I am full of shame, and conscious of my misery. Job 10:15b NASB Shame – You might think that the Hebrew word here is the common word translated “shame,” i.e., bôš. That word is found in verses like Psalm 25:2 (“Let me not be ashamed”). Its primary meaning is public humiliation. “to fall into disgrace, normally through…
Sustain me according to Your word, that I may live; and do not let me be ashamed of my hope. Psalm 119:116 NASB Do not let me be ashamed – One of the most terrifying words of the Tanakh is bôš. It means “be ashamed, put to shame, disconcerted, disappointed.” In the ancient world, shame was not an…
I will also speak of Your testimonies before kings and shall not be ashamed. Psalm 119:46 NASB Shall not be ashamed – If you’ve discovered anything at all in this vav section, it’s that each of these verses not only begins with a vav but also is a past statement of God’s faithfulness and the poet’s…
I cling to Your testimonies; Lord, do not put me to shame! Psalm 119:31 NASB Put me to shame – In order to feel the impact of the psalmist’s plea, we must notice his use of dābaq, the word first found in Genesis 2:24. Looking back a few verses, we see the poet’s deliberate allusion to…
Then I will not be ashamed when I look at all Your commandments. Psalm 119:6 NASB Not be ashamed – It’s worth reiterating the difference between our contemporary, psychological idea of “shame” and the ancient Hebrew idea. As we’ve discovered before: The primary meaning of this root is “to fall into disgrace, normally through failure, either…
I will also speak of Your testimonies before kings and shall not be ashamed. Psalm 119:46 NASB Shall not be ashamed – If you’ve discovered anything at all in this vav section, it’s that each of these verses not only begins with a vav but also is a past statement of God’s faithfulness and the poet’s…
My tongue also will tell of Your righteousness all day long; for they are put to shame, for they are humiliated who seek my harm. Psalm 71:24 NASB Put to same/ humiliated – Ah, we’re back at the beginning, a great place to end. What is the result of being “redeemed,” that is, becoming a soldier in…
May those who are enemies of my soul be put to shame and consumed; may they be covered with disgrace and dishonor, who seek to injure me. Psalm 71:13 NASB Shame/ disgrace/ dishonor – Before the Greeks invented reward and punishment in the afterlife, Semitic societies focused ethical attention on contemporary experience. Cut off from the Egyptian preoccupation with the…
In You, Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame. Psalm 71:1 NASB Put to shame – It isn’t surprising to find out that social media is one of the sources of psychological distress in young people. A recent study confirms the negative effects on teenagers,[1] but I suspect that we adults…
And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. Genesis 2:25 NASB Not ashamed – When you read this verse, what mental picture comes to mind? Something like this: (Rubens and Brueghel)?[1] We grew up with the 17th century version of Eden, complete with Nordic men and women. Naked, of course,…
