2781. cherpah

Lexical Summary

cherpah: Reproach, disgrace, shame, scorn, insult

Original Word: חֶרְפָּה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: cherpah
Pronunciation: kher-PAH
Phonetic Spelling: (kher-paw')
KJV: rebuke, reproach(-fully), shame
NASB: reproach, disgrace, scorn, reproaches, contempt, shame, taunting
Word Origin: [from H2778 (חָרַף - To reproach)]

1. contumely, disgrace, the pudenda

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance

rebuke, reproachfully, shame

From charaph.; contumely, disgrace, the pudenda -- rebuke, reproach(-fully), shame.

see HEBREW charaph.

NAS Exhaustive Concordance

Word Origin
from charaph
Definition
a reproach
NASB Translation
contempt (1), disgrace (5), reproach (60), reproaches (2), scorn (3), shame (1), taunting (1).

Brown-Driver-Briggs

חֶרְמָּה noun feminine reproach — ׳ח Genesis 34:14 35t.; construct חֶרְמַּת Joshua 5:9 15t.; suffix חֶרְמָּֽתְךָ Psalm 74:22 etc. + 17 t. suffixes; plural חֲרָפוֺת Psalm 69:11; Daniel 12:2; construct חֶרְמּוֺת Psalm 69:10. —

1 taunt of enemy 1 Samuel 17:26; so also 1 Samuel 25:39; reproach cast upon another, scorn, contumely Nehemiah 3:36; Nehemiah 5:9; Psalm 69:20; Psalm 69:21; Psalm 71:13; Psalm 89:51; Psalm 119:22; Proverbs 18:3; Isaiah 51:7; Ezekiel 21:33; ׳שׁמע ח Jeremiah 51:51; Zephaniah 2:8; Lamentations 3:61; על ׳נתן ח Jeremiah 23:40; על ׳נשׂא ח Psalm 15:3 (slander); ׳נשׂא ח Jeremiah 31:19; Ezekiel 36:15; Micah 6:16 (reproach); נשׂא על ׳ח bear reproach for Psalm 69:8; Jeremiah 15:15; Zephaniah 3:18; ׳השׁיב ח Hosea 12:15; Nehemiah 3:36; ׳חרף ח Psalm 69:10; Psalm 79:12; Psalm 89:51; מעל ׳הסיר ח 1 Samuel 17:26; Isaiah 25:8; ׳העביר ח Psalm 119:39; reproaches against God Psalm 69:10 (חֶרְמּוֺת חוֺרְפֶיךָ), Psalm 74:22; Psalm 79:12.

2 reproach which rests upon one, condition of shame, disgrace:

a. sexual 2 Samuel 13:13; Isaiah 47:3; Ezekiel 16:57; Proverbs 6:33.

b. barrenness of womb Genesis 30:23 (E) Isaiah 4:1; widowhood Isaiah 54:4.

c. hunger Ezekiel 36:30; disease Job 19:5.

d. ritual, uncircumcision Genesis 34:14 (P) Joshua 5:9 (JE).

e. injuries from enemies Lamentations 3:30; Lamentations 5:1; Nehemiah 1:3; Nehemiah 2:7; Job 16:10; Daniel 11:18 (twice in verse).

3 a reproach, the object of reproach, the person of thing reproached חֶרְמַּת אָדָם a reproach of man Psalm 22:7; נבל ׳ח Psalm 39:9; ׳ל ׳היה ח become an object of reproach to Psalm 31:12; Psalm 79:4; Psalm 89:42; Psalm 109:25; Ezekiel 5:15; ׅ׳(היה) לח (ל Isaiah 30:5; Jeremiah 6:10; Jeremiah 20:8; Jeremiah 42:18; Jeremiah 44:8,12; Jeremiah 49:13; Psalm 69:11; Daniel 9:16; Daniel 12:2; ׅ׳(ל ׳נתן ח Ezekiel 22:4; Joel 2:19; Psalm 78:66; ׳נתן לח Jeremiah 24:9; Jeremiah 29:18; Ezekiel 5:14; Joshua 2:17; ׳ל ׳שׂים ח Psalm 44:14; על ׳שׂים ח 1 Samuel 11:2.

