Shame

Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament

SHAME

1. Objectively = dishonouring treatment, that which causes shame; usually ἀτιμία, ἀτιμάζειν ( Mark 12:4,  Luke 20:11). Shame is mentioned in several passages of the OT which are usually applied to Christ’s sufferings ( Psalms 44:15;  Psalms 69:7;  Psalms 69:19;  Psalms 89:45,  Isaiah 50:6); but the word is, curiously enough, never so used in the Gospels.  Hebrews 12:2 speaks of the shame (αἰσχύνη) of the cross,  Hebrews 13:13 of Christ’s reproach (ὀνειδισμός), and in  Hebrews 6:6 those who fall from grace are said to crucify Him afresh and put Him to an open shame (παραδειγματίζεν). In  John 8:49 the unbelieving Jews dishonour (ἀτιμάζειν) Him, and in  Acts 5:41 the Apostles rejoice at suffering shame (ἀτιμασθῆναι) for His name.

The shame which Christ in fact bore is seen specially in such incidents of the Passion as the night arrest as of a thief or robber, the spitting, the scourging and the mockings, the public procession through the streets of Jerusalem, the taunts, the stripping naked of His body, and the hanging side by side with criminals. But above all, it is seen in the manner of His death, the cross being peculiarly the death of shame.* [Note: See the well-known passage in Cic. in Verr. v. 66: ‘Quid dicam in crucem tolli? Verbo satis digno tarn nefaria res appellari nullo modo potest.’] In the passages in the Gospels which speak of crucifixion and taking up the cross ( Matthew 20:19,  Mark 8:34 etc.), though the prominent thought is that of sufferings, the idea of shame and ignominy is undoubtedly present as well. This shame must be willingly borne both by Christ and by His followers.

2. Subjectively = the feeling of shame; usually αἰσχύνη and cognate words.† [Note: For distinction between αἰσχύνη and αἰδώς, see Trench, NT Syn. §§ 19, 20. The latter Is the better word; ‘αἰδώς would always restrain a good man from an unworthy act, while αἰσχύνη would sometimes restrain a bad one.’] It is interesting to note that the typically Greek and almost untranslatable αἰδώς has practically dropped out of Biblical Greek. In the LXX Septuagint it occurs twice in Mac.; in NT only in  1 Timothy 2:9 μετὰ αἰδοῦς κ. σωφροσύνης (’with shamefastness and sobriety,’ Revised Version NT 1881, OT 1885; ‘shamefacedness,’ Authorized Version* [Note: See Hastings’ DB, s.v.] ), and in Textus Receptus of  Hebrews 12:28 (Authorized Version ‘reverence’), where edd. [Note: editions or editors.] read δέους. It may be that, like such words as ἀρετή and φιλία, it was avoided as having a technical and unsuitable sense. In Homer and Hesiod it ranks high, being coupled with νέμεσις, and personified; it is the sense of what is due to oneself and others. Aristotle,† [Note: See Eth. iv. 9; Rhet. ii. 6.] however, regards it not as a virtue, but an emotion (πάθος), which he does not consider very valuable to ethics. It is the fear of ἀδοξία, the loss of reputation, and, while proper to the νέος, it is out of place in the πρεσβύτερος or ἐπιεικής (the good man). They ought never to do, or wish to do, things that might evoke the feeling of shame.

Shame is not, then, a motive which we shall expect to find prominent in Christian ethics. Its essential idea being φόβος ἀδοξίας, it looks only to the varying standard of public opinion, to what people would say, or might be conceived of as saying if they knew. And its source is not the moral sense of right and wrong, but at best the feeling of propriety and decency. At its highest it is a neutral word. If it may sometimes deter from a wrong action, regarded as disgraceful, it is even more likely to deter from a right action, as unpopular.

It is in this sense that it is most prominent in the Gospels. It may keep a man from honest work ( Luke 16:3). Christ warns those who are ashamed of Him and of His words, that He too will be ashamed of them ( Mark 8:38,  Luke 9:26; cf.  John 12:43). It is this false shame that is emphatically repudiated by the Apostles ( Romans 1:16,  2 Timothy 1:8;  2 Timothy 1:12,  1 Peter 4:16).

