ἐπαισχύνομαι (G1870) — Greek Lexicon

ἐπαισχύνομαι

epaischýnomai

G1870 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To experience a sense of shame or embarrassment, especially in the presence of others; to feel personally disgraced or humiliated in response to one's own actions or circumstances, or in relation to another person or thing. In various contexts, may imply reluctance to claim association with someone or something due to perceived dishonor, or inward avoidance of public exposure to disgrace.

Semantic Range

to be ashamed, to experience embarrassment, to feel disgrace, to shrink from public identification (with someone or something), to refuse out of self-conscious dishonor, to become discredited

Root / Etymology

From ἐπί (epi, 'upon, before') and αἰσχύνω (aischynō, 'to disgrace, to cause shame'), middle-passive of the compound verb indicating the bearing or feeling of shame upon oneself. Functions as a deponent verb in the New Testament: passive in form but active in meaning.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, αἰσχύνομαι denotes experiencing shame, often in a moral or social sense. The compound ἐπαισχύνομαι intensifies this meaning, emphasizing the sense of being ashamed before others or in public contexts. In the Hellenistic and Roman periods, particularly in the Septuagint and New Testament, the verb extends to social, moral, and rhetorical situations, signifying embarrassment, unwillingness to acknowledge association, or disavowal due to real or perceived disgrace. In the New Testament, it is often used for the feeling of being reluctant or ashamed to publicly identify with a person (such as the Messiah) or a message, especially in the face of opposition or social pressure. Standard English translations as 'be ashamed' accurately convey the basic sense, but may miss the full social and public dimensions implied in Greco-Roman honor-shame cultures. This term contrasts with ὑπισχνέομαι ('to promise') or ἐπαγγέλλομαι ('to profess'), which involve positive or open identification.

Translation Consistency

primary "be ashamed" 0 occurrences

The primary sense of ἐπαισχύνομαι is to experience shame or embarrassment (often in public or in relation to another). "Be ashamed" is the natural, idiomatic English rendering that covers the full typical range (feel ashamed, be disgraced, shrink from public identification) and can be inflected consistently for all forms.

Alternatives (11 occurrences):

"ashamed" (7x) "feels ashamed" (2x) "feeling ashamed" (1x) "feel ashamed" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from ἐπί and αἰσχύνομαι; to feel shame for something:--be ashamed.

Root Family

ἐπαισχύνομαι (epaischynomai) — to feel shame, to be disgraced, to be embarrassed

Root αἰσχυν- to feel shame, to be disgraced, to be embarrassed

Word Forms

7 distinct forms

SIDANCE	Surface	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2	Occurrences
`G1870-02`	ἐπαισχύνεται	epaischunetai	`V PRS MID IND 3P SG`	is ashamed	he feels ashamed	he feels ashamed	2
`G1870-06`	ἐπαισχυνθήσεται	epaischunthesetai	`V FUT PASS IND 3P SG`	will be ashamed	will feel shame	will be ashamed	2
`G1870-04`	ἐπαισχυνθῇ	epaischunthe	`V AOR PASS SUBJ 3P SG`	is ashamed	may feel ashamed	may be ashamed	2
`G1870-03`	ἐπαισχύνομαι	epaischunomai	`V PRS MID IND 1P SG`	ashamed	I feel ashamed	I am ashamed	2
`G1870-05`	ἐπαισχυνθῇς	epaischunthes	`V AOR PASS SUBJ 2P SG`	be ashamed	you should feel ashamed	you should feel ashamed	1
`G1870-07`	ἐπησχύνθη	epeschunthe	`V AOR PASS IND 3P SG`	was-ashamed	felt shame	was ashamed	1
`G1870-01`	ἐπαισχύνεσθε	epaischunesthe	`V PRS MID IND 2P PL`	you are ashamed	you are feeling ashamed	you are feeling ashamed	1

Occurrences in Scripture

11 occurrences

Filter by SIDANCE:

SIDANCE	Reference	Word	Transliteration	Morphology	Common	SIBI-P1	SIBI-P2
`G1870-04`	Mark 8:38	ἐπαισχυνθῇ	epaischunthe	`V AOR PASS SUBJ 3P SG`	is ashamed	may feel ashamed	may be ashamed
`G1870-06`	Mark 8:38	ἐπαισχυνθήσεται	epaischunthesetai	`V FUT PASS IND 3P SG`	will be ashamed	will feel shame	will be ashamed
`G1870-04`	Luke 9:26	ἐπαισχυνθῇ	epaischunthe	`V AOR PASS SUBJ 3P SG`	is ashamed	may feel ashamed	may be ashamed
`G1870-06`	Luke 9:26	ἐπαισχυνθήσεται	epaischunthesetai	`V FUT PASS IND 3P SG`	will be ashamed	will feel shame	will be ashamed
`G1870-03`	Romans 1:16	ἐπαισχύνομαι	epaischunomai	`V PRS MID IND 1P SG`	I am ashamed	I feel ashamed	I am ashamed
`G1870-01`	Romans 6:21	ἐπαισχύνεσθε	epaischunesthe	`V PRS MID IND 2P PL`	you are ashamed	you are feeling ashamed	you are feeling ashamed
`G1870-05`	2 Timothy 1:8	ἐπαισχυνθῇς	epaischunthes	`V AOR PASS SUBJ 2P SG`	be ashamed	you should feel ashamed	you should feel ashamed
`G1870-03`	2 Timothy 1:12	ἐπαισχύνομαι	epaischunomai	`V PRS MID IND 1P SG`	ashamed	I feel ashamed	I am ashamed
`G1870-07`	2 Timothy 1:16	ἐπησχύνθη	epeschunthe	`V AOR PASS IND 3P SG`	was-ashamed	felt shame	was ashamed
`G1870-02`	Hebrews 2:11	ἐπαισχύνεται	epaischunetai	`V PRS MID IND 3P SG`	is ashamed	he feels ashamed	he feels ashamed
`G1870-02`	Hebrews 11:16	ἐπαισχύνεται	epaischunetai	`V PRS MID IND 3P SG`	is ashamed	he feels ashamed	he feels ashamed

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