What does כְּלִמָּה (kĕlimāh) mean in the Bible?
Kelimah names disgrace, scorn or humiliation in settings whose moral causes differ. Isaiah's Servant describes striking, beard-tearing and scorn while trusting God's help and vindication.
Hebrew · H3639
כְּלִמָּה
Kelimah names disgrace, scorn or humiliation in settings whose moral causes differ. Isaiah's Servant describes striking, beard-tearing and scorn while trusting God's help and vindication.
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כְּלִמָּהH3639
Pronunciationkĕlimāh
What does כְּלִמָּה (kĕlimāh) mean in the Bible?
Reader summary
Full entry for כְּלִמָּה (H3639) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H3639?
The BSB source-word alignment has 30 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include and disgrace (4), your disgrace (4), disgrace (3), their disgrace (3), and [instead of] humiliation (1).
Where does כְּלִמָּה (kĕlimāh) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Job 20:3. Its strongest book concentrations include Ezekiel (13), Psalms (7), Isaiah (4), Jeremiah (3).
What This Word Actually Means
Kelimah names disgrace, scorn or humiliation in settings whose moral causes differ. Isaiah's Servant describes striking, beard-tearing and scorn while trusting God's help and vindication. Psalm 69 speaks of enduring scorn for God's sake. Neither passage makes mistreatment proof that the sufferer is guilty. Proverbs 18 places disgrace on someone who answers before hearing, while Jeremiah 3 voices communal confession after unfaithfulness.
Ezekiel 34 promises that God's restored flock will no longer bear the nations' scorn, and Isaiah 61 anticipates joy in place of humiliation. The noun therefore names an experience or condition whose justice cannot be inferred from its existence. A teacher should identify who gives the insult, what conduct is being exposed and whether the passage laments, confesses or promises restoration.
It can support accountability and hope without prescribing humiliation as discipline, demanding submission to abuse or converting a particular restoration promise into automatic material compensation.
How the Bible Uses It
The disgrace witnesses distinguish the Servant's mistreatment, suffering for God, a premature answer, the restored flock, promised joy and confession of communal unfaithfulness.
- Isa.50.6
I offered My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who tore out My beard. I did not hide My face from scorn and spittle.
The Servant describes blows, beard-tearing and scorn before affirming God's help and vindication; the mistreatment is not a verdict of guilt.
- Ps.69.7
For I have endured scorn for Your sake, and shame has covered my face.
Scorn is endured for God's sake within the psalm's appeal against wrongful hostility, rather than treated as deserved punishment.
- Prov.18.13
He who answers a matter before he hears it—this is folly and disgrace to him.
Disgrace accompanies answering a matter before hearing it, locating the criticism in the speaker's failure to listen.
- Ezek.34.29
And I will raise up for them a garden of renown, and they will no longer be victims of famine in the land or bear the scorn of the nations.
The restored flock is promised freedom from famine and the nations' scorn, within God's judgment of exploitative shepherds and care for His people.
- Isa.61.7
Instead of shame, My people will have a double portion, and instead of humiliation, they will rejoice in their share; and so they will inherit a double portion in their land, and everlasting joy will be theirs.
Joy and a share in the land replace humiliation in the addressed restoration promise; the clause is not an individual cash-repayment formula.
- Jer.3.25
Let us lie down in our shame; let our disgrace cover us. We have sinned against the Lord our God, both we and our fathers; from our youth even to this day we have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God.”
The community acknowledges disgrace with a confession of disobedience, following the call to return and the rejection of a shameful god.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders Itand disgrace4×Psalms 69:19, Psalms 71:13, Proverbs 18:13, Ezekiel 16:52
your disgrace4×Isaiah 30:3, Ezekiel 16:52, Ezekiel 16:54, Ezekiel 16:63
disgrace3×Jeremiah 20:11, Jeremiah 51:51, Micah 2:6
their disgrace3×Ezekiel 32:24, Ezekiel 32:25, Ezekiel 39:26
and [instead of] humiliation1×Isaiah 61:7
and reproach1×Psalms 35:26
and shame1×Psalms 69:7
be maligned1×Psalms 4:2
from scorn1×Isaiah 50:6
in disgrace1×Isaiah 45:16
let our disgrace1×Jeremiah 3:25
my disgrace1×Psalms 44:15
reproach of their own1×Ezekiel 36:7
that insults me1×Job 20:3
the reproach1×Ezekiel 36:6
the scorn1×Ezekiel 34:29
the shame1×Ezekiel 44:13
the taunts1×Ezekiel 36:15
their shame1×Ezekiel 32:30
with disgrace1×Psalms 109:29
Show sample aligned rows