Shame may also follow an action; and here too the idea is not the conviction of sin, but the confusion which comes from discovery, though this may be an element in a future awakening of conscience. It is the fate of one who unduly exalts himself ( Luke 14:10). Christ’s enemies are put to shame ( Luke 13:17), i.e. they are enraged at being exposed before the people. Though the word is not mentioned, it is presumably the feeling of the man who hid his talent or pound, when brought face to face with his master ( Matthew 25:24,  Luke 19:20); and it is certainly implied in  John 8:9, whether the words ‘convicted by their conscience’ are genuine or not. The Pharisees are ashamed of being found exploiting a sin for their own ends.

It is possible that in the passage last quoted (the episode of the woman taken in adultery) we have an instance of shame in another aspect, the sympathetic shame evoked by sin in others. Christ was face to face with the type of sin which particularly rouses that feeling, and with a callous attempt on the part of His enemies to use that sin for their own advantage. He blushed for those who did not blush for themselves.

‘He was seized with an intolerable sense of shame. He could not meet the eye of the crowd, or of the accusers, and perhaps at that moment least of all of the woman.… In his burning embarrassment and confusion he stooped down so as to hide his face, and began writing with his finger on the ground’ (Seeley, Ecce Homo , ch. ix.).

We may note that the word is far rarer in the NT, and particularly in the Gospels, than in the OT. The typically Hebraic use of בּוֹשׁ = to be disappointed of a hope , is not found in the Gospels; it occurs in  Romans 5:5;  Romans 9:33;  Romans 10:11,  1 Peter 2:6. In each case a quotation is implied or expressed, though, curiously enough, from a passage (Is 28:16) where בּו̇שׁ does not occur in the Hebrew. The shame or reproach of childlessness, which is so prominent in the OT, is referred to in  Luke 1:25.

Literature.—Hasting's Dictionary of the Bible, art. ‘Shame’; Trench, NT Synonyms  ; G. Salmon, Gnosticism and Agnosticism (1887), 164; R. W. Church, Village Serm ., 3rd ser. (1897), 236.

C. W. Emmet.

Vine's Expository Dictionary of NT Words

A — 1: Ἀτιμία (Strong'S #819 — Noun Feminine — atimia — at-ee-mee'-ah )

signifies (a) "shame, disgrace,"  Romans 1:26 , "vile (passions)," RV, lit., "(passions) of shame;"  1—Corinthians 11:14; (b) "dishonor," e.g.  2—Timothy 2:20 , where the idea of disgrace of "shame" does not attach to the use of the word; the meaning is that while in a great house some vessels are designed for purposes of honor, others have no particular honor (time) attached to their use (the prefix a simply negatives the idea of honor). See Dishonor.

A — 2: Αἰσχύνη (Strong'S #152 — Noun Feminine — aischune — ahee-skhoo'-nay )

See Ashamed , B, No. 1.

: (Strong'S # — — — )

 1—Corinthians 6:5;  15:34 . See Ashamed , B, No. 2.

A — 4: Ἀσχημοσύνη (Strong'S #808 — Noun Feminine — aschemosune — as-kay-mos-oo'-nay )

denotes (a) "unseemliness,"  Romans 1:27 , RV (AV, "that which is unseemly"); (b) "shame, nakedness,"  Revelation 16:15 , a euphemism for No. 2.

B — 1: Αἰσχρός (Strong'S #150 — Adjective — aischros — ahee-skhros' )

"base, shameful" (akin to aischos, "shame"), of that which is opposed to modesty or purity, is translated as a noun in  1—Corinthians 11:6;  14:35 , AV (RV, "shameful");  Ephesians 5:12; in  Titus 1:11 , "filthy (lucre)," lit., "shameful (gain)." See Filthy.

C — 1: Ἀτιμάζω (Strong'S #818 — Verb — atimazo — at-im-ad'-zo )

"to dishonor, put to shame" (akin to A, No. 1): see Dishonor , C, No. 1.

C — 2: Ἐντρέπω (Strong'S #1788 — Verb — entrepo — en-trep'-o )

lit., "to turn in upon, to put to shame" (akin to A, No. 3), is translated "to shame (you)" in  1—Corinthians 4:14 . See Ashamed , A, No. 4.

C — 3: Καταισχύνω (Strong'S #2617 — Verb — kataischuno — kat-ahee-skhoo'-no )

"to put to shame" (kata, perhaps signifying "utterly"), is translated "ye ... shame (them)" in  1—Corinthians 11:22 , AV, RV, "ye ... put (them) to shame." See Ashamed , A, No. 3.

