עֶרְוָה54 H6172
Nakedness, exposure of the body; by extension shame, indecency, or sexual vulnerability
In Hebrew law and narrative, this noun denotes physical nakedness or the exposure of one's body, particularly the private parts. Its most prominent use is in the Levitical phrase 'uncover the nakedness of,' which serves as the standard legal idiom for illicit sexual relations throughout Leviticus 18-20. Beyond the literal sense, it extends figuratively to shame and vulnerability, as when Joseph accuses his brothers of coming to see 'the nakedness of the land' (Gen 42:9). The Spanish 'desnudez' and German 'Bloesse' both capture the dual physical-moral weight this word carries.
Senses
1. [split] nakedness, sexual exposure — The dominant sense across 51 occurrences, covering both literal bodily exposure (as when Ham sees Noah's nakedness in Gen 9:22-23) and the legal euphemism 'uncover the nakedness of' for prohibited sexual unions in Leviticus 18-20. Translations across languages consistently render it as 'nakedness-of' in construct, reflecting how Hebrew uses this term almost formulaically in legal contexts. 0×
AR["عَوْرَةَ", "عَوْرَةُ"]·ben["দুর্বলতা", "নগ্নতা"]·DE["Bloesse-von", "die-Blöße"]·EN["nakedness-of"]·FR["nakedness-de", "nudité-de"]·heb["ערות"]·HI["नग्नता", "ननगेपन"]·ID["Ketelanjangan", "kelemahan", "ketelanjangan"]·IT["nakedness-di", "nudita-di"]·jav["kawirangan-", "kawiranganipun", "kawudan", "kelemahanipun"]·KO["벌거벗음", "벌거벗음-의", "벗은-곳을"]·PT["Nudez-de", "nudez-de"]·RU["нагота", "наготу"]·ES["Desnudez-de", "desnudez-de", "la-desnudez-de"]·SW["Uchi-wa-", "siri", "uchi-wa", "uchi-wa-", "ya-nchi"]·TR["zayıflığını", "çıplaklığı", "çıplaklığını"]·urd["برہنگی", "کمزوری"]
1. illicit sexual relations (euphemistic) — Split from sense 126062. Criteria: Legal euphemism 'uncover the nakedness of' denoting prohibited sexual unions in Leviticus 18-20, not referring to literal bodily exposure 34×
AR["عَوْرَةَ", "عَوْرَةُ", "عَوْرَتَهَا"]·ben["তার-নগ্নতা", "নগ্নতা", "লজ্জা"]·DE["Bloesse-ihr", "Bloesse-von"]·EN["nakedness-her", "nakedness-of"]·FR["nudité-de", "nudité-sa"]·heb["ערות", "ערותה"]·HI["उसकी-नग्नता", "नंगाई", "नग्नता"]·ID["Ketelanjangan", "ketelanjangan", "ketelanjangan-nya"]·IT["nudita-di", "nudita-lei"]·jav["kawirangan-", "kawiranganing", "kawiranganipun"]·KO["그녀의-벌거벗음", "벌거벗음-의", "벴을"]·PT["Nudez-de", "nudez-de", "sua-nudez"]·RU["нагота", "наготу", "наготы-её"]·ES["Desnudez-de", "desnudez-de", "la-desnudez-de", "su-desnudez"]·SW["Uchi-wa-", "aibu", "uchi-wa-", "uchi-wake"]·TR["çıplaklığı", "çıplaklığını"]·urd["اس-کی-برہنگی", "برہنگی", "ننگی-"]
2. private parts, exposed area — Refers concretely to the physical genital area that must remain covered, as in the priestly undergarments prescribed to cover 'the flesh of nakedness' (Exod 28:42). In Lamentations 1:8, personified Jerusalem's exposure of her private parts is witnessed by all who once honored her. The French 'nudite' and Spanish 'desnudez' preserve the bodily concreteness here. 2×
AR["العَورَةِ", "عَوْرَتَهَا"]·ben["তার-নগ্নতা", "লজ্জার"]·DE["[ערותה]", "nakedness"]·EN["her-nakedness", "nakedness"]·FR["nakedness", "sa-nudité"]·heb["ערווה", "ערוותה"]·HI["उसकी-नग्नता", "नग्नता"]·ID["auratnya", "ketelanjangan"]·IT["la-sua-nudita", "nakedness"]·jav["kawiranganipun", "kawèlan,"]·KO["그녀-벌거벗음-을", "벌거벗은-곳의"]·PT["nudez", "sua-nudez"]·RU["наготу-его", "наготы"]·ES["desnudez", "su-desnudez"]·SW["aibu-yake", "ya-utupu"]·TR["çıplaklığı-onun", "çıplaklığın"]·urd["اُس-کی-ننگائی", "شرمگاہ-کا"]
2. literal bodily nakedness, physical exposure — Split from sense 126062. Criteria: Actual physical state of being unclothed or exposed, as in Gen 9:22-23 (Ham sees Noah's nakedness) 17×
