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בֹּשֶׁת

𐤁𐤔𐤕

Boshet

H1322 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A state or condition of shame, disgrace, or humiliation, typically resulting from a perceived failure, dishonor, violation of social norms, or defeat; also used metonymically for a thing or act causing disgrace, and, in certain contexts, as a name or epithet for foreign gods or idols to express contempt or censure by Israelite authors.

Semantic Range

shame, disgrace, humiliation (emotional or social state); a cause of shame; public dishonor or embarrassment; defeat or loss of honor (national or personal); contemptuous epithet for foreign gods or idols

Root / Etymology

From the root בוש (b-w-sh), meaning 'to be ashamed, to feel shame.' The noun בֹּשֶׁת is derived from this root, and denotes the state, feeling, or occurrence of shame, as opposed to the verb which describes the action or emotion of becoming ashamed.

Historical & Contextual Notes

בֹּשֶׁת appears throughout the Hebrew Bible to describe emotional, social, and occasionally national experiences of disgrace or humiliation. In early texts (e.g., narratives related to family honor or national defeat), it most often signifies personal or collective shame due to exposed wrongdoing, defeat in battle, or public dishonor. In prophetic and poetic literature, it is frequently used in parallel with words for disgrace (e.g., חֶרְפָּה) or contrasted with honor (כָּבוֹד). During the later biblical periods, especially in Jeremiah and Isaiah, the term acquires a polemical nuance: Israelite authors use בֹּשֶׁת pejoratively as a cryptic or derisive reference to foreign deities, especially Baal, as an intentional refusal to call these gods by name. This usage underlines Israelite religious polemics and distinguishes Israelite religious identity from surrounding peoples. English translations often use 'shame,' 'disgrace,' or, contextually, 'idol' or 'abomination,' but these can miss the cultural depth of the term's social, emotional, and polemical connotations. Notably, conflation of בֹּשֶׁת and similar terms such as חֶרְפָּה (reproach) or כְּלִמָּה (insult) can obscure the precise emotional and cultural dynamic intended. The KJV and some later translations sometimes render בֹּשֶׁת as 'confusion,' which reflects an older English usage but does not capture the term’s emotional primary sense.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from בּוּשׁ; shame (the feeling and the condition, as well as its cause); by implication (specifically) an idol; ashamed, confusion, [phrase] greatly, (put to) shame(-ful thing).

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

בוש (Boshet) — to be ashamed, to feel shame, to be confounded

Root בוש to be ashamed, to feel shame, to act shamefully
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H1317 בׇּשְׁנָה public disgrace
H955 בּוּשָׁה shame

Word Forms

15 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H1322-05 בֹּ֥שֶׁת boshet HNcfsc shame Man of Shame shame 6
H1322-15 בֹ֖שֶׁת voshet HNp shame shame shame 6
H1322-01 בָּשְׁתָּ֑/ם bashetam HNcfsc/Sp3mp their shame their shame their shame 4
H1322-04 בְּ/בֹ֨שֶׁת bevoshet HR/Ncfsc in shame in shame in shame 2
H1322-07 לַ/בֹּ֔שֶׁת laboshet HRd/Ncfsa to shame to the shame to the shame 2
H1322-09 לְ/בֹ֑שֶׁת levoshet HR/Ncfsa for shame to shame for shame 2
H1322-02 בָּשְׁתְּ/כֶם֙ bashetekhem HNcfsc/Sp2mp your shame your shame your shame 1
H1322-03 בְּ/בָשְׁתֵּ֗/נוּ bevashetenu HR/Ncfsc/Sp1cp in our shame in our shame in our shame 1
H1322-06 כְּ/בֹ֤שֶׁת kevoshet HR/Ncfsc like the shame like shame-of like shame-of 1
H1322-08 לְ/בָ֨שְׁתְּ/ךָ֔ levashetekha HR/Ncfsc/Sp2ms to your shame your shame to your shame 1