II. חרף (√ of following; compare Arabic gather fruit, pluck).

Topical Lexicon

Overview

חֶרְפָּה (cherpah) denotes the public disgrace, shame, or contempt that falls upon a person or community when honor before God and man is violated. Appearing roughly seventy-three times, it is a word of covenantal overtones: Israel’s obedience brings honor, disobedience invites reproach, and redemption lifts it.

Semantic Range and Theological Emphasis

Reproach is never a mere social embarrassment in Scripture. It signals a rupture in the God-ward relationship that exposes the offender to scorn, whether from enemies (Psalm 79:4), from former allies (Jeremiah 24:9), or from one’s own conscience (Psalm 69:7). The word can describe

• National humiliation (Joshua 5:9)
• Familial or marital disgrace (Genesis 30:23; 2 Samuel 13:13)
• Personal derision faced by the righteous (Psalm 22:6)
• Divine judgment that turns a people into a “taunt, a proverb, and a reproach” (Jeremiah 24:9; Ezekiel 5:15).

Because Israel’s identity is covenantal, cherpah is ultimately directed at the LORD whose name the nation bears (Psalm 74:10; Isaiah 37:4). Thus the removal of reproach is inseparable from God’s act of salvation (Isaiah 25:8).

Patterns of Usage in the Old Testament

1. National Shame and Covenant Renewal
• At Gilgal the LORD said, “Today I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you” (Joshua 5:9). Circumcision and Passover marked a recommitment to the covenant, reversing the shame of slavery.
• During Hezekiah’s reforms, cherpah explains why Judah was under judgment: “Our fathers were unfaithful… therefore the wrath of the LORD and His wrath has always been upon Judah and Jerusalem” (2 Chronicles 29:8, LXX cognate).

2. Personal and Familial Disgrace
• Rachel exclaims, “God has taken away my reproach” (Genesis 30:23), linking barrenness with covenant blessing or curse.
• Tamar pleads with Amnon, “Where could I take my reproach?” (2 Samuel 13:13), illustrating social and moral fallout when God’s standards are violated.

3. Military Taunt and Holy Zeal
• David asks, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Samuel 17:26). For David, Goliath’s challenge is cherpah on the covenant community and must be removed.

4. Liturgical Lament
• Psalms frequently pour out complaint: “You know my reproach and my shame and my disgrace” (Psalm 69:19).
• The psalmist appeals to God’s name: “For Your sake I bear reproach” (Psalm 69:7), turning shame into a platform for covenant faith.

5. Prophetic Oracles
• Prophets announce reproach as disciplinary measure (Ezekiel 16:57; Hosea 12:14) and predict its lifting when repentance and restoration come (Joel 2:19; Zephaniah 3:18).
• Isaiah 54:4 foresees post-exilic renewal: “You will forget the shame of your youth and remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.”

Removal of Reproach: Redemptive Trajectory

God Himself acts to “swallow up death forever, and the Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from every face and remove the reproach of His people from all the earth” (Isaiah 25:8). This promise looks ahead to the new covenant and ultimate victory over sin and death.

Messianic Fulfillment

Several cherpah texts are applied to the Messiah:
• Psalm 22:6—“But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people.”
• Psalm 69:9—“Zeal for Your house has consumed Me, and the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on Me,” cited in John 2:17 and Romans 15:3.

Christ bears the covenant curse, removes our shame, and creates a community that “goes to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach” (Hebrews 13:13).

From Old Testament to New Testament Community

Though the Greek term ὀνειδισμός often renders cherpah in the Septuagint, the thematic line continues: believers share in Christ’s suffering yet await vindication (1 Peter 4:14). The church thus lives between the reality of removed reproach and the hope of final honor.

Contemporary Ministry Implications

• Gospel Counseling: Many wrestle with shame rooted in sin or victimization. Cherpah texts reveal a God who removes reproach through substitutionary atonement and covenant embrace.
• Public Witness: In cultures hostile to biblical faith, reproach can be expected (Hebrews 11:26). Knowing its biblical pedigree encourages steadfastness.
• Worship and Lament: Psalms of reproach model honest prayer that moves from shame to trusting praise, guiding corporate and private liturgy.
• Social Ethics: Scripture ties reproach to injustice (Ezekiel 22:4). Faithful communities confront sin, seek reconciliation, and thus guard the honor of God’s name.

