To feel shame for something
Reading a lexicon entry
What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
Strong's number: The Strong's code (H- or G-) is the standard reference number for this word. It connects this entry to chapter and passage language tabs.
Where it appears: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
This lexicon entry is part of our ongoing editorial review. If you notice missing content, unclear wording, or a possible correction, please send us a note through the Connect page. Screenshots are helpful.
G1870 names to be ashamed or shrink back in shame, especially when public association with Christ, His servants, or His suffering becomes costly. Readers often come to this word asking about not ashamed of the gospel, shame, suffering for Christ, and courage in witness.
Reader summary
Full entry for ἐπαισχύνομαι (G1870) · Open the biblical lexicon
G1870 names to be ashamed or shrink back in shame, especially when public association with Christ, His servants, or His suffering becomes costly. Readers often come to this word asking about not ashamed of the gospel, shame, suffering for Christ, and courage in witness.
The BSB source-word alignment has 11 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include is ashamed of (2), [Jesus] is not ashamed (1), do not be ashamed of (1), I am not ashamed (1), I am not ashamed of (1).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Mark 8:38. Its strongest book concentrations include 2 Timothy (3), Hebrews (2), Luke (2), Mark (2).
G1870 names to be ashamed or shrink back in shame, especially when public association with Christ, His servants, or His suffering becomes costly. Readers often come to this word asking about not ashamed of the gospel, shame, suffering for Christ, and courage in witness. In the Pastoral Epistles, the word must be read inside the sentence, the paragraph, and the local charge to Timothy or Titus before it becomes a broader teaching category.
This companion keeps the search question useful while refusing to let a search term control the text. It helps shepherds, teachers, leaders, churches, groups, families, and disciples ask what the passage is actually doing, how the word serves the book argument, and how the gospel governs the application. It also guards against confusing humility with embarrassment over the gospel or turning courage into bravado.
The aim is not to create a shortcut around Scripture but to make the word a doorway back into Scripture with clearer questions and better boundaries.
Be ashamed; feel shame toward matters for readers because it opens gospel courage that is rooted in knowing Christ, not in personality strength.
So do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, or of me, His prisoner. Instead, join me in suffering for the gospel by the power of God.
Timothy must not be ashamed of the testimony of the Lord or of Paul His prisoner.
For this reason, even though I suffer as I do, I am not ashamed; for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him for that day.
Paul suffers but is not ashamed because he knows whom he has believed.
May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he has often refreshed me and was unashamed of my chains.
Onesiphorus was not ashamed of Paul's chains.
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. Shame directed outward toward others or their judgment, not mere inner embarrassment about oneself.
Shame directed outward toward others or their judgment, not mere inner embarrassment about oneself.
to be ashamed (of): absol., 2Ti.1:12; with accusative of person(s), Mrk.8:38, Luk.9:26; with accusative of thing(s), Rom.1:16, 2Ti.1:8 1:16; ἐπί, with dative of thing(s), Rom.6:21; with inf., Heb.2:11; with, accusative of person(s), and inf., Heb.11:16,
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
11 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
I am ashamed
Read verseI am ashamed
Read verseI am ashamed
Read verseI am ashamed
Read verseI am ashamed
Read verseI am ashamed
Read verseI am ashamed
Read verseI am ashamed
Read verseI am ashamed
Read verseI am ashamed
Read verseI am ashamed
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 11 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)
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 3 selected witnesses from 11 lexical occurrence verses.
ἐπαισχύνομαι is built from these roots:
The refusal to feel shame for the gospel or for imprisoned believers reflects courageous allegiance to Christ. 2 Timothy 1:15-18
Paul confronts the temptation to distance oneself from the gospel when it brings social cost or suffering. 2 Timothy 1:8-12
Teach G1870 by starting with the local passage and the burden that caused the word to matter there. The entry opens gospel courage that is rooted in knowing Christ, not in personality strength. A faithful teacher should define the word plainly, show how the immediate context uses it, and then move carefully to related witnesses without pretending that one word proves every doctrine attached to the subject.
This matters for end users who may search for not ashamed of the gospel, shame, suffering for Christ, and courage in witness but need more than a dictionary answer. The word should bring them back to Christ, the gospel, the household of God, and the obedience Scripture calls for. It corrects fearful silence that withdraws from Christ's testimony when obedience becomes costly.
Keep the tone clear and sober: enough definition to orient the reader, enough canonical connection to deepen trust, and enough restraint to avoid making the word say more than the passage says.
2Tim.1.8
The verb names being ashamed. The object of shame matters: the testimony, the imprisoned apostle, or the servant who refuses shame.
Use the Old Testament and wider canonical background only where the cited passages or the local lexicon artifact warrant it. The Pastoral Epistles remain the controlling entry point for this batch.
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain