Original Word: בּשֶׁת
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: bosheth
Pronunciation: bo'-sheth
Phonetic Spelling: (bo'-sheth)
KJV: ashamed, confusion, + greatly, (put to) shame(-ful thing)
NASB: shame, shameful thing, shameful
Word Origin: [from H954 (בּוּשׁ - ashamed)]

1. shame (the feeling and the condition, as well as its cause)
2. (by implication, specifically) an idol

ashamed, confusion, greatly, put to shameful thing

From buwsh; shame (the feeling and the condition, as well as its cause); by implication (specifically) an idol -- ashamed, confusion, + greatly, (put to) shame(-ful thing).

see HEBREW buwsh

Word Origin
from bosh
Definition
shame, shameful thing
NASB Translation
humiliation* (1), shame (21), shame* (2), shameful (1), shameful thing (3).

בּ֫שֶׁת noun feminine shame Job 8:22 20t.; suffix בָּשְׁתִּי Psalm 69:20 7t.

1 shame 1 Samuel 20:30 (twice in verse); Psalm 40:16; Psalm 69:20; Psalm 70:4; Isaiah 30:3,5; Isaiah 61:7; Jeremiah 2:26; Jeremiah 3:25; Jeremiah 20:18; Habakkuk 2:10; Zephaniah 3:5,19; לָבַשׁ בּשֶׁת clothe with shame Job 8:22; Psalm 35:26; Psalm 132:18; "" עטה בשׁת Psalm 109:29; בּשֶׁת (ה)מָּנִים shame (or confusion) of face2Chronicles 32:21; Ezra 9:7; Daniel 9:7,8, compare Psalm 44:16; Jeremiah 7:19; בּשֶׁת עֲלוּמֶיךָ shame of thy youth Isaiah 54:4; עֶרְיָהבֿשֶׁת nakedness (that is) shame Micah 1:11 compare Psalm 45:5; בּשֶׁת עֶרְוַת אמך 1 Samuel 20:30.

2 shameful thing, substituted for בַּעַל (q. v.) by later editors, Hosea 9:10; Jeremiah 3:24; מִזְבְּחוֺת לַבּשֶׁת Jeremiah 11:13, compare יְרֻבֶּשֶׁת 2 Samuel 11:21 = יְרֻבַּעַל Judges 6:32; אִישׁבּֿשֶׁת 2 Samuel 2:8 = אֶשְׁבַּעַל 1 Chronicles 8:33.

Essential Idea of בֹּשֶׁת

The term denotes shame, disgrace, or humiliation. Scripture presents it as the inevitable consequence of idolatry, covenant-breaking, moral perversity, and military defeat, in stark contrast to the honor that flows from faithful worship of the LORD.

Distribution and Literary Settings

Approximately thirty-one occurrences span Torah, Historical Books, Psalms, Proverbs, and the Prophets. The majority appear in prophetic indictments (especially Isaiah and Jeremiah), while Psalms deploy the word in personal and communal lament. Two passages in Judges and Samuel reveal how Israel’s foes and even her own unfaithful leaders experienced בֹּשֶׁת. Wisdom literature (Proverbs 3:35) distills the concept into a general maxim for life.

Idolatry Brings Shame

The prophets consistently connect בֹּשֶׁת with idol worship:

• “But from our youth, that shameful thing has consumed the fruits of our fathers’ labor” (Jeremiah 3:24).
• “Egypt shall be your shame” (Isaiah 30:3), where reliance on pagan allies replaces reliance on God.

The “shameful thing” (הַבֹּשֶׁת) becomes a reverent circumlocution for Baal, exposing the emptiness of the idol and the folly of those who serve it. The category includes the practice of substituting “-bosheth” for “-baal” in personal names (for example, Ish-bosheth in 2 Samuel 2:8), underscoring how seriously Israel’s writers regarded the dishonor of idolatry.

National Humiliation in Warfare

Military catastrophe is another arena of בֹּשֶׁת. After Israel’s defeat at Ai, Joshua cries, “What will You do for Your great Name?” (Joshua 7:9)—the implication is that Israel’s shame jeopardizes the glory of God before the nations. Psalms written in the aftermath of defeat echo the same reality: “You have made us an object of reproach to our neighbors” (Psalm 44:13).

