בֹּ֫שֶׁת (bo.shet)
bo.shet
shame
H:N-FQuick Reference
- Language
- Biblical Hebrew
- Testament
- Old Testament
- Occurrences
- 25 verses
- Root
- —
- Part of speech
- H:N-F
Word Overview
The Hebrew noun boshet denotes shame, encompassing both the internal feeling of disgrace and the external condition of being put to public dishonor. It appears frequently in the Psalms and prophetic books, often paired with physical imagery like nakedness or clothing, as when the psalmist prays that his enemies be clothed with shame (Psalm 109:29). The word captures a state of humiliation that strips away dignity and social standing.
A significant shift in meaning occurs when boshet is used to describe idols. Because false gods fail to deliver help, they ultimately bring their worshippers to ruin and disgrace. This ironic connection appears in Jeremiah 3:24 and Hosea 9:10, where the pursuit of idols is equated with pursuing shame itself. The term thus bridges personal emotional pain and theological failure.
Translators often render boshet as "confusion" or "shameful thing," reflecting its use in contexts of national defeat or covenant unfaithfulness. In Daniel 9:7-8, the people acknowledge that shame belongs to them due to their sins, distinguishing their condition from God’s righteousness. This usage highlights how the word serves as a marker of broken relationship and lost honor.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The Hebrew word boshet captures the heavy weight of disgrace, covering both the private sting of guilt and the public loss of honor. In ancient Israel, shame was not merely an emotion but a social reality that could strip a person of dignity and standing. When Scripture speaks of shame, it often describes the painful consequence of broken trust or the failure of false hopes.
For the believer, this word offers a sobering reminder of our need for God’s righteousness. The prophets and psalmists used boshet to express deep sorrow over sin and the futility of relying on idols or human strength. It highlights how far we have fallen from God’s glory and why we cannot earn our own honor.
Yet the biblical narrative does not end in disgrace. God promises to replace shame with double honor, turning public humiliation into lasting joy. This transformation points to a hope that no enemy can steal and no sin can erase. We find our true dignity not in our own perfection but in the grace that covers our failures.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 25 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- shame7×
- [the] shame of4×
- shame/ their2×
- with/ shame of1×
- to/ own shame/ your1×
- to the/ shameful thing1×
- to <the>/ shame1×
- shame/ your1×
- like/ [the] shame of1×
- in/ shame/ our1×
- in/ shame1×
- for/ shame1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- לַ/בֹּ֔שֶׁת2×
- בֹּ֥שֶׁת2×
- בָּשְׁתָּֽ/ם\׃2×
- בֹ֑שֶׁת2×
- לְ/בֹ֖שֶׁת1×
- לְ/בֹ֑שֶׁת1×
- לְ/בָ֨שְׁתְּ/ךָ֔1×
- כְּ/בֹ֤שֶׁת1×
- וּ/לְ/בֹ֖שֶׁת1×
- וּ/בְ/בֹ֥שֶׁת1×
- וְ/הַ/בֹּ֗שֶׁת1×
- בֹּֽשֶׁת\׃1×
Key Verses
-
Daniel 9:7
“Lord, righteousness belongs to you, but to us confusion of face, as it is today; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, who are near and who are far off, through all the countries where you have driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against you.
This verse establishes a sharp contrast between God’s inherent righteousness and the people’s collective shame, showing that disgrace is the proper response to covenant unfaithfulness.
-
Isaiah 61:7
Instead of your shame you will have double. Instead of dishonor, they will rejoice in their portion. Therefore in their land they will possess double. Everlasting joy will be to them.
Here the word marks the turning point where God actively replaces public dishonor with double honor, demonstrating His power to restore what shame has destroyed.
-
Hosea 9:10
I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness. I saw your fathers as the first ripe in the fig tree at its first season; but they came to Baal Peor, and consecrated themselves to the shameful thing, and became abominable like that which they loved.
The prophet uses this term to show the irony that pursuing idols leads directly to the very disgrace those false gods were supposed to prevent.
-
Psalms 109:29
Let my adversaries be clothed with dishonor. Let them cover themselves with their own shame as with a robe.
The psalmist asks for adversaries to be clothed with shame, using clothing imagery to depict a permanent state of dishonor that contrasts with the righteous person’s integrity.