Cherpah ultimately magnifies the Lord who exchanges disgrace for glory. What began as Adam’s shame ends in the wedding garments of the Lamb’s bride, “for the former things have passed away” (Revelation 21:4).

Forms and Transliterations

בְּ֭חֶרְפָּה בְּחֶרְפָּֽה׃ בחרפה בחרפה׃ וְ֝חֶרְפָּ֗ה וְ֝חֶרְפָּת֗וֹ וְחֶ֨רְפָּת֔וֹ וְחֶרְפַּ֣ת וְחֶרְפַּ֥ת וְחֶרְפּ֥וֹת וּבְחֶרְפָּ֑ה וּלְחֶרְפָּ֔ה וּלְחֶרְפָּֽה׃ ובחרפה וחרפה וחרפות וחרפת וחרפתו ולחרפה ולחרפה׃ חֶ֝רְפָּ֗ה חֶ֭רְפָּה חֶ֭רְפָּתִי חֶרְפַּ֣ת חֶרְפַּ֥ת חֶרְפָּ֑ה חֶרְפָּ֔ה חֶרְפָּ֖ה חֶרְפָּ֘תָ֤ם חֶרְפָּ֡ה חֶרְפָּ֣ה חֶרְפָּ֤ה חֶרְפָּ֤ה ׀ חֶרְפָּ֥ה חֶרְפָּֽה׃ חֶרְפָּה֙ חֶרְפָּת֖וֹ חֶרְפָּתְךָ֥ חֶרְפָּתִ֔י חֶרְפָּתִ֜י חֶרְפָּתִ֣י חֶרְפָּתִּֽי׃ חֶרְפָּתִֽי׃ חֶרְפָּתֵ֑ךְ חֶרְפָּתֵֽנוּ׃ חֶרְפָּתָ֑ם חֶרְפָּתָ֖ם חֶרְפָּתָם֙ חֶרְפָּתוֹ֙ חרפה חרפה׃ חרפת חרפתו חרפתי חרפתי׃ חרפתך חרפתם חרפתנו׃ לְחֶרְפָּ֖ה לְחֶרְפָּ֛ה לְחֶרְפָּ֤ה לְחֶרְפָּ֥ה לְחֶרְפָּֽה׃ לְחֶרְפָּה֙ לַחֲרָפ֖וֹת לַחֲרָפ֣וֹת לחרפה לחרפה׃ לחרפות מֵחֶרְפַּ֖ת מחרפת bə·ḥer·pāh Becherpah bəḥerpāh cherPah cherPat cherpaTam cherpaTech cherpateCha cherpaTenu cherpaTi cherpaTo cherpatTi ḥer·pā·ṯām ḥer·pā·ṯə·ḵā ḥer·pā·ṯê·nū ḥer·pā·ṯêḵ ḥer·pā·ṯî ḥer·pā·ṯōw ḥer·pāh ḥer·paṯ ḥer·pāt·tî ḥerpāh ḥerpaṯ ḥerpāṯām ḥerpāṯêḵ ḥerpāṯəḵā ḥerpāṯênū ḥerpāṯî ḥerpāṯōw ḥerpāttî la·ḥă·rā·p̄ō·wṯ lacharaFot laḥărāp̄ōwṯ lə·ḥer·pāh lecherPah ləḥerpāh mê·ḥer·paṯ mecherPat mêḥerpaṯ ū·ḇə·ḥer·pāh ū·lə·ḥer·pāh ūḇəḥerpāh ulecherPah ūləḥerpāh uvecherPah vecherPah vecherPat vecherpaTo vecherPot wə·ḥer·pā·ṯōw wə·ḥer·pāh wə·ḥer·paṯ wə·ḥer·pō·wṯ wəḥerpāh wəḥerpaṯ wəḥerpāṯōw wəḥerpōwṯ

Englishman's Concordance

Genesis 30:23
HEB: אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶת־ חֶרְפָּתִֽי׃
NAS: God has taken away my reproach.
KJV: God hath taken away my reproach:
INT: has taken God my reproach

Genesis 34:14
HEB: עָרְלָ֑ה כִּֽי־ חֶרְפָּ֥ה הִ֖וא לָֽנוּ׃
NAS: is uncircumcised, for that would be a disgrace to us.
KJV: that is uncircumcised; for that [were] a reproach unto us:
INT: is uncircumcised would be a disgrace he