Personal and Familial Disgrace

On the human level, בֹּשֶׁת marks domestic discord, as when Michal “despised [David] in her heart” for his unrestrained worship (2 Samuel 6:20). The covenant community is warned that sexual immorality, violence, and injustice will bring shame upon a household (see Proverbs 3:35; Micah 7:10).

Prophetic Warnings and Promised Reversal

Prophets threaten Israel with shame for unrepentant sin (Jeremiah 13:26; Ezekiel 36:32). Yet they also promise an eschatological reversal:

• “Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion” (Isaiah 61:7).
• “None who wait for You will be put to shame” (Psalm 25:3).

The pattern highlights God’s righteous judgment and His gracious intent to restore honor to a repentant people.

Christological Trajectory

The New Testament declares that Messiah “endured the cross, despising its shame” (Hebrews 12:2), fulfilling the Old Testament expectation that ultimate disgrace would fall upon the sin-bearer rather than the forgiven. Therefore, the believer’s identification with Christ means deliverance from everlasting shame (Romans 10:11, citing Isaiah 28:16).

Ministry Implications

1. Preaching and Teaching: Expose the shamefulness of idolatry in any form—materialism, self-reliance, false religion—and call hearers to exclusive devotion to the Lord.
2. Pastoral Care: Offer hope to those weighed down by guilt; God’s covenant mercy replaces shame with honor when repentance is genuine.
3. Corporate Worship: Liturgies and songs can move from confession of shame (modeled on Psalms 25 and 44) to assurance of pardon (Isaiah 61:7).
4. Discipleship and Ethics: Proverbs 3:35 reminds believers that choices rooted in wisdom lead to honor, while folly reaps disgrace.

Conclusion

בֹּשֶׁת functions as a theological touchstone throughout the Old Testament, revealing that honor belongs to God and to those who trust Him, while shame falls on idolatry, sin, and pride. Through Christ, the Scripture’s promise is realized: those who wait for the LORD “shall never be put to shame.”

בְּבָשְׁתֵּ֗נוּ בְּבֹ֖שֶׁת בְּבֹ֨שֶׁת בָּשְׁתְּכֶם֙ בָּשְׁתָּ֑ם בָּשְׁתָּֽם׃ בֹ֑שֶׁת בֹ֔שֶׁת בֹ֖שֶׁת בֹ֤שֶׁת בֹ֥שֶׁת בֹּ֑שֶׁת בֹּ֖שֶׁת בֹּ֣שֶׁת בֹּ֥שֶׁת בֹּֽשֶׁת׃ בבשת בבשתנו בשת בשת׃ בשתכם בשתם בשתם׃ וְהַבֹּ֗שֶׁת וּ֭בָשְׁתִּי וּבְבֹ֥שֶׁת וּבֹ֖שֶׁת וּלְבֹ֖שֶׁת ובבשת ובשת ובשתי והבשת ולבשת כְּבֹ֤שֶׁת כבשת לְבָ֨שְׁתְּךָ֔ לְבֹ֑שֶׁת לְבֹ֖שֶׁת לַבֹּ֔שֶׁת לבשת לבשתך bā·šə·tām bā·šə·tə·ḵem bāšətām bāšətəḵem basheTam basheteChem bə·ḇā·šə·tê·nū bə·ḇō·šeṯ bəḇāšətênū bəḇōšeṯ bevasheTenu beVoshet bō·šeṯ ḇō·šeṯ bōšeṯ ḇōšeṯ Boshet kə·ḇō·šeṯ kəḇōšeṯ keVoshet lab·bō·šeṯ labbōšeṯ labBoshet lə·ḇā·šə·tə·ḵā lə·ḇō·šeṯ ləḇāšətəḵā ləḇōšeṯ leVashetecha leVoshet ū·ḇā·šə·tî ū·ḇə·ḇō·šeṯ ū·ḇō·šeṯ ū·lə·ḇō·šeṯ ūḇāšətî ūḇəḇōšeṯ ūḇōšeṯ ūləḇōšeṯ uleVoshet Uvasheti uveVoshet uVoshet vehabBoshet Voshet wə·hab·bō·šeṯ wəhabbōšeṯInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts