An uncomfortable feeling of guilt and humiliation, usually arising from sin or failure.
Shame is to be avoided
Psalm 25:2 See also Psalm 25:20, Psalm 31:1, Psalm 31:17, Psalm 44:15, Psalm 119:31, Psalm 119:80
in You, my God, I trust. Do not let me be put to shame; do not let my enemies exult over me.
Causes of shame
Military defeat
Therefore their inhabitants, devoid of power, are dismayed and ashamed. They are like plants in the field, tender green shoots, grass on the rooftops, scorched before it is grown.
Natural afflictions
Luke 1:25 See also Genesis 30:23; Isaiah 4:1, Isaiah 54:4 not only childlessness but widowhood
“The Lord has done this for me. In these days He has shown me favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”
Humiliation by an enemy
Psalm 69:19 See also Psalm 69:6–7; 1 Samuel 11:2; 2 Samuel 10:4–5; Isaiah 3:17; Mark 12:4
You know my reproach, my shame and disgrace. All my adversaries are before You.
Nakedness
Revelation 3:18 See also Genesis 2:25, Genesis 3:10, Genesis 9:22–23; Isaiah 47:3; Ezekiel 16:37; Revelation 16:15
I counsel you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, white garments so that you may be clothed and your shameful nakedness not exposed, and salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see.
The sin of relations or associates
Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people.
Heathen gods as a source of shame
2 Samuel 2:10 “Bosheth” means “shame”. According to 1 Chronicles 8:33 he was originally Ish-Baal, but the name “Baal”, subsequently associated with a heathen god, was changed by later writers to “Bosheth”. See also Jeremiah 3:24, Jeremiah 11:13; Hosea 9:10
Saul’s son Ish-bosheth was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned for two years. The house of Judah, however, followed David.
Shame as a divine judgment
Jeremiah 23:40 See also Psalm 44:9; Jeremiah 46:24
And I will bring upon you everlasting shame and perpetual humiliation that will never be forgotten.”
Shame brought upon God's enemies
Psalm 6:10, Psalm 31:17, Psalm 35:26, Psalm 70:2, Psalm 71:13, Psalm 109:29, Psalm 129:5
Shame as guilt for sin
Ezra 9:6 See also Proverbs 6:32; Daniel 9:5–7; Romans 6:20–21
and said: “O my God, I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift up my face to You, my God, because our iniquities are higher than our heads, and our guilt has reached the heavens.
Shame may lead to repentance
1 Corinthians 6:5; 2 Corinthians 7:9–11; 2 Thessalonians 3:14
Some people are without shame
Jeremiah 3:3, Jeremiah 6:15; Zephaniah 3:5
Jesus Christ bore shame
Hebrews 12:2 See also Deuteronomy 21:23; Matthew 27:39–44; Hebrews 6:6
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
The temptation of being ashamed of Jesus Christ and the cross
Mark 8:38 parallel Luke 9:26 See also Romans 1:16; Galatians 6:14
If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in His Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
Those who trust in God will not be put to shame
Psalm 25:3 See also Psalm 119:5–6; Isaiah 28:16; Romans 9:33, Romans 10:11; 1 Peter 2:6, 1 Peter 4:16
Surely none who wait for You will be put to shame; but those who engage in treachery without cause will be disgraced.
Related themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bible Aquifer. Formatted for this site, with Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.