Infamous
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The term "infamous" is not directly used in the Bible; however, the concept of infamy—being known for a bad reputation or evil deeds—is evident throughout the Scriptures. The Bible provides numerous examples of individuals and groups whose actions led to a legacy of infamy, serving as warnings and lessons for believers.

Old Testament Examples

1. Cain: Cain, the firstborn son of Adam and Eve, is infamous for committing the first murder by killing his brother Abel out of jealousy. This act of violence marked him with a legacy of infamy. Genesis 4:8-10 recounts, "Cain said to his brother Abel, 'Let us go out to the field.' And while they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Then the LORD said to Cain, 'Where is your brother Abel?' 'I do not know,' he answered. 'Am I my brother’s keeper?'"

2. Jezebel: Queen Jezebel, the wife of King Ahab, is notorious for her idolatry and persecution of the prophets of Yahweh. Her actions led to the spiritual decline of Israel and her name became synonymous with wickedness. 1 Kings 21:25 states, "There was never anyone like Ahab, who sold himself to do evil in the sight of the LORD, incited by his wife Jezebel."

3. Korah: Korah led a rebellion against Moses and Aaron, challenging their God-given authority. His defiance resulted in a dramatic judgment from God, making him infamous for his rebellion. Numbers 16:32-33 describes, "And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them and their households, all Korah’s men and all their possessions. They went down alive into Sheol with all they owned; the earth closed over them, and they vanished from the assembly."

New Testament Examples

1. Judas Iscariot: Perhaps the most infamous figure in the New Testament, Judas Iscariot is known for betraying Jesus Christ for thirty pieces of silver. His betrayal led to Jesus' arrest and crucifixion. Matthew 26:14-16 records, "Then one of the Twelve, the one called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and asked, 'What are you willing to give me if I hand Him over to you?' And they set out for him thirty pieces of silver. So from that time on Judas looked for an opportunity to betray Jesus."

2. Herod the Great: Herod is infamous for his role in the massacre of the innocents, ordering the killing of all male children in Bethlehem under the age of two in an attempt to eliminate the newborn King of the Jews. Matthew 2:16 states, "When Herod saw that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he sent and killed all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, according to the time he had learned from the Magi."

Conceptual Understanding

The Bible consistently warns against actions that lead to infamy, emphasizing the consequences of sin and rebellion against God. Proverbs 10:7 contrasts the memory of the righteous with that of the wicked: "The memory of the righteous is a blessing, but the name of the wicked will rot." Infamy in the biblical context is often associated with a rejection of God's commandments and a pursuit of selfish or evil desires.

Theological Implications

From a theological perspective, the concept of infamy underscores the importance of living a life that honors God and adheres to His commandments. The infamous figures in the Bible serve as cautionary tales, reminding believers of the destructive nature of sin and the importance of repentance and obedience. Romans 6:23 warns, "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." This highlights the ultimate consequence of a life marked by infamy and the hope offered through redemption in Christ.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (a.) Of very bad report; having a public reputation Of the worst kind; held in abhorrence; guilty Of something that exposes to infamy; base; notoriously vile; detestable; as, an infamous traitor; an infamous perjurer.

2. (a.) Causing or producing infamy; deserving detestation; scandalous to the last degree; as, an infamous act; infamous vices; infamous corruption.

3. (a.) Branded with infamy by conviction of a crime; as, at common law, an infamous person can not be a witness.

4. (a.) Having a bad name as being the place where an odious crime was committed, or as being associated with something detestable; hence, unlucky; perilous; dangerous.

Greek
818. atimazo -- to dishonor
... From atimos; to render infamous, ie (by implication) contemn or maltreat -- despise,
dishonour, suffer shame, entreat shamefully. see GREEK atimos. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/818.htm - 7k
Strong's Hebrew
2931. tame -- unclean
... defiled, infamous, polluted, unclean. From tame'; foul in a relig. Sense -- defiled, +
infamous, polluted(-tion), unclean. see HEBREW tame'. 2930, 2931. ...
/hebrew/2931.htm - 6k

8034. shem -- a name
... renowned (1), report (1), repute (1), same names (1). base, infamous, renown.
A primitive word (perhaps rather from suwm through ...
/hebrew/8034.htm - 6k

Library

Having Shown Briefly How Impious and Infamous are the Opinions ...
... Book VI. 1 Having shown briefly how impious and infamous are the opinions
which you have formed about? Having shown briefly how ...
/.../the seven books of arnobius against the heathen/1 having shown briefly how.htm

And Since Celsus Has Termed the Apostles of Jesus Men of Infamous ...
... Chapter LXIII. And since Celsus has termed the apostles of Jesus men of infamous
notoriety? And since Celsus has termed the apostles ...
/.../origen/origen against celsus/chapter lxiii and since celsus.htm

