produce from the seller, he may retract, but the Sages said: He who exacted punishment from the generation of the Flood and so forth, He is destined to exact punishment from one who does not stand by his word. How do we deal with such a person? Abaye said: We give him formal notice, as it is written, "A ruler among your people you shall not curse." Rava said: We may even pronounce a curse upon him, for he no longer acts as your people do. "You shall not revile God" - why is this said? Because Scripture says, "He who blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death (Leviticus 24:16)." We have heard the penalty, but we have not heard the prohibition; therefore the verse teaches, "You shall not revile God." These are the words of Rabbi Akiva. Rabbi Ishmael says: Scripture speaks of judges, as it is said, "The matter of them both shall come before the judges (Exodus 22:8)." "You shall not revile God" - I know only the judge; from where do I learn the ruler? The verse teaches, "A ruler among your people you shall not curse." I might read "A ruler among your people you shall not curse" as including both a judge and a ruler. Then what does "You shall not revile God" teach? To render one liable for this on its own account and for that on its own account. From here they said: There is one who utters a single statement and is liable for it on four counts. The son of a ruler who cursed his father is liable for it on four counts: as father, as judge, as ruler, and as "among your people you shall not curse." Rabbi Yehuda ben Beteira says: "You shall not revile God" - I might hear that he is not liable unless the man is both judge and ruler; the verse teaches, "You shall not revile God," to make him liable both as judge and as ruler. If a ruler - even one like Ahab and his fellows? The verse teaches, "among your people" - I said this only at a time when they behave according to the custom of your people. "You shall not revile God" - I know only judge and ruler; from where do I learn every other person? The verse teaches, "among your people" - from any source.
You Shall Not Revile the Judges or Curse a Ruler
Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 351:4
(שמות כב כז) אֱלֹהִים לֹא תְקַלֵּל, מְשַׁמֵּשׁ קֹדֶשׁ וְחֹל. כָּל הַשֵּׁמוֹת הַהֶדְיוֹטוֹת, שֶׁאוֹתִיּוֹתֵיהֶם כְּאוֹתִיּוֹת הַשֵּׁם, הֲרֵי אֵלּוּ נִמְחָקִים. "כִּי יוֹדֵעַ אֱלֹהִים כִּי בְיוֹם אֲכָלְכֶם מִמֶּנוּ וִהְיִיתֶם כֵּאלֹהִים", הָרִאשׁוֹן קֹדֶשׁ וְהַשֵּׁנִי חֹל. (שם לג, י) "כִּי עַל כֵּן רָאִיתִי פָנֶיךָ כִּרְאֹת פְּנֵי אֱלֹהִים", הֲרֵי זֶה חֹל. (שם לב, ב) "מַחֲנֵה אֱלֹהִים זֶה", הֲרֵי זֶה קֹדֶשׁ. (שם