What does בּוּשׁ (bosh) mean in the Bible?
בּוּשׁ (bosh): Shame rooted in visible paleness; moving from physical exposure to social humiliation and disappointed hope.
Hebrew · H954
בּוּשׁ
Properly, to pale , i.e. by implication to be ashamed ; also (by implication) to be disappointed or delayed
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בּוּשׁ H954
Pronunciation bosh
What does בּוּשׁ (bosh) mean in the Bible?
בּוּשׁ (bosh): Shame rooted in visible paleness; moving from physical exposure to social humiliation and disappointed hope.
Full entry for בּוּשׁ (H954) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H954?
The BSB source-word alignment has 125 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include be put to shame (19), be ashamed (13), will be ashamed (7), will be put to shame (7), and ashamed (3).
Where does בּוּשׁ (bosh) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 2:25. Its strongest book concentrations include Jeremiah (35), Psalms (34), Isaiah (21), Proverbs (6).
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 be put to shame 19× Psalms 25:2, Psalms 25:20, Psalms 31:1, Psalms 31:17
be ashamed 13× Psalms 31:17, Psalms 35:26, Psalms 37:19, Psalms 40:14
will be ashamed 7× Psalms 6:10, Isaiah 24:23, Isaiah 41:11, Jeremiah 48:13
will be put to shame 7× Psalms 25:3, Isaiah 44:11, Isaiah 65:13, Isaiah 66:5
and ashamed 3× 2 Kings 19:26, Isaiah 20:5, Isaiah 37:27
and be ashamed 3× Psalms 86:17, Ezekiel 16:63, Micah 7:16
is put to shame 3× Jeremiah 48:20, Jeremiah 50:2, Jeremiah 51:17
shame 3× Isaiah 42:17, Jeremiah 6:15, Jeremiah 8:12
and be put to shame 2× Isaiah 26:11, Isaiah 45:24
are disgraced 2× Psalms 71:24, Jeremiah 50:2
are put to shame 2× Psalms 97:7, Jeremiah 49:23
Are they ashamed 2× Jeremiah 6:15, Jeremiah 8:12
ashamed 2× Genesis 2:25, Jeremiah 50:12
at all 2× Jeremiah 6:15, Jeremiah 8:12
I was ashamed 2× Ezra 8:22, Jeremiah 31:19
in disgrace 2× Ezekiel 32:30, Hosea 2:5
in shame 2× Psalms 129:5, Jeremiah 48:39
to shame 2× Psalms 44:7, Zechariah 10:5
you will be ashamed 2× Isaiah 1:29, Jeremiah 22:22
a disgraceful 1× Proverbs 17:2
and disgraced 1× Jeremiah 48:1
and dismantled 1× Jeremiah 48:1
and shame 1× Isaiah 44:11
are ashamed 1× Jeremiah 14:4
be disgraced 1× Psalms 35:4
Be dismayed 1× Joel 1:11
Bear the shame 1× Jeremiah 12:13
but she who causes shame 1× Proverbs 12:4
disappointed 1× Psalms 22:5
disgrace 1× Psalms 6:10
disgraces 1× Proverbs 29:15
embarrassment 1× 2 Kings 2:17
has dried up 1× Joel 1:12
Hazael became uncomfortable 1× 2 Kings 8:11
I am ashamed 1× Ezra 9:6
is a disgraceful 1× Proverbs 10:5
is disgraced 1× Jeremiah 2:26
is our shame 1× Jeremiah 9:19
May they be ever ashamed 1× Psalms 83:17
on the shameful 1× Proverbs 14:35
put to shame 1× Jeremiah 20:11
she will be disgraced 1× Jeremiah 15:9
so long 1× Judges 5:28
They are ashamed 1× Jeremiah 14:3
They are confounded 1× Job 6:20
they are put to shame 1× Isaiah 44:9
they became worried 1× Judges 3:25
they will be put to shame 1× Psalms 109:28
was ashamed 1× Jeremiah 48:13
was delayed 1× Exodus 32:1
We are ashamed 1× Jeremiah 51:51
who brings shame 1× Proverbs 19:26
will be disgraced 1× Psalms 25:3
will be dismayed 1× Isaiah 19:9
will bring them shame 1× Hosea 4:19
will suffer shame 1× Jeremiah 51:47
will wither 1× Zechariah 9:5
You [sinners] frustrate 1× Psalms 14:6
you [were] 1× Jeremiah 2:36
you have disgraced 1× 2 Samuel 19:5
You put them to shame 1× Psalms 53:5
you shamelessly 1× Job 19:3
You will be disappointed 1× Jeremiah 2:36
your shame 1× Ezekiel 16:52
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 2:25 יִתְבֹּשָֽׁשׁוּ׃ to ashamed Verb - Hitpael - Imperfect - third person masculine plural Exodus 32:1 בֹשֵׁ֥שׁ to was delayed Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person masculine singular Judges 3:25 בּ֔וֹשׁ to they became worried Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct Judges 5:28 בֹּשֵׁ֤שׁ to so long Verb - Piel - Perfect - third person masculine singular 2 Samuel 19:5 הֹבַ֨שְׁתָּ to you have disgraced Verb - Hifil - Perfect - second person masculine singular 2 Kings 2:17 בֹּ֖שׁ to embarrassment Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct 2 Kings 8:11 בֹּ֑שׁ to Hazael became uncomfortable Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct 2 Kings 19:26 וַיֵּבֹ֑שׁוּ to and ashamed Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural Ezra 8:22 בֹ֗שְׁתִּי to I was ashamed Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular Ezra 9:6 בֹּ֣שְׁתִּי to I am ashamed Verb - Qal - Perfect - first person common singular
