Search / H2617b
H2617b H2617b
N-ms  |  2× in 1 sense
shame, disgrace; shameful thing or reproach
This homonym of the common word for 'covenant loyalty' (חֶסֶד) instead means 'shame' or 'disgrace.' It appears only twice: Leviticus 20:17 declares incest 'a shameful thing,' and Proverbs 14:34 states that 'sin is a reproach to peoples.' The semantic shift from kindness to shame remains puzzling—some scholars posit a connection through 'excess zeal' leading to shameful behavior.
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Senses
1. sense 1 — Leviticus 20:17 uses the term as a predicate: 'it is a disgrace' (חֶסֶד הוּא). Proverbs 14:34 contrasts righteousness exalting a nation with sin being its reproach. Interestingly, several modern translations (French 'bonté', German 'Güte' = goodness) appear to confuse this with חֶסֶד I (covenant love), missing the negative sense entirely. 2×
EMOTION_ATTITUDE › Attitudes and Emotions › Shame and Disgrace
AR["عَارٌ", "وَ-إحْسانُ"]·ben["এবং-দয়া", "লজ্জা"]·DE["disgrace", "und-Guete"]·EN["but-sin", "disgrace"]·FR["déshonneur", "et-bonté"]·heb["ו-חסד", "חסד"]·HI["और-दया", "लज्जा"]·ID["aib", "tetapi-dosa"]·IT["disgrace", "e-benignità"]·jav["lan-dosa", "wirang"]·KO["그러나-죄-는", "수치"]·PT["e-bondade-de", "vergonha"]·RU["а-грех", "позор"]·ES["vergüenza", "y-misericordia-de"]·SW["aibu", "lakini-dhambi"]·TR["utanmazlık", "ve-iyilik"]·urd["اور-گناہ", "شرم"]
Lev 20:17, Prov 14:34
Related Senses
G2309 1. want, desire (166×)G0025 1. to love actively (133×)H0157 1. love (verb, active Qal) (129×)H8055 1. Qal: rejoice, be glad (123×)H7453 1. neighbor, fellow man (120×)G0026 1. of love (115×)H1058 1. Qal: to weep, cry (112×)H0954 1. to be ashamed, feel shame (Qal) (95×)H8057 1. joy, gladness, delight (90×)H2781 1. disgrace, shame, dishonor (68×)G2307 1. will, desire, purpose (63×)G5463 1. rejoice, be glad (63×)G0027 1. beloved (61×)H8130 1. Qal: to hate, detest (60×)G5479 1. (59×)G1680 1. (53×)H8130 2. Qal ptcp: hater, enemy (53×)H0014 1. be willing, want (51×)H0157 2. lover, friend (Qal participle substantive) (51×)H1945 1. woe (50×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† II. חֶ֫סֶד n.m. shame, reproach, only abs.:—ח׳ הוּא Lv 20:17 (H) it is a shame (shameful thing); ח׳ לְאֻמִּים חַטָּאת Pr 14:34 sin is a reproach to peoples.