C — 4: Παραδειγματίζω (Strong'S #3856 — Verb — paradeigmatizo — par-ad-igue-mat-id'-zo )

signifies "to set forth as an example" (para, "beside," deiknumi, "to show"), and is used in  Hebrews 6:6 of those Jews, who, though attracted to, and closely associated with, the Christian faith, without having experienced more than a tasting of the heavenly gift and partaking of the Holy Ghost (not actually receiving Him), were tempted to apostatize to Judaism, and, thereby crucifying the Son of God a second time, would "put Him to an open shame." So were criminals exposed. In the Sept.,   Numbers 25:4;  Jeremiah 13:22;  Ezekiel 28:17 .

Baker's Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology

Shame is a consequence of sin. Feelings of guilt and shame are subjective acknowledgments of an objective spiritual reality. Guilt is judicial in character; shame is relational. Though related to guilt, shame emphasizes sin's effect on self-identity. Sinful human beings are traumatized before a holy God, exposed for failure to live up to God's glorious moral purpose. The first response of Adam and Eve to their sinful condition was to hide from God, and consequently from one another ( Genesis 3:7-8;  2:25 ). Christ's unhindered openness to the Father was both a model for life and the means of removing humanity's shame. Christian self-identity is transformed "in him."

The word-group for shame ("disconcerted, " "disappointed, " "confounded") occurs in the Old Testament most frequently in the Wisdom Literature and in the prophets (especially Isaiah and Jeremiah). David captures the pervasive Old Testament perspective when he says, "Let me not be put to shame, O Lord, for I have cried out to you; let the wicked be put to shame, and lie silent in the grave" ( Psalm 31:17 ). The godly Israelite believed God would remove his or her shame ( Psalm 119:31 ) while expecting God to defeat his or her enemies in the present as he will do it utterly at the judgment ( Psalm 35:26;  44:7;  132:18 ). Some presumed on their elect status, ignoring faith and obedience. God shamed them and the nation by causing its defeat and dispersion ( Isaiah 22:18;  Jeremiah 2:26;  7:19;  Ezekiel 7:18;  Daniel 9:7-8 ). The believing Israelite remnant trusted God through suffering ( Isaiah 49:23;  54:4 ). At the final judgment the wicked will be shamed because of their utter defeat ( Isaiah 47:3 ) and because of the manifest impotence of their idols ( Isaiah 42:17;  44:9,11;  Jeremiah 22:22;  Hosea 10:6 ). Israel, however, will not bear its shame forever ( Isaiah 45:17;  61:7 ). Proverbs emphasizes the shame of public humiliation for undisciplined behavior (13:18; 18:13; 25:8), with particular attention to family relationships (12:4; 17:2; 19:26; 29:15).

The New Testament deepens and expands the concept of shame. A disciple of Christ stands with him unashamedly in a world that finds the cross ( Hebrews 12:2 ), God's ways ( 1 Corinthians 1:27 ), and God's persecuted messengers ( 2 Timothy 1:8,12 ) shameful. Those ashamed of him now will find Christ ashamed of them on the day of judgment ( Mark 8:38;  Luke 9:26 ). Conversely, God is not ashamed to call the faithful "brothers" of Christ ( Hebrews 2:11 ).

Suffering for Christ is identification with Christ, glory not shame ( Acts 5:41;  1 Peter 4:16 ). Paul was not ashamed of the gospel because it is the only antidote for humanity's shame ( Romans 1:16 ). Ultimately, the Christian who trusts in Christ need not be ashamed of anything ( Philippians 1:20; cf.  Isaiah 28:16;  Romans 9:33;  10:11;  1 Peter 2:6 ). When one confesses Christ and openly rebels against him, however, the work of Christ is publicly shamed ( Hebrews 6:6 ). Christians must be diligent to renounce shameful behavior, though tempting because of its hidden character ( 2 Corinthians 4:2 ).

Shame is a godly motivator. A virtuous life shames the ungodly, providing a context for evangelism ( Titus 2:8;  1 Peter 3:16 ). A believer's shame for past sin is a spur to forsake sinning ( Romans 6:21 ), to renounce disobedience ( 2 Thessalonians 3:14 ), and to minister the gospel ( 2 Corinthians 4:2 ). The prospect of shame at Christ's return is sometimes a necessary inducement to godliness ( Revelation 3:18;  16:15 ). Paul uses the concept of shame most frequently with the immature Corinthian believers, urging them not to shame themselves ( 1 Corinthians 4:14;  6:5;  15:34;  2 Corinthians 9:4 ) or him ( 2 Corinthians 7:14;  10:8 ).

