Contumely , disgrace , the pudenda
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H2781 is a Hebrew noun for reproach, disgrace, scorn, or shame experienced before others. Joshua 5:9 says the Lord rolled away the reproach of Egypt from Israel at Gilgal, marking a covenant transition after wilderness wandering.
Reader summary
Full entry for חֶרְפָּה (H2781) · Open the biblical lexicon
H2781 is a Hebrew noun for reproach, disgrace, scorn, or shame experienced before others. Joshua 5:9 says the Lord rolled away the reproach of Egypt from Israel at Gilgal, marking a covenant transition after wilderness wandering.
The BSB source-word alignment has 73 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include a reproach (8), the reproach (8), reproach (6), a disgrace (4), and reproach (3).
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 30:23. Its strongest book concentrations include Psalms (20), Jeremiah (12), Ezekiel (7), Isaiah (6).
H2781 is a Hebrew noun for reproach, disgrace, scorn, or shame experienced before others. Joshua 5:9 says the Lord rolled away the reproach of Egypt from Israel at Gilgal, marking a covenant transition after wilderness wandering. Isaiah 25:8 promises that the Lord will swallow up death, wipe tears from every face, and remove His people's disgrace from the earth.
Daniel 9:16 confesses that Jerusalem and God's people have become a reproach because of communal sin and asks for mercy. Elsewhere the word names taunts from hostile nations, humiliation after sexual violation, disgrace associated with famine, and contempt borne by the suffering. H2781 opens social honor, public accusation, covenant consequence, lament, and restoration.
It corrects any theology that treats shame as a reliable verdict on a person's worth or makes victims responsible for the disgrace imposed by another's violence.
H2781 names disgrace or reproach as a public and relational condition. It may arise from wrongdoing, enemy taunts, national defeat, deprivation, or abuse. Context must determine responsibility rather than assuming the shamed person caused the shame.
Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you.” So that place has been called Gilgal to this day.
The Lord announces that Egypt's reproach has been rolled away as Israel renews covenant identity at Gilgal.
He will swallow up death forever. The Lord God will wipe away the tears from every face and remove the disgrace of His people from the whole earth. For the Lord has spoken.
The promised divine feast includes death defeated, tears wiped away, and the disgrace of God's people removed.
O Lord, in keeping with all Your righteous acts, I pray that Your anger and wrath may turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain; for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and Your people are a reproach to all around us.
Daniel confesses communal sin and pleads for Jerusalem and God's people to be released from surrounding reproach.
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.
Hebrew word. Shame involving public humiliation and exposure; often God's judgment against covenant unfaithfulness or idolatry
Shame involving public humiliation and exposure; often God's judgment against covenant unfaithfulness or idolatry
contumely, disgrace, the pudenda BDB: reproach Usage: rebuke, reproach(-fully), shame.
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Showing 2 selected witnesses from 73 lexical occurrence verses.
Jerusalem’s broken condition represents covenant shame. The rebuilding aims at removing reproach under God’s restoring mercy.Isaiah 3:16-4:1
The shift from luxury to disgrace reflects the covenant consequences of pride and rebellion.Nehemiah 2:11-20
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
H2781 treats reproach as a powerful social reality but not as an infallible moral verdict. Israel can bear disgrace because of covenant unfaithfulness, and Daniel models confession without excusing communal wrongdoing. Yet hostile nations also weaponize reproach, and individuals may carry shame because someone else violated, mocked, or abandoned them. Scripture therefore does not permit observers to infer guilt from humiliation.
Isaiah's vision reaches beyond reputation management: God defeats death, wipes tears, and removes disgrace. Restoration includes embodied comfort, belonging, truth, and public vindication. Congregations should resist disciplinary practices that expose people for control, especially survivors of sexual harm, poverty, disability, infertility, or family loss. When leaders or institutions caused disgrace through misconduct, protecting the institution's honor deepens the wrong.
Faithful response assigns responsibility truthfully, preserves needed confidentiality, supports those harmed, and pursues repair. Confession belongs where guilt belongs; compassion and vindication belong with those who have been shamed unjustly.
Isa.25.8
H2781 is a feminine noun commonly rendered reproach, disgrace, shame, scorn, or taunt. It names a socially experienced condition and does not by itself specify whether the person bearing reproach is guilty, victimized, or falsely accused.
The New Testament presents Jesus enduring public shame and bearing rejection, while resurrection vindicates Him and promises the defeat of death. Christian communities are called to honor vulnerable members, practice truthful discipline, and refuse partiality and humiliation.