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 2:25
Aligned rows 125
Books represented 17
Genesis 1 Exodus 1 Judges 2 2 Samuel 1 2 Kings 3 Ezra 2 Job 2 Psalms 34 Proverbs 6 Isaiah 21 Jeremiah 35 Ezekiel 4 Hosea 3 Joel 4 Micah 2 Zephaniah 1 Zechariah 3
Source forms
יֵבֹ֥שׁוּ 5x yê·ḇō·šū Psalms 6:10, Psalms 31:17, Isaiah 44:11, Joel 2:26
יֵבֹ֣שׁוּ 5x yê·ḇō·šū Psalms 35:4, Psalms 70:2, Psalms 71:13, Psalms 119:78
הֹבִ֥ישׁ 4x hō·ḇîš Jeremiah 48:20, Jeremiah 50:2, Jeremiah 51:17, Joel 1:12
אֵבֽוֹשׁ׃ 3x ’ê·ḇō·wōš Psalms 119:46, Psalms 119:80, Isaiah 50:7
בֹּ֥שׁוּ 3x bō·šū Job 6:20, Jeremiah 14:3, Jeremiah 14:4
הֹבִ֣ישׁוּ 3x hō·ḇî·šū Jeremiah 8:9, Jeremiah 50:2, Joel 1:11
יֵבֹ֑שׁוּ 3x yê·ḇō·šū Psalms 25:3, Psalms 127:5, Jeremiah 17:13
יֵ֘בֹ֤שׁוּ 3x yê·ḇō·šū Psalms 35:26, Psalms 40:14, Psalms 69:6
Parsing patterns
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural 32x Psalms 6:10, Psalms 25:3, Psalms 31:17, Psalms 35:4
Verb - Qal - Perfect - third person common plural 8x Job 6:20, Psalms 22:5, Psalms 71:24, Isaiah 45:16
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive imperfect - third person masculine plural 5x Psalms 86:17, Isaiah 26:11, Isaiah 45:24, Hosea 4:19
Verb - Hifil - Participle - masculine singular 5x Proverbs 10:5, Proverbs 14:35, Proverbs 17:2, Proverbs 19:26
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person common plural 5x Jeremiah 2:26, Jeremiah 6:15, Jeremiah 8:9, Jeremiah 8:12
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person masculine singular 5x Jeremiah 48:20, Jeremiah 50:2, Jeremiah 51:17, Joel 1:12
Verb - Qal - Imperfect Cohortative - first person common singular 5x Psalms 25:2, Psalms 31:1, Psalms 31:17, Psalms 71:1
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Qal - Conjunctive perfect - third person common plural 4x Isaiah 19:9, Isaiah 20:5, Isaiah 37:27, Micah 3:7
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Shame rooted in visible paleness; moving from physical exposure to social humiliation and disappointed hope.
Strong's H954
Lexical occurrences 114 verses Word forms 4 forms 95 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Hosea 10:1-8 Source Gloss
properly, to pale , i.e. by implication to be ashamed ; also (by implication) to be disappointed or delayed
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Shame rooted in visible paleness; moving from physical exposure to social humiliation and disappointed hope.
properly, to pale, i.e. by implication to be ashamed; also (by implication) to be disappointed or delayed BDB: be ashamed Usage: (be, make, bring to, cause, put to, with, a-) shamed(-d), be (put to) confounded(-fusion), become dry, delay, be long.
Grammatical Forms
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 4 Aligned forms 95
Qal basic active stem — the word in its most common, direct sense 78×
Imperfect Isa 1:29 · Isa 41:11 · Isa 42:17 · Isa 44:9 · Isa 44:11 · Isa 49:23 · Isa 66:5 · Jer 6:15 · Jer 8:12 · Jer 17:13 · Joel 2:26 · Joel 2:27 · Ps 6:11 · Ps 25:3 · Ps 31:18 · Ps 35:4 43×
Perfect Isa 45:16 · Jer 14:3 · Jer 14:4 · Jer 20:11 · Jer 48:13 · Job 6:20 · Ps 22:6 · Ps 71:24 · Ezra 8:22 · Ezra 9:6 · Jer 31:19 · Jer 15:9 · Jer 49:23 · Jer 50:12 · Jer 9:18 · Jer 51:51 17×
Cohortative Jer 17:18 · Ps 25:2 · Ps 25:20 · Ps 31:2 · Ps 31:18 · Ps 71:1 6×
Infinitive construct 2Kgs 2:17 · 2Kgs 8:11 · Jer 48:39 · Judg 3:25 4×
Sequential imperfect Ezek 16:52 · Isa 23:4 · Ezek 36:32 3×
Infinitive absolute Jer 6:15 · Jer 8:12 2×
Jussive Jer 17:18 · Ps 69:7 2×
Participle active Ezek 32:30 1×
Hiphil causative active — the subject causes someone else to perform the action 14×
Participle active Prov 10:5 · Prov 12:4 · Prov 14:35 · Prov 17:2 · Prov 19:26 · Prov 29:15 6×
Perfect Isa 30:5 · Zech 9:5 · Jer 2:26 · Jer 8:9 · Ps 44:8 · Ps 53:6 6×
Sequential imperfect Joel 1:11 1×
Imperfect Ps 14:6 1×
Polel 2×
Perfect Exod 32:1 · Judg 5:28 2×
Hithpolel 1×
Imperfect Gen 2:25 1×
Selected Scripture Witnesses
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Old Testament Witnesses
to be ashamed
disgrace or dishonor resulting from failure
They shall be ashamed or confounded; refers to public and judicial disgrace
Showing 3 selected witnesses from 114 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
בּוּשׁ is a primitive root - no further derivation.
Why This Word Matters
The proverb warns that neglected responsibility leads to disgrace. Hosea 10:1-8
Outcome of idolatrous trust. Proverbs 10:5
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