What does בֹּשֶׁת (boshet) mean in the Bible?
בֹּשֶׁת (boshet): Shame encompasses both internal feeling and external state; idolatry inherently produces shame through covenant violation.
Hebrew · H1322
בֹּשֶׁת
Shame (the feeling and the condition, as well as its cause); by implication (specifically) an idol
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בֹּשֶׁת H1322
Pronunciation boshet
What does בֹּשֶׁת (boshet) mean in the Bible?
בֹּשֶׁת (boshet): Shame encompasses both internal feeling and external state; idolatry inherently produces shame through covenant violation.
Full entry for בֹּשֶׁת (H1322) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H1322?
The BSB source-word alignment has 30 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include in shame (3), shame (3), with shame (3), of shame (2), their shame (2).
Where does בֹּשֶׁת (boshet) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at 1 Samuel 20:30. Its strongest book concentrations include Psalms (7), Jeremiah (6), Isaiah (5), 1 Samuel (2).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It in shame 3× Job 8:22, Psalms 35:26, Jeremiah 20:18
shame 3× Isaiah 30:3, Habakkuk 2:10, Zephaniah 3:5
with shame 3× Psalms 132:18, Daniel 9:7, Daniel 9:8
of shame 2× Isaiah 61:7, Jeremiah 11:13
their shame 2× Psalms 70:3, Psalms 109:29
and humiliation 1× Ezra 9:7
and shame 1× Psalms 44:15
and to the shame 1× 1 Samuel 20:30
for the disgraced 1× Zephaniah 3:19
in disgrace 1× 2 Chronicles 32:21
in our shame 1× Jeremiah 3:25
in shameful 1× Micah 1:11
in utter 1× Isaiah 42:17
is ashamed 1× Jeremiah 2:26
my shame 1× Psalms 69:19
only shame 1× Isaiah 30:5
that shameful [god] 1× Jeremiah 3:24
the shame 1× Isaiah 54:4
their own shame 1× Psalms 40:15
themselves to Shame 1× Hosea 9:10
to their own shame 1× Jeremiah 7:19
to your own shame 1× 1 Samuel 20:30
Show sample aligned rows
1 Samuel 20:30 לְבָ֨שְׁתְּךָ֔ to to your own shame Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular 1 Samuel 20:30 וּלְבֹ֖שֶׁת to and to the shame Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular construct 2 Chronicles 32:21 בְּבֹ֨שֶׁת to in disgrace Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct Ezra 9:7 וּבְבֹ֥שֶׁת to and humiliation Conjunctive waw, Preposition-b | Noun - feminine singular construct Job 8:22 בֹ֑שֶׁת to in shame Noun - feminine singular Psalms 35:26 בֹ֥שֶׁת to in shame Noun - feminine singular Psalms 40:15 בָּשְׁתָּ֑ם to their own shame Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine plural Psalms 44:15 וּבֹ֖שֶׁת to and shame Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct Psalms 69:19 וּ֭בָשְׁתִּי to my shame Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular Psalms 70:3 בָּשְׁתָּ֑ם to their shame Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row 1 Samuel 20:30
Aligned rows 30
Books represented 12
1 Samuel 2 2 Chronicles 1 Ezra 1 Job 1 Psalms 7 Isaiah 5 Jeremiah 6 Daniel 2 Hosea 1 Micah 1 Habakkuk 1 Zephaniah 2
Source forms
בֹ֑שֶׁת 2x ḇō·šeṯ Job 8:22, Micah 1:11
בֹּ֥שֶׁת 2x bō·šeṯ Jeremiah 7:19, Daniel 9:7
בָּשְׁתָּ֑ם 2x bā·šə·tām Psalms 40:15, Psalms 70:3
בָּשְׁתָּֽם׃ 2x bā·šə·tām Psalms 109:29, Zephaniah 3:19
לַבֹּ֔שֶׁת 2x lab·bō·šeṯ Jeremiah 11:13, Hosea 9:10
בְּבֹ֨שֶׁת 1x bə·ḇō·šeṯ 2 Chronicles 32:21
בְּבֹ֖שֶׁת 1x bə·ḇō·šeṯ Jeremiah 20:18
בְּבָשְׁתֵּ֗נוּ 1x bə·ḇā·šə·tê·nū Jeremiah 3:25
Parsing patterns
Noun - feminine singular 7x Job 8:22, Psalms 35:26, Psalms 132:18, Isaiah 42:17
Noun - feminine singular construct 4x Isaiah 54:4, Jeremiah 7:19, Daniel 9:7, Daniel 9:8
Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine plural 4x Psalms 40:15, Psalms 70:3, Psalms 109:29, Zephaniah 3:19
Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular 2x Isaiah 30:3, Isaiah 30:5
Preposition-l, Article | Noun - feminine singular 2x Jeremiah 11:13, Hosea 9:10
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct 1x Psalms 44:15
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular 1x Psalms 69:19
Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - feminine singular 1x Jeremiah 3:24
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Shame encompasses both internal feeling and external state; idolatry inherently produces shame through covenant violation.
Source Gloss
shame (the feeling and the condition, as well as its cause); by implication (specifically) an idol
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Shame encompasses both internal feeling and external state; idolatry inherently produces shame through covenant violation.
shame (the feeling and the condition, as well as its cause); by implication (specifically) an idol BDB: shame Usage: ashamed, confusion, greatly, (put to) shame(-ful thing).
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Old Testament Witnesses
shame, disgrace
shame
Disgrace or humiliation experienced publicly.
Showing 3 selected witnesses from 31 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
בֹּשֶׁת is built from this root:
Why This Word Matters
Judgment is not only physical destruction but moral exposure, revealing the emptiness of false security and misplaced pride. Hosea 2:2-13
Public exposure of idolatry. Hosea 4:4-10
Result of covenant inversion. Micah 1:10-16
Canonical Themes
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Sources
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