Joshua 5:9
HEB: גַּלּ֛וֹתִי אֶת־ חֶרְפַּ֥ת מִצְרַ֖יִם מֵעֲלֵיכֶ֑ם
NAS: I have rolled away the reproach of Egypt
KJV: have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt
INT: Today have rolled the reproach of Egypt and

1 Samuel 11:2
HEB: יָמִ֑ין וְשַׂמְתִּ֥יהָ חֶרְפָּ֖ה עַל־ כָּל־
NAS: of you, thus I will make it a reproach on all
KJV: and lay it [for] a reproach upon all Israel.
INT: the right will make A reproach and one

1 Samuel 17:26
HEB: הַלָּ֔ז וְהֵסִ֥יר חֶרְפָּ֖ה מֵעַ֣ל יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל
NAS: and takes away the reproach from Israel?
KJV: and taketh away the reproach from Israel?
INT: this and takes the reproach and Israel

1 Samuel 25:39
HEB: אֶת־ רִ֨יב חֶרְפָּתִ֜י מִיַּ֣ד נָבָ֗ל
NAS: the cause of my reproach from the hand
KJV: the cause of my reproach from the hand
INT: has pleaded the cause of my reproach the hand of Nabal

2 Samuel 13:13
HEB: אוֹלִיךְ֙ אֶת־ חֶרְפָּתִ֔י וְאַתָּ֗ה תִּהְיֶ֛ה
NAS: could I get rid of my reproach? And as for you, you will be like one
KJV: And I, whither shall I cause my shame to go?
INT: where get my shame you shalt be as

Nehemiah 1:3
HEB: בְּרָעָ֥ה גְדֹלָ֖ה וּבְחֶרְפָּ֑ה וְחוֹמַ֤ת יְרוּשָׁלִַ֙ם֙
NAS: distress and reproach, and the wall
KJV: affliction and reproach: the wall
INT: affliction great and reproach and the wall of Jerusalem

Nehemiah 2:17
HEB: נִהְיֶ֥ה ע֖וֹד חֶרְפָּֽה׃
NAS: longer be a reproach.
KJV: of Jerusalem, that we be no more a reproach.
INT: become longer reproach

Nehemiah 4:4
HEB: בוּזָ֔ה וְהָשֵׁ֥ב חֶרְפָּתָ֖ם אֶל־ רֹאשָׁ֑ם
NAS: Return their reproach on their own heads
KJV: and turn their reproach upon their own head,
INT: are despised Return their reproach on heads

Nehemiah 5:9
HEB: אֱלֹהֵ֙ינוּ֙ תֵּלֵ֔כוּ מֵחֶרְפַּ֖ת הַגּוֹיִ֥ם אוֹיְבֵֽינוּ׃
NAS: because of the reproach of the nations,
KJV: of our God because of the reproach of the heathen
INT: of our God walk of the reproach of the nations our enemies

Job 16:10
HEB: עָלַ֨י ׀ בְּפִיהֶ֗ם בְּ֭חֶרְפָּה הִכּ֣וּ לְחָיָ֑י
NAS: me on the cheek with contempt; They have massed
KJV: me upon the cheek reproachfully; they have gathered
INT: against their mouth contempt have slapped the cheek

Job 19:5
HEB: וְתוֹכִ֥יחוּ עָ֝לַ֗י חֶרְפָּתִּֽי׃
NAS: me And prove my disgrace to me,
KJV: [yourselves] against me, and plead against me my reproach:
INT: and prove against my disgrace

Psalm 15:3
HEB: לְרֵעֵ֣הוּ רָעָ֑ה וְ֝חֶרְפָּ֗ה לֹא־ נָשָׂ֥א
NAS: takes up a reproach against
KJV: nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbour.
INT: to his neighbor evil A reproach Nor takes

Psalm 22:6
HEB: וְלֹא־ אִ֑ישׁ חֶרְפַּ֥ת אָ֝דָ֗ם וּבְז֥וּי
NAS: and not a man, A reproach of men
KJV: and no man; a reproach of men,
INT: and not A man A reproach of men and despised

