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בּוּשׁ

𐤁𐤅𐤔

bûwsh

H954 verb

SILEX Entry

Root בושׁ to feel shame, to be confounded, to be disappointed

Definition

To feel or experience shame, to be confounded, embarrassed, or disappointed; often conveying the emotion of public disgrace or inward humiliation. Can also mean to be put to shame by an event or as the result of a failed expectation or hope.

Semantic Range

to be (or become) ashamed, to be disappointed (especially due to failed hope), to be confounded or embarrassed, to be put to shame (by public or divine judgment), to be delayed (especially when expectation is unmet), to bring shame upon, to act in a way that leads to disgrace

Root / Etymology

Root: בושׁ (b-w-sh). The core root meaning is 'to feel shame, to be disconcerted or confounded'. The root provides the sense of a changing emotional or social state from confidence or hope to humiliation, confusion, or disappointment. The precise origin of the root is uncertain, though it is widely attested in Semitic languages.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, בּוּשׁ is most commonly used to describe the emotional and social consequences of failure, broken trust, or dishonor, whether before other people or before a deity. It does not merely refer to a subjective emotion but includes the idea of objective social disgrace or public embarrassment. It is frequently paired antithetically with words meaning 'to trust' (e.g., קוה qāwâ, 'to hope for'), highlighting the dynamic between hope/expectation and disappointment. In some poetic passages and laments, the root also appears with verbs of rejoicing to mark the reversals of fortune. The sense of 'delay' comes from the experience of anticipating help or deliverance that does not materialize, thus resulting in shame or disappointment. By the post-exilic period, the concept of shame encompassed broader social and theological meanings, including the idea of being put to shame by divine judgment. In later translation traditions, בּוּשׁ is at times rendered simply as 'to be ashamed,' but this can obscure the nuance of public disgrace or the sense of hope disappointed. Other Hebrew words, like חָפֵר (ḥāphēr), also express related ideas of shame but are often used for personal embarrassment rather than the communal or hope-failure aspects most characteristic of בושׁ.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; properly, to pale, i.e. by implication to be ashamed; also (by implication) to be disappointed or delayed; (be, make, bring to, cause, put to, with, a-) shamed(-d), be (put to) confounded(-fusion), become dry, delay, be long.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

בושׁ (b-w-sh) — shame, humiliation, disappointment, confoundedness

Word Forms

36 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H954-35 יֵבֹ֔שׁוּ yevoshu HVqi3mp be ashamed they will be ashamed 32
H954-09 בּ֥וֹשׁוּ boshu HVqp3cp they were ashamed they felt shame 7
H954-01 בּ֔וֹשׁ bosh HVqc he was ashamed to feel shame 6
H954-30 וְ/יֵבֹ֨שׁוּ֙ veyevoshu HC/Vqi3mp and-they-will-be-ashamed and they will be ashamed 5
H954-16 מֵבִֽישׁ mevish HVhrmsa shameful one who puts to shame 5
H954-10 אֵבֽוֹשׁ evosh HVqi1cs be ashamed I will be ashamed 5
H954-11 אֵבֹ֣שָׁה evoshah HVqh1cs I be ashamed let me be ashamed 5
H954-21 תֵב֔וֹשִׁי tevoshi HVqi2fs you will be ashamed you will become ashamed 4
H954-15 הֹבִ֖ישׁוּ hovishu HVhp3cp they are ashamed they put to shame 3
H954-02 בּ֣וֹשָׁה boshah HVqp3fs is ashamed she felt shame 3

Occurrences in Scripture

114 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H954-36 Genesis 2:25 יִתְבֹּשָֽׁשׁוּ yiteboshashu HVri3mp were ashamed they will shame themselves
H954-31 Exodus 32:1 בֹשֵׁ֥שׁ voshesh HVop3ms delayed he delayed
H954-01 Judges 3:25 בּ֔וֹשׁ bosh HVqc they were ashamed to feel shame
H954-04 Judges 5:28 בֹּשֵׁ֤שׁ boshesh HVop3ms is delayed he has long delayed
H954-01 2 Kings 2:17 בֹּ֖שׁ bosh HVqc he was ashamed to feel shame
H954-01 2 Kings 8:11 בֹּ֑שׁ bosh HVqc he was ashamed to feel shame
H954-28 2 Kings 19:26 וַ/יֵּבֹ֑שׁוּ vayevoshu HC/Vqw3mp and-were-ashamed and they felt shame
H954-35 Isaiah 1:29 יֵבֹ֔שׁוּ yevoshu HVqi3mp they-will-be-ashamed they will be ashamed
H954-25 Isaiah 19:9 וּ/בֹ֛שׁוּ uvoshu HC/Vqq3cp and they will be ashamed and they became ashamed
H954-27 Isaiah 20:5 וָ/בֹ֑שׁוּ vavoshu HC/Vqq3cp and ashamed and they were ashamed
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