AR["عَورَتِها", "عَوْرَةَ", "عَوْرَةُ", "عَوْرَتَكِ", "عَوْرَتَهَا", "عَوْرَتُكَ", "عَوْرَتُكِ", "عَوْرَتِكِ", "عُرْيِ", "وَ-عَوْرَةَ"]·ben["-তোমার-নগ্নতা", "আর-নগ্নতা", "উলঙ্গতা", "উলঙ্গতা-তার", "তাঁর-নগ্নতা", "তোমার-নগ্নতা", "তোমার-নগ্নতা।", "দুর্বলতা", "নগ্নতা", "নগ্নতার", "লজ্জা"]·DE["Bloesse-von", "[ערות]", "[ערותה]", "[ערותך]", "dein-nakedness", "die-Blöße", "nakedness-von", "und-die-Blöße"]·EN["and-nakedness-of", "her-nakedness", "nakedness-of", "nakedness-of-", "nakedness-your", "your-nakedness"]·FR["et-nakedness-de", "nakedness-de", "nudité", "nudité-de", "ton-nakedness"]·heb["ו-ערות", "ערוות", "ערוותה", "ערוותך", "ערות"]·HI["अपनी-नग्नता", "उसकी-नग्नता", "और-ननगेपन", "तेरी-नग्नता", "नंगाई", "नंगाई-उसकी", "नग्नता", "नग्नता-तेरी", "ननगपन", "ननगेपन"]·ID["-ketelanjanganmu.", "dan-ketelanjangan", "kelemahan", "kemaluanmu", "kemaluannya", "ketelanjangan", "ketelanjanganmu", "ketelanjanganmu,", "ketelanjangannya"]·IT["e-nakedness-di", "nakedness-di", "nudita", "nudita-di", "nudità", "tuo-nakedness"]·jav["kawirangan-panjenengan", "kawiranganing", "kawiranganipun", "kawuda", "kawudan", "kawudan-panjenengan", "kawudanipun", "kelemahanipun", "lan-kawudan", "wuda-panjenengan"]·KO["그녀의-벗은-것을", "그리고-벌거벗음", "너의-벌거벗은-것이", "너의-벗음이", "네-볌거벗음을", "네-볌거벗음이", "벌거벗음", "벌거벗음의", "벗은-것이", "벗은-곳을", "벗음-그녀의-을", "벴을"]·PT["e-nudez-de", "nudez-de", "nudez-dela", "sua-nudez", "tua-nudez"]·RU["и-наготы", "и-обнажённой", "нагота-твоя", "наготу", "наготу-твою", "наготы", "наготы-её"]·ES["desnudez-de", "desnudez-de-ella", "desnudez-de-ti", "desnudez-tuya", "su-desnudez", "tu-desnudez", "y-desnudez-de"]·SW["na-uchi-wa", "siri", "uchi", "uchi-wa", "uchi-wake", "uchi-wako", "wote", "ya-nchi"]·TR["cipakligin", "tüm", "ve-açacağım", "ve-çıplaklığını", "ve-örttüm", "zayıflığını", "çıplaklığı", "çıplaklığın", "çıplaklığını", "çıplaklığının"]·urd["اور-برہنگی", "برہنگی", "برہنگی-اُس-کی", "بے-حیائی", "تیری-برہنگی", "تیری-شرمگاہ", "تیری-عریانی", "عورت", "عورت-اس-کی", "عورت-اپنی", "کمزوری"]
Gen 9:22, Gen 9:23, Gen 9:23, Gen 42:9, Gen 42:12, Exod 20:26, Deut 23:14, 1 Sam 20:30, Isa 47:3, Ezek 16:8, Ezek 16:36, Ezek 16:37 (+5 more)
3. shame, indecency, vulnerability — A figurative extension toward shame, disgrace, and vulnerability detached from literal bodily exposure. Isaiah 20:4 prophesies that Assyria will lead Egyptian captives 'with buttocks uncovered, the nakedness of Egypt,' where the physical image symbolizes national humiliation. Deuteronomy 24:1 uses the related phrase 'indecent thing' (literally 'nakedness of a matter') as grounds for divorce. 1×
AR["عَوْرَةَ"]·ben["লজ্জা"]·DE["[ערות]"]·EN["nakedness-of"]·FR["nudité"]·heb["ערוות"]·HI["लज्जा"]·ID["ketelanjangan"]·IT["nudita"]·jav["wirangipun"]·KO["부끄러움이여"]·PT["vergonha-de"]·RU["наготу"]·ES["desnudez-de"]·SW["aibu"]·TR["ayibi"]·urd["شرمگاہی"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H7200 1. Qal: to see, perceive (1257×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G4771 2. you (singular address) (1077×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)H8085 1. Qal: hear, perceive aurally (921×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0859a 1. you (2nd person masculine singular pronoun) (743×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
עֶרְוָה54 n.f. nakedness, pudenda;—abs. ע׳ Ex 28:42 Lv 18:6; usually cstr. עֶרְוַת Gn 9:22 +, sf. עֶרְוָתְֽךָ Ex 20:23 (Ginsb), Lv 18:10; עֶרְוָתֵךְ Is 47:3 +; -תוֹ Lv 20:17, -תָהּ 18:7 +; sf. 3 fpl. עֶרְוָתָן v 9, 10;— 1. pudenda, of man, רָאָה ע׳ implying shameful exposure Gn 9:22, 23 (J); mostly of woman: fig. of Jerus. (c. רָאָה) La 1:8; Ez 16:37; usually c. גלה: lit. תִּגָּלֶה ע׳ i.e. be…