Shameless people flaunt their unholiness, calloused to God ( Zephaniah 3:5 ) and glorying in their shame ( Philippians 3:19 ). Yet no one is shameless ultimately. "Shameless Acts" receive the judgment inherent in the act ( Romans 1:27 ). Also, at the final judgment the nakedness of those not clothed with Christ' righteousness will be exposed ( Revelation 3:18;  16:15 ).

Bradford A. Mullen

See also Guilt; Sin

Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible

SHAME . 1 . In the first Biblical reference to this emotion (  Genesis 2:25; cf.   Genesis 3:7 ) ‘shame’ appears as ‘the correlative of sin and guilt’; it is ‘the overpowering feeling that inward harmony and satisfaction with oneself are disturbed’ (Delitzsch, Com., in loc .). From the OT point of view the crowning shame is idolatry: ‘As the thief is ashamed when he is found, so is the house of Israel ashamed; they say to a stock, Thou art my father’ (  Jeremiah 2:26; cf.   Isaiah 41:11;   Isaiah 42:17 ). The all-inclusive promise to those who trust in God is ‘none that wait on thee shall be ashamed’ (  Psalms 25:3 RV [Note: Revised Version.]; cf.   Psalms 119:8;   Psalms 119:30 ,   Isaiah 45:16 f.,   Isaiah 49:23;   Isaiah 54:4 f.,   Jeremiah 17:13 ,   Joel 2:25 f.,   Romans 5:5;   Romans 9:33;   Romans 10:11 ). The absence of shame is always regarded as an aggravation of sinful conduct: Job (  Job 19:3 ) reproaches his friends because they are ‘not ashamed’ of dealing hardly with him; the climax of Jeremiah’s complaint (  Jeremiah 6:15 ) against those who had ‘committed abomination’ is that ‘they were not at all ashamed, neither could they blush’ (cf.   Jeremiah 8:12 ,   Zephaniah 3:5;   Zephaniah 3:11 ). The culmination of shamelessness is seen in those ‘whose glory is in their shame’ (  Philippians 3:19 ); but in this passage, as elsewhere (  Isaiah 50:3; cf.   Proverbs 10:5;   Proverbs 25:3 ), ‘shame’ is, by a natural transference of ideas, applied not to the inward feeling, but to its outward cause. The degradation of those ‘whose god is their belly’ is seen in their boasting of conduct which ought to have made them ashamed of their perversion of gospel liberty into sinful licence. The return of shame is a sign of true repentance: ‘then shalt thou remember thy ways and be ashamed’ (  Ezekiel 16:61 , cf.   Ezra 9:6 ).

2 . The consciousness of shame varies with the conventional standards adopted in any society. For example, poverty (  Proverbs 13:18 ), leprosy (  Numbers 12:14 ), widowhood (  Isaiah 54:4 ) may be viewed as involving ‘shame,’ though there is no blame. In the sense of violation of propriety St. Paul applies the word to men who wear their hair long and to women who wear it short (  1 Corinthians 11:6;   1 Corinthians 11:14 , cf.   1 Corinthians 6:5;   1 Corinthians 14:35 ); by an analogous adaptation of its meaning he describes God’s ideal ‘workman’ as one ‘that needeth not to be ashamed’ (  2 Timothy 2:15 ).

3 . In the NT sin is pre-eminently the shameful thing (  Romans 6:21 ,   Philippians 3:19 ,   Ephesians 5:12 ,   Judges 1:13 ,   1 John 2:28; cf.   1 John 3:6 ). But the distinguishing characteristic of the early ‘Christian use of the word is’ the trans valuation of values.’ ‘Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, … endured the cross, despising shame’ (  Hebrews 12:2 ). When St. Paul says ‘I am not ashamed of the gospel’ (  Romans 1:16 ), by a well-known figure of speech his negative statement emphatically asserts his positive glorying (  Galatians 6:14 ). To ‘suffer as a Christian’ and ‘not (to) be ashamed’ Is to ‘glorify God’ (  1 Peter 4:16; cf.   2 Timothy 1:8 f.,   2 Timothy 1:12;   2 Timothy 1:16 ). The same heightening of the contrast is Implied when, on the one hand, the Son of Man declares that in the day of judgment He will he ashamed of all who are now ashamed of Him and of His words (  Mark 8:38 ,   Luke 9:26 ); and on the other hand, St. John’s assurance is that those who abide in Christ ‘may have boldness and not be ashamed before him at his coming’ (  1 John 2:28 ). Of them who desire a heavenly country ‘God is not ashamed … to be called their God’; for the city He has prepared, they are being prepared by the sanctifying grace of Him ‘who is not ashamed to call them brethren’ (  Hebrews 11:16;   Hebrews 2:11 ).

