What does עֶרְוָה (ʿerĕwāh) mean in the Bible?
עֶרְוָה (ʿerĕwāh): Nakedness moves from literal bodily exposure to metaphorical vulnerability, shame, and covenant breach in judgment contexts.
Hebrew · H6172
עֶרְוָה
Nudity , literally (especially the pudenda) or figuratively (disgrace, blemish)
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עֶרְוָהH6172
Pronunciationʿerĕwāh
What does עֶרְוָה (ʿerĕwāh) mean in the Bible?
עֶרְוָה (ʿerĕwāh): Nakedness moves from literal bodily exposure to metaphorical vulnerability, shame, and covenant breach in judgment contexts.
Full entry for עֶרְוָה (H6172) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H6172?
The BSB source-word alignment has 54 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include . . . (12), have sexual relations with (7), her nakedness (4), nakedness (4), the nakedness (4).
Where does עֶרְוָה (ʿerĕwāh) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 9:22. Its strongest book concentrations include Leviticus (32), Ezekiel (8), Genesis (5), Deuteronomy (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. . .12×Leviticus 18:6, Leviticus 18:7, Leviticus 18:9, Leviticus 18:10
have sexual relations with7×Leviticus 18:8, Leviticus 18:11, Leviticus 18:12, Leviticus 18:13
her nakedness4×Lamentations 1:8, Ezekiel 23:10, Ezekiel 23:18, Hosea 2:9
nakedness4×Genesis 9:22, Genesis 9:23, Leviticus 20:11
the nakedness4×Leviticus 20:17, Leviticus 20:20, Leviticus 20:21, Ezekiel 22:10
your nakedness4×Exodus 20:26, Isaiah 47:3, Ezekiel 16:8, Ezekiel 16:36
-3×Leviticus 18:7, Leviticus 18:9, Leviticus 20:18
[is] vulnerable2×Genesis 42:9, Genesis 42:12
[you]1×Ezekiel 16:37
bare1×Exodus 28:42
expose the nakedness1×Leviticus 18:7
have sexual relations with both1×Leviticus 18:17
indecency1×Deuteronomy 24:1
naked1×Ezekiel 16:37
shame1×Isaiah 20:4
so that the shame1×Ezekiel 23:29
unclean1×Deuteronomy 23:14
who bore you1×1 Samuel 20:30
would dishonor1×Leviticus 18:8
would shame1×Leviticus 18:16
would shame your family1×Leviticus 18:10
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 9:22עֶרְוַ֣תtonakednessNoun - feminine singular constructGenesis 9:23עֶרְוַ֣תtonakednessNoun - feminine singular constructGenesis 9:23וְעֶרְוַ֥תtonakednessConjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular constructGenesis 42:9עֶרְוַ֥תto[is] vulnerableNoun - feminine singular constructGenesis 42:12עֶרְוַ֥תto[is] vulnerableNoun - feminine singular constructExodus 20:26עֶרְוָתְךָ֖toyour nakednessNoun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singularExodus 28:42עֶרְוָ֑הtobareNoun - feminine singularLeviticus 18:6עֶרְוָ֑הto. . .Noun - feminine singularLeviticus 18:7עֶרְוַ֥תtoexpose the nakednessNoun - feminine singular constructLeviticus 18:7וְעֶרְוַ֥תto-Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned rowGenesis 9:22
Aligned rows54
Books represented9
Genesis5Exodus2Leviticus32Deuteronomy21 Samuel1Isaiah2Lamentations1Ezekiel8Hosea1
Source forms
עֶרְוַ֥ת17x‘er·waṯGenesis 42:9, Genesis 42:12, Leviticus 18:7, Leviticus 18:8
עֶרְוַ֣ת5x‘er·waṯGenesis 9:22, Genesis 9:23, Deuteronomy 23:14, Deuteronomy 24:1
עֶרְוָתָֽהּ׃ס3x‘er·wā·ṯāhLeviticus 18:7, Leviticus 18:11, Leviticus 18:15
וְעֶרְוַ֥ת2xwə·‘er·waṯGenesis 9:23, Leviticus 18:7
עֶרְוָ֑ה2x‘er·wāhExodus 28:42, Leviticus 18:6
עֶרְוַ֨ת2x‘er·waṯLeviticus 18:9, Leviticus 18:11
עֶרְוָתָ֔הּ2x‘er·wā·ṯāhLeviticus 18:17, Lamentations 1:8
עֶרְוָתָֽהּ׃2x‘er·wā·ṯāhLeviticus 18:19, Hosea 2:9
Parsing patterns
Noun - feminine singular construct27xGenesis 9:22, Genesis 9:23, Genesis 42:9, Genesis 42:12
Noun - feminine singular construct | third person feminine singular12xLeviticus 18:7, Leviticus 18:11, Leviticus 18:15, Leviticus 18:17
Noun - feminine singular construct | second person feminine singular5xIsaiah 47:3, Ezekiel 16:8, Ezekiel 16:36, Ezekiel 16:37
Conjunctive waw | Noun - feminine singular construct3xGenesis 9:23, Leviticus 18:7, Leviticus 20:19
Noun - feminine singular2xExodus 28:42, Leviticus 18:6
Noun - feminine singular construct | second person masculine singular2xExodus 20:26, Leviticus 18:10
Noun - feminine singular construct | third person feminine plural2xLeviticus 18:9, Leviticus 18:10
Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular1xLeviticus 20:17
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Nakedness moves from literal bodily exposure to metaphorical vulnerability, shame, and covenant breach in judgment contexts.
Source Gloss
nudity , literally (especially the pudenda) or figuratively (disgrace, blemish)
Extended definitionSource: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Nakedness moves from literal bodily exposure to metaphorical vulnerability, shame, and covenant breach in judgment contexts.
nudity, literally (especially the pudenda) or figuratively (disgrace, blemish) BDB: nakedness Usage: nakedness, shame, unclean(-ness).
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.
Biblical Witnesses
literal exposure of genitals, physical state of being uncovered
sexual relations and intimate exposure prohibited with family members
Showing 2 selected witnesses from 54 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
עֶרְוָה 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.