Aischynomai describes being ashamed or facing shame, with the surrounding passage establishing its cause and faithful response. A dishonest manager says he is ashamed to beg; the story reports his calculation without making the need for help disgraceful.
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Full entry for αἰσχύνομαι (G153) · Open the biblical lexicon
Aischynomai describes being ashamed or facing shame, with the surrounding passage establishing its cause and faithful response. A dishonest manager says he is ashamed to beg; the story reports his calculation without making the need for help disgraceful.
The BSB source-word alignment has 5 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include [and] too ashamed (1), do not be ashamed (1), I will in no way be ashamed (1), I will not be ashamed (1), unashamed (1).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Luke 16:3. Its strongest book concentrations include 1 John (1), 1 Peter (1), 2 Corinthians (1), Luke (1).
Aischynomai describes being ashamed or facing shame, with the surrounding passage establishing its cause and faithful response. A dishonest manager says he is ashamed to beg; the story reports his calculation without making the need for help disgraceful. Paul hopes to be unashamed as Christ is exalted in his body, and he defends an authority given to build up believers rather than tear them down.
Peter tells those suffering as Christians not to be ashamed, while distinguishing that suffering from the consequences of wrongdoing. John joins confidence at Christ's appearing to remaining in Him. These passages ground courage in faithful belonging and conduct, not in an outward performance of invulnerability. They do not make every experience of shame evidence of guilt, nor authorize humiliating someone who struggles to feel confident.
Five direct BSB witnesses include a manager's private calculation, Paul's ministry confidence, Christ-centered hope amid imprisonment, faithful suffering and readiness for Christ's appearing. The word occurs both in a reported feeling and in appeals or hopes that resist shame for named reasons.
The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do, now that my master is taking away my position? I am too weak to dig and too ashamed to beg.
The manager's shame about begging is part of his self-interested calculation; the narrator does not command contempt for people needing help.
For even if I boast somewhat excessively about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than tearing you down, I will not be ashamed.
Paul's refusal of shame is tied to authority for building people up, and the following verse rejects frightening them through letters.
I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have complete boldness so that now as always Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death.
Paul hopes that Christ will be exalted whether he lives or dies; his confidence does not make the avoidance of danger a lexical failure.
But if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but glorify God that you bear that name.
Peter distinguishes suffering as a Christian from wrongdoing and calls believers to glorify God rather than accept contempt as their identity.
And now, little children, remain in Christ, so that when He appears, we may be confident and unashamed before Him at His coming.
Confidence at Christ's appearing belongs to remaining in Him and the received message, not to a technique for suppressing shame.
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders ItA compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
Greek word. to feel shame (for oneself)
Textus Receptus witness, full corpusGreek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
5 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
I am ashamed, am put to shame
Read verseI am ashamed, am put to shame
Read verseI am ashamed, am put to shame
Read verseI am ashamed, am put to shame
Read verseI am ashamed, am put to shame
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
How mood, tense, and voice shift the force of this verb in context.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Verse guides are not available for this word yet, so verse references remain plain evidence markers.
How this verb appears across 5 occurrences in the NT discourse index (MACULA Greek SBLGNT).
Aspect reflects grammatical form — not authorial emphasis. Participles and infinitives are verbal adjectives and nouns respectively.
Clause data: MACULA Greek (Clear Bible, CC BY 4.0) · SBLGNT (Logos/SBL, CC BY 4.0)
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Peter's call not to be ashamed of suffering as a Christian sits beside a necessary distinction: suffering for murder, theft, wrongdoing or meddling is not the same setting. Faithful courage therefore cannot become a way to evade responsibility. Paul makes a complementary point when he says he will not be ashamed of authority the Lord gave for building believers up.
That authority is defined by its constructive purpose, and he explicitly rejects the aim of frightening them. John's encouragement likewise points toward remaining in Christ, while Philippians centers Christ's honor rather than Paul's image. These passages should help people locate their confidence beyond public contempt. They must not be turned into a new contempt directed at people who still feel exposed, need assistance or speak truthfully about harm.
1Pet.4.16
Aischynomai is the verb for being ashamed or put to shame. The selected forms include a reported present feeling, future hopes and a negative appeal. Neither middle/passive morphology nor the presence of negation assigns a modern person's guilt or complete emotional condition.
Psalm 69:6 asks that those who hope in God not be ashamed through the speaker and that fellow seekers not be dishonored. This supporting Hebrew prayer joins personal distress with concern for others. It is not an additional Greek verb occurrence or evidence that every ashamed person has caused someone else harm.