Job 20:3כְּלִמָּתִ֣יtothat insults meNoun - feminine singular construct | first person common singularPsalms 4:2לִ֭כְלִמָּהtobe malignedPreposition-l | Noun - feminine singularPsalms 35:26וּכְלִמָּ֑הtoand reproachConjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singularPsalms 44:15כְּלִמָּתִ֣יtomy disgraceNoun - feminine singular construct | first person common singularPsalms 69:7כְלִמָּ֣הtoand shameNoun - feminine singularPsalms 69:19וּכְלִמָּתִ֑יtoand disgraceConjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singularPsalms 71:13וּכְלִמָּ֑הtoand disgraceConjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singularPsalms 109:29כְּלִמָּ֑הtowith disgraceNoun - feminine singularProverbs 18:13וּכְלִמָּֽה׃toand disgraceConjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singularIsaiah 30:3לִכְלִמָּֽה׃toyour disgracePreposition-l | Noun - feminine singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowJob 20:3
Aligned rows30
Books represented7
Job1Psalms7Proverbs1Isaiah4Jeremiah3Ezekiel13Micah1
Source forms
כְּלִמַּ֥ת3xkə·lim·maṯJeremiah 20:11, Ezekiel 34:29, Ezekiel 36:6
וּכְלִמָּ֑ה2xū·ḵə·lim·māhPsalms 35:26, Psalms 71:13
כְּלִמָּתִ֣י2xkə·lim·mā·ṯîJob 20:3, Psalms 44:15
כְלִמָּתֵ֔ךְ2xḵə·lim·mā·ṯêḵEzekiel 16:52, Ezekiel 16:54
כְלִמָּתָ֖ם2xḵə·lim·mā·ṯāmEzekiel 32:24, Ezekiel 32:30
כְּלִמָּתָ֔ם2xkə·lim·mā·ṯāmEzekiel 39:26, Ezekiel 44:13
בַכְּלִמָּ֔ה1xḇak·kə·lim·māhIsaiah 45:16
וּכְלִמָּ֖ה1xū·ḵə·lim·māhIsaiah 61:7
Parsing patterns
Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine plural6xEzekiel 32:24, Ezekiel 32:25, Ezekiel 32:30, Ezekiel 36:7
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular4xPsalms 35:26, Psalms 71:13, Proverbs 18:13, Isaiah 61:7
Noun - feminine singular construct4xJeremiah 20:11, Ezekiel 34:29, Ezekiel 36:6, Ezekiel 36:15
Noun - feminine singular construct | second person feminine singular4xEzekiel 16:52, Ezekiel 16:54, Ezekiel 16:63
Noun - feminine singular3xPsalms 69:7, Psalms 109:29, Jeremiah 51:51
Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular2xJob 20:3, Psalms 44:15
Preposition-l | Noun - feminine singular2xPsalms 4:2, Isaiah 30:3
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct | first person common singular1xPsalms 69:19
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Receive reports of degradation with careful hearing and appropriate protection instead of adding imposed blame.
- Confess and repair a premature harmful statement without making public humiliation the method of correction.
Avoid claiming...
- Scorn inflicted by others cannot serve as automatic proof of moral guilt.
- The disgrace noun cannot require a sufferer to remain within an abusive relationship or institution.
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Shame rooted in public humiliation; disgrace that strips honor and invites social reproach or divine judgment
Source Gloss
disgrace
Extended definitionSource: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Shame rooted in public humiliation; disgrace that strips honor and invites social reproach or divine judgment
disgrace BDB: insult Usage: confusion, dishonour, reproach, shame.
Grammatical Forms
How this word appears across different grammatical cases and numbers.
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Biblical Witnesses
foolishness and disgrace resulting from hasty speech without listening
Showing 1 selected witness from 30 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
כְּלִמָּה is built from this root:
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.
For the Preacher and Teacher
Isaiah 50:6 describes scorn as part of the Servant's mistreatment, followed by trust in God's help and vindication. The disgrace inflicted by others does not settle the Servant's moral standing. Psalm 69 likewise speaks of scorn endured for God's sake. Those witnesses challenge communities that use an injured person's public humiliation as evidence against them.
Proverbs 18 presents a different cause: answering before hearing brings disgrace to the speaker. There, the appropriate response includes listening and correcting the premature answer. Jeremiah 3 moves into confession of actual disobedience after an invitation to return. Ezekiel 34 and Isaiah 61 then give restoration a communal horizon, including freedom from scorn and renewed joy.
These promises deserve hope-filled hearing without being reduced to a timetable or a guarantee of financial doubling. Teachers should neither erase wrongdoing because shame hurts nor inflict shame as though it produces righteousness. The noun requires attribution, moral discernment, responsible repair and patient care for people whom others have degraded.
Anchor passage
Isa.50.6
Doctrinal connections
- Isaiah's Servant trusts God's help and vindication amid mistreatment.
- Psalm 69 preserves scorn endured because of allegiance to God.
- Proverbs places responsibility for premature answering on the speaker.
- Jeremiah's return invitation precedes confession of actual communal disobedience.
- Ezekiel promises care that ends famine and the nations' scorn.
- Isaiah's restoration promise replaces humiliation with a renewed communal share and joy.
The feminine noun occurs in singular, possessive construct and plural forms. Isaiah 50 uses a plural expression for scorn, while other clauses identify disgrace or scorn associated with the speaker, a community or the nations.
From Old to New Testament
In Luke 4:14-30 Jesus reads Isaiah's announcement of good news and release and speaks of its fulfillment. This provides a connection to Isaiah 61's restoration setting, while the later double-portion clause cannot be converted into a promise of immediate doubled wealth for every Christian sufferer.