Psalm 31:11
HEB: צֹרְרַ֨י הָיִ֪יתִי חֶרְפָּ֡ה וְלִשֲׁכֵנַ֨י ׀ מְאֹד֮
NAS: I have become a reproach, Especially
KJV: I was a reproach among all mine enemies,
INT: my adversaries have become A reproach to my neighbors Especially

Psalm 39:8
HEB: פְּשָׁעַ֥י הַצִּילֵ֑נִי חֶרְפַּ֥ת נָ֝בָ֗ל אַל־
NAS: Make me not the reproach of the foolish.
KJV: make me not the reproach of the foolish.
INT: my transgressions Deliver the reproach of the foolish nay

Psalm 44:13
HEB: תְּשִׂימֵ֣נוּ חֶ֭רְפָּה לִשְׁכֵנֵ֑ינוּ לַ֥עַג
NAS: You make us a reproach to our neighbors,
KJV: Thou makest us a reproach to our neighbours,
INT: make A reproach to our neighbors A scoffing

Psalm 69:7
HEB: עָ֭לֶיךָ נָשָׂ֣אתִי חֶרְפָּ֑ה כִּסְּתָ֖ה כְלִמָּ֣ה
NAS: I have borne reproach; Dishonor
KJV: Because for thy sake I have borne reproach; shame
INT: your sake have borne reproach has covered Dishonor

Psalm 69:9
HEB: בֵּיתְךָ֣ אֲכָלָ֑תְנִי וְחֶרְפּ֥וֹת ח֝וֹרְפֶ֗יךָ נָפְל֥וּ
NAS: has consumed me, And the reproaches of those who reproach
KJV: hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached
INT: your house has consumed and the reproaches reproach have fallen

Psalm 69:10
HEB: נַפְשִׁ֑י וַתְּהִ֖י לַחֲרָפ֣וֹת לִֽי׃
NAS: with fasting, It became my reproach.
KJV: with fasting, that was to my reproach.
INT: my soul became my reproach

Psalm 69:19
HEB: אַתָּ֤ה יָדַ֗עְתָּ חֶרְפָּתִ֣י וּ֭בָשְׁתִּי וּכְלִמָּתִ֑י
NAS: You know my reproach and my shame
KJV: Thou hast known my reproach, and my shame,
INT: You know my reproach and my shame and my dishonor

Psalm 69:20
HEB: חֶרְפָּ֤ה ׀ שָֽׁבְרָ֥ה לִבִּ֗י
NAS: Reproach has broken my heart
KJV: Reproach hath broken my heart;
INT: Reproach has broken my heart

Psalm 71:13
HEB: נַ֫פְשִׁ֥י יַֽעֲט֣וּ חֶ֭רְפָּה וּכְלִמָּ֑ה מְ֝בַקְשֵׁ֗י
NAS: Let them be covered with reproach and dishonor,
KJV: let them be covered [with] reproach and dishonour
INT: of my soul them be covered reproach and dishonor seek

Psalm 74:22
HEB: רִיבֶ֑ךָ זְכֹ֥ר חֶרְפָּתְךָ֥ מִנִּי־ נָ֝בָ֗ל
NAS: how the foolish man reproaches You all
KJV: how the foolish man reproacheth thee daily.
INT: cause Remember reproaches at the foolish

73 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 2781
73 Occurrences

bə·ḥer·pāh — 2 Occ.
ḥer·pāh — 20 Occ.
ḥer·paṯ — 11 Occ.
ḥer·pā·ṯām — 4 Occ.
ḥer·pā·ṯêḵ — 1 Occ.
ḥer·pā·ṯə·ḵā — 1 Occ.
ḥer·pā·ṯê·nū — 2 Occ.
ḥer·pā·ṯî — 5 Occ.
ḥer·pā·ṯōw — 2 Occ.
ḥer·pāt·tî — 1 Occ.
la·ḥă·rā·p̄ō·wṯ — 2 Occ.
lə·ḥer·pāh — 7 Occ.
mê·ḥer·paṯ — 1 Occ.
ū·lə·ḥer·pāh — 5 Occ.
ū·ḇə·ḥer·pāh — 1 Occ.
wə·ḥer·pāh — 1 Occ.
wə·ḥer·paṯ — 4 Occ.
wə·ḥer·pā·ṯōw — 2 Occ.
wə·ḥer·pō·wṯ — 1 Occ.