J. G. Tasker.

Vine's Expository Dictionary of OT Words

A. Verb.

Bûsh ( בּוֹשׁ , Strong'S #954), “to be ashamed, feel ashamed.” This verb, which occurs 129 times in biblical Hebrew, has cognates in Ugaritic, Akkadian, and Arabic. The word has overtones of being or feeling worthless. Bûsh means “to be ashamed” in Isa. 1:29: “For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired, and ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen.”

B. Noun.

Bôsheth ( בּשֶׁת , Strong'S #1322), “shame; shameful thing.” The 30 appearances of this noun are mostly in poetic materials—only 5 appearances are in historical literature.

This word means a “shameful thing” as a substitute for the name Baal: “For shame hath devoured the labor of our fathers from our youth …” (Jer. 3:24; cf. Jer. 11:13; Hos. 9:10). This substitution also occurs in proper names: Ish-bosheth (2 Sam. 2:8), the “man of shame,” was originally Esh-baal (cf. 1 Chron. 8:33), the “man of Baal.”

This word represents both “shame and worthlessness”: “Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse … unto the confusion of thy mother’s nakedness” (1 Sam. 20:30). The “shame of one’s face” (2 Chron. 32:21) may well mean being red-faced or embarrassed.

Webster's Dictionary

(1): ( v. t.) To make ashamed; to excite in (a person) a comsciousness of guilt or impropriety, or of conduct derogatory to reputation; to put to shame.

(2): ( n.) A painful sensation excited by a consciousness of guilt or impropriety, or of having done something which injures reputation, or of the exposure of that which nature or modesty prompts us to conceal.

(3): ( n.) Reproach incurred or suffered; dishonor; ignominy; derision; contempt.

(4): ( n.) The cause or reason of shame; that which brings reproach, and degrades a person in the estimation of others; disgrace.

(5): ( n.) The parts which modesty requires to be covered; the private parts.

(6): ( n.) To be ashamed; to feel shame.

(7): ( v. t.) To mock at; to deride.

(8): ( v. t.) To cover with reproach or ignominy; to dishonor; to disgrace.

Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary

Every one knows what shame means, it implies somewhat that is disgraceful, somewhat connected with sin. Hence, where sin is not, there is not properly speaking, shame. So that our first parents in the garden, before sin entered into the world, knew nothing of shame. For it is expressly said, "And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed." ( Genesis 2:25) But after the fall, instantly a conscious sense of sin made them attempt to hide themselves from the presence of the Lord, amidst the trees of the garden. ( Genesis 3:7-8) What a sweet thought is it, that as a sense of sin induceth shame, so a consciousness that sin is done away in Christ takes away that shame, and induceth holy boldness. Hence John saith, when speaking of Christ, "And now, little children, abide in him, that when he shall appear we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming." ( 1 John 2:28)

Charles Buck Theological Dictionary

A painful sensation, occasioned by the quick apprehension that reputation and character are in danger, or by the perception that they are lost. It may arise, says Cr. Cogan, from the immediate detection, or the fear of detection, in something ignominious. It may also arise from native diffidence in young and ingenuous minds, when surprised into situations where they attract the peculiar attention of their superiors. The glow of shame indicates, in the first instance, that the mind is not totally abandoned; in the last, it manifests a nice sense of honour and delicate feelings, united with inexperience and ignorance of the world.

King James Dictionary

SHAME, n.

1. A painful sensation excited by a consciousness of guilt, or of having done something which injures reputation or by of that which nature nature or modesty prompts us to conceal. Shame is particularly excited by the disclosure of actions which, in the view of men, are mean and degrading. Hence it it is often or always manifested by a downcast look or by blushes, called confusion of face.

Hide, for shame,

Romans, your grandsires' images,

That blush at their degenerate progeny. Dryden.