Occurrences in Scripture

31 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H1322-08 1 Samuel 20:30 לְ/בָ֨שְׁתְּ/ךָ֔ levashetekha HR/Ncfsc/Sp2ms to your shame your shame to your shame
H1322-10 1 Samuel 20:30 וּ/לְ/בֹ֖שֶׁת ulevoshet HC/R/Ncfsc and to the shame and to shame-of and to the shame
H1322-15 2 Samuel 21:7 בֹ֖שֶׁת voshet HNp bosheth shame Boshet
H1322-09 Isaiah 30:3 לְ/בֹ֑שֶׁת levoshet HR/Ncfsa for shame to shame for shame
H1322-09 Isaiah 30:5 לְ/בֹ֖שֶׁת levoshet HR/Ncfsa for shame to shame for shame
H1322-15 Isaiah 42:17 בֹ֔שֶׁת voshet HNcfsa shame shame shame
H1322-15 Isaiah 54:4 בֹ֤שֶׁת voshet HNcfsc shame shame shame
H1322-02 Isaiah 61:7 בָּשְׁתְּ/כֶם֙ bashetekhem HNcfsc/Sp2mp your shame your shame your shame
H1322-06 Jeremiah 2:26 כְּ/בֹ֤שֶׁת kevoshet HR/Ncfsc like the shame like shame-of like shame-of
H1322-14 Jeremiah 3:24 וְ/הַ/בֹּ֗שֶׁת vehaboshet HC/Td/Ncfsa But the shameful thing and the shame and the shame
H1322-03 Jeremiah 3:25 בְּ/בָשְׁתֵּ֗/נוּ bevashetenu HR/Ncfsc/Sp1cp in our shame in our shame in our shame
H1322-05 Jeremiah 7:19 בֹּ֥שֶׁת boshet HNcfsc shame Man of Shame shame
H1322-07 Jeremiah 11:13 לַ/בֹּ֔שֶׁת laboshet HRd/Ncfsa to the shame to the shame to the shame
H1322-04 Jeremiah 20:18 בְּ/בֹ֖שֶׁת bevoshet HR/Ncfsa in shame in shame in shame
H1322-07 Hosea 9:10 לַ/בֹּ֔שֶׁת laboshet HRd/Ncfsa to shame to the shame to the shame
H1322-15 Micah 1:11 בֹ֑שֶׁת voshet HNcfsa shame shame shame
H1322-05 Habakkuk 2:10 בֹּ֖שֶׁת boshet HNcfsa shame Man of Shame shame
H1322-05 Zephaniah 3:5 בֹּֽשֶׁת boshet HNcfsa shame Man of Shame shame
H1322-01 Zephaniah 3:19 בָּשְׁתָּֽ/ם bashetam HNcfsc/Sp3mp their shame their shame their shame
H1322-15 Psalms 35:26 בֹ֥שֶׁת voshet HNcfsa with shame shame with shame
H1322-01 Psalms 40:16 בָּשְׁתָּ֑/ם bashetam HNcfsc/Sp3mp their shame their shame their shame
H1322-13 Psalms 44:16 וּ/בֹ֖שֶׁת uvoshet HC/Ncfsc and shame and shame-of and shame
H1322-11 Psalms 69:20 וּ֭/בָשְׁתִּ/י uvasheti HC/Ncfsc/Sp1cs and my shame and my shame and my shame
H1322-01 Psalms 70:4 בָּשְׁתָּ֑/ם bashetam HNcfsc/Sp3mp their shame their shame their shame
H1322-01 Psalms 109:29 בָּשְׁתָּֽ/ם bashetam HNcfsc/Sp3mp their shame their shame their shame
H1322-05 Psalms 132:18 בֹּ֑שֶׁת boshet HNcfsa with shame Man of Shame with shame
H1322-15 Job 8:22 בֹ֑שֶׁת voshet HNcfsa with shame shame with shame
H1322-05 Daniel 9:7 בֹּ֥שֶׁת boshet HNcfsc shame Man of Shame shame
H1322-05 Daniel 9:8 בֹּ֣שֶׁת boshet HNcfsc shame Man of Shame shame
H1322-12 Ezra 9:7 וּ/בְ/בֹ֥שֶׁת uvevoshet HC/R/Ncfsc and in shame and in shame-of and in shame
H1322-04 2 Chronicles 32:21 בְּ/בֹ֨שֶׁת bevoshet HR/Ncfsc with shame in shame in shame
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