כג, ו) "נְשִׂיא אֱלֹהִים אַתָּה", קֹדֶשׁ. מִי שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ בֵּן מִכָּל מָקוֹם, לְאָתוּיֵי מַמְזֵר, חַיָּב עַל הַכָּאָתוֹ וְעַל קִלְלָתוֹ. אַמַּאי, קָרִינָן כָּאן וְנָשִׂיא בְעַמְּךָ לֹא תָאֹר בְּעוֹשֶׂה מַעֲשֵׂה עַמְּךָ, כְּשֶׁעָשָׂה תְּשׁוּבָה. וְהַאי בַּר תְּשׁוּבָה הוּא, וְהָא תְּנָן, מְעֻוָּת לֹא יוּכַל לִתְקֹן, זֶה הַבָּא עַל הָעֶרְוָה וְהוֹלִיד מִמֶּנָּהּ מַמְזֵר, הַשְׁתָּא מִיהָא, עוֹשֶׂה מַעֲשֵׂה עַמְּךָ הוּא. נָתַן לוֹ מָעוֹת וְלֹא מָשַׁךְ הֵימֶנּוּ פֵּרוֹת, יָכוֹל לַחֲזֹר בּוֹ, אֲבָל אָמְרוּ חֲכָמִים, מִי שֶׁפָּרַע מֵאַנְשֵׁי דּוֹר הַמַּבּוּל וְכוּ' הוּא עָתִיד לְיִפָּרַע מִמִּי שֶׁאֵינוֹ עוֹמֵד בְּדִבּוּרוֹ. הֵיכֵי עַבְדִינַן לֵיהּ, אַבַּיֵּי אֲמַר, אוֹדוּעִי מוֹדְעִינָן לֵיהּ, דִּכְתִיב וְנָשִׂיא בְעַמְּךָ לֹא תָאֹר. רָבָא אֲמַר, מֵילַט נַמִי לַיְיטִינָן לֵיהּ, בְּעוֹשֶׂה מַעֲשֵׂה עַמְּךָ. אֱלֹהִים לֹא תְקַלֵּל, לָמָּה נֶאֱמַר, לְפִי שֶׁהוּא אוֹמֵר (ויקרא כד, טז) "וְנֹקֵב שֵׁם ה' מוֹת יוּמָת" עֹנֶשׁ שָׁמַעְנוּ, אַזְהָרָה לֹא שָׁמַעְנוּ, תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר אֱלֹהִים לֹא תְקַלֵּל, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא. רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל אוֹמֵר, בְּדַיָּנִין הַכָּתוּב מְדַבֵּר, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר "עַד הָאֱלֹהִים יָבֹא דְּבַר שְׁנֵיהֶם". אֶלֹהִים לֹא תְקַלֵּל, אֵין לִי אֶלָּא דַּיָּן, נָשִׂיא, מִנָּיִן, תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר "וְנָשִׂיא בְעַמְּךָ לֹא תָאֹר". אֲנִי אֶקְרָא נָשִׂיא בְעַמְּךָ לֹא תָאֹר אֶחָד דַּיָּן וְאֶחָד נָשִׂיא בְּמַשְׁמָע, וּמַה תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר אֱלֹהִים לֹא תְקַלֵּל, לְחַיֵּב עַל זֶה בִּפְנֵי עַצְמוֹ וְעַל זֶה בִּפְנֵי עַצְמוֹ. מִכָּאן אָמְרוּ, יֵשׁ מְדַבֵּר דָּבָר וְחַיָּב עָלָיו מִשּׁוּם אַרְבָּעָה דְבָרִים, בֶּן נָשִׂיא, שֶׁקִּלֵּל אֶת אָבִיו, חַיָּב עָלָיו מִשּׁוּם אַרְבָּעָה דְּבָרִים, מִשּׁוּם אָב וּמִשּׁוּם דַּיָּן וּמִשּׁוּם נָשִׂיא וּמִשּׁוּם בְעַמְּךָ לֹא תָאֹר. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בֶּן בְּתֵירָה אוֹמֵר, אֱלֹהִים לֹא תְקַלֵּל וְגוֹ'. שׁוֹמֵעַ אֲנִי, לֹא יִהְיֶה חַיָּב עַד שֶׁיְּהֵא דַּיָּן וְנָשִׂיא, תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר אֱלֹהִים לֹא תְקַלֵּל, לְחַיֵּב עָלָיו מִשּׁוּם דַּיָּן וּמִשּׁוּם נָשִׂיא. אִי נָשִׂיא, כְּאַחְאָב וַחֲבֵרָיו, תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר, בְעַמְּךָ, לֹא אָמַרְתִּי אֶלָּא בִּזְמַן שֶׁהֵן נוֹהֲגִין כְּמִנְהַג עַמְּךָ. אֱלֹהִים לֹא תְקַלֵּל, אֵין לִי אֶלָּא דַיָּן וְנָשִׂיא, שְׁאָר כָּל אָדָם מִנָּיִן, תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר, בְעַמְּךָ, מִכָּל מָקוֹם.