International Standard Bible Encyclopedia

shām ( בּושׁ , bōsh , "to be ashamed," בּשת , bōsheth , "shame," קכון , ḳālōn  ; αἰσχύνη , aischúnē , "ignominy," ἀτιμία , atimı́a , "dishonor," and other words): An oft-recurring word in Scripture almost uniformly bound up with a sense of sin and guilt. It is figuratively set forth as a wild beast (  Jeremiah 3:24 ), a Nessus-garment ( Jeremiah 3:25 ), a blight ( Jeremiah 20:18 ), a sin against one's own soul ( Habakkuk 2:10 ), and twice as the condensed symbol of Hebrew abomination - B aal ( Jeremiah 11:13 margin;   Hosea 9:10 margin; see Ish-Bosheth ). It is bracketed with defeat ( Isaiah 30:3 ), reproach ( Psalm 69:7;  Isaiah 54:4;  Micah 2:6 ), confusion ( Isaiah 6:7 ), nakedness ( Isaiah 47:3;  Micah 1:11 ), everlasting contempt ( Daniel 12:2 ), folly ( Proverbs 18:13 ), cruelty ( Isaiah 50:6;  Hebrews 12:2 ), poverty ( Proverbs 13:18 ), nothingness ( Proverbs 9:7 the King James Version), unseemliness (  1 Corinthians 11:6;  1 Corinthians 14:35 the King James Version;   Ephesians 5:12 ), and "them that go down to the pit" ( Ezekiel 32:25 ). In the first Biblical reference to this emotion, "shame" appears as "the correlative of sin and guilt" (Delitzsch, New Commentary on Genesis and Biblical Psychology ). Shamelessness is characteristic of abandoned wickedness ( Philippians 3:19;  Judges 1:13 , margin "Greek: 'shames'"). Manifestly, then, shame is a concomitant of the divine judgment upon sin; the very worst that a Hebrew could wish for an enemy was that he might be clothed with shame ( Psalm 109:29 ), that the judgment of God might rest upon him visibly.

Naturally, to the Hebrew, shame was the portion of those who were idolaters, who were faithless to Yahweh or who were unfriendly to themselves - the elect people of Yahweh. Shame is to come upon Moab because Moab held Israel in derision ( Jeremiah 48:39 ,  Jeremiah 48:27 ), and upon Edom "for violence against his brother Jacob" ( Obadiah 1:10 ). But also, and impartially, shame is the portion of faithless Israelites who deny Yahweh and follow after strange gods ( Ezekiel 7:18;  Micah 7:10;  Hosea 10:6 , and often). But shame, too, comes upon those who exalt themselves against God, who trust in earthly power and the show of material strength ( 2 Chronicles 32:21;  Isaiah 30:3 ); and upon those who make a mock of righteousness ( Job 8:22;  Psalm 35:26;  Psalm 132:18 ). With a fine sense of ethical distinctions the Biblical writers recognize that in confessing to a sense of shame there is hope for better things. Only in the most desperate cases is there no sense of shame ( Hosea 4:18;  Zephaniah 3:5;  Philippians 3:19;  Judges 1:13 ); in pardon God is said to remove shame ( Isaiah 54:4 twice;   Isaiah 61:7 ).

On conditions beyond the grave the Biblical revelation is exceedingly reticent, but here and there are hints that shame waits upon the wicked here and hereafter. Such an expression as that in Daniel ( Daniel 12:2 ) cannot be ignored, and though the writing itself may belong to a late period and a somewhat sophisticated theological development, the idea is but a reflection of the earlier and more elementary period, when the voice of crime and cruelty went up from earth to be heard in the audience chamber of God ( Genesis 4:11;  Genesis 6:13 ). In the New Testament there is similar reticence but also similar implications. It cannot be much amiss to say that in the mind of the Biblical writers sin was a shameful thing; that part of the punishment for sin was a consciousness of guilt in the sense of shame; and that from this consciousness of guilt there was no deliverance while the sin was unconfessed and unforgiven. "Many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life and some to shame and everlasting contempt." From one's own past there is no deliverance, save through contrition of spirit and the grace and forgiveness of God. While the sense of shame persists, or, in other words, while the moral constitution of man's nature remains as it is, there will never be wanting an avenger of sin.

Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature

(usually בּוֹשׁ , Αἰσχύνη ), a painful sensation, occasioned by the quick apprehension that reputation and character are in danger, or by the perception that they are lost. It may arise, says Dr. Cogan, from the immediate detection, or the fear of detection, in something ignominious. It may also arise from native diffidence in young and ingenuous minds, when surprised into situations where they attract the especial attention of their superiors. The glow of shame indicates, in the first instance, that the mind is not totally abandoned; in the last, it manifests a nice sense of honor and delicate feelings, united with inexperience and ignorance of the world. (See Modesty).