That Slaves and Freedmen and all Infamous Persons Ought not to ...
... The Sixth Ecumenical Council. Canon CXXIX. (Greek cxxx.) That slaves and freedmen
and all infamous persons ought not to bring accusation. ...
/.../schaff/the seven ecumenical councils/canon cxxix greek cxxx that.htm

A Disgraceful Feature of the Roman Mythology it Honours Such ...
... Book II. Chapter X."A Disgraceful Feature of the Roman Mythology It Honours Such
Infamous Characters as Larentina. I hasten to even more abominable cases. ...
/.../tertullian/ad nationes/chapter x a disgraceful feature of.htm

When He was Living at Rome He Wrote a Treatise on the Preservation ...
... of God, all apostates and persecutors, and whoever else hate the Christian name,
vied with one another in copying out, because of the infamous charges and foul ...
/.../5 when he was living.htm

Providential Preparations for the Discovery of America --Spiritual ...
... The fifteenth century was the era of the infamous popes. By another coincidence
which arrests the attention of the reader of history ...
/.../a history of american christianity/chapter i providential preparations for.htm

Hazael
... He did not believe at that moment that he could ever be brought to commit such infamous
deeds, and he did not believe that he could ever attain such high ...
//christianbookshelf.org/milligan/men of the bible some lesser-known/hazael.htm

Objections from the Revelation and the First Epistle of St. John ...
... In short, this Apocalypse, in its later passages, has assigned "the infamous and
fornicators," as well as "the cowardly, and unbelieving, and murderers, and ...
/.../tertullian/on modesty/chapter xix objections from the revelation.htm

A Reign of Terror
... Arsacius with jealousy, and he had disgraced his hoary hairs by coming forward to
accuse John of embezzlement of Church property at the infamous Synod of the ...
/.../gathering clouds a tale of the days of st chrysostom/chapter liv a reign of.htm

(Of Marriages among Blood-Relations, and of those who are Born of ...
... Secular laws, again, call such persons infamous, and interdict them from
inheriting. And we too, following our fathers, and keeping ...
/.../unknown/the decretals/iv of marriages among blood-relations.htm

Thesaurus
Infamous (2 Occurrences)
... reputation Of the worst kind; held in abhorrence; guilty Of something that exposes
to infamy; base; notoriously vile; detestable; as, an infamous traitor; an ...
/i/infamous.htm - 7k

Prostitute (83 Occurrences)
... 3. (a.) Openly given up to lewdness; devoted to base or infamous purposes. 4. (n.)
A woman giver to indiscriminate lewdness; a strumpet; a harlot. ...
/p/prostitute.htm - 33k

Infamy (8 Occurrences)

/i/infamy.htm - 9k

Lasciviousness (9 Occurrences)
... according to Thayer (New Testament Lexicon) "excelled in strictness of morals,"
but, according to Trench, a place whose people "were infamous for their vices ...
/l/lasciviousness.htm - 11k

Infallible (1 Occurrence)

/i/infallible.htm - 7k

Ignominy (7 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (n.) Public disgrace or dishonor; reproach; infamy.
2. (n.) An act deserving disgrace; an infamous act. Multi-Version Concordance ...
/i/ignominy.htm - 8k

Felix (11 Occurrences)
... Drusilla. Felix was the brother of Pallas, who was the infamous favorite
of Claudius, and who, according to Tacitus (Annals xiii. ...
/f/felix.htm - 15k

Fire (602 Occurrences)
... Jeremiah 29:22). The bodies of infamous persons who were executed were also
sometimes burned (Joshua 7:25; 2 Kings 23:16). (4.) In ...
/f/fire.htm - 78k

Tammuz (1 Occurrence)
... celebrate the death of Adonis or Tammuz, and there arose in connection with this
celebration those licentious rites which rendered the cult so infamous that it ...
/t/tammuz.htm - 10k

Turmoil (15 Occurrences)
... (See JPS). Ezekiel 22:5 Those who are near, and those who are far from you, shall
mock you, you infamous one and full of tumult. (See NAS NIV). ...
/t/turmoil.htm - 10k

Resources
Who was Naboth in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

How did Timothy die? | GotQuestions.org

Who was Cain in the Bible? | GotQuestions.org

Infamous: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

Bible ConcordanceBible DictionaryBible EncyclopediaTopical BibleBible Thesuarus
Concordance
Infamous (2 Occurrences)

2 Samuel 13:13
And I, whither shall I carry my reproach? and thou wouldest be as one of the infamous in Israel. And now, I pray thee, speak to the king; for he will not withhold me from thee.
(DBY)

Ezekiel 22:5
Those who are near, and those who are far from you, shall mock you, you infamous one and full of tumult.
(WEB KJV ASV DBY WBS RSV NIV)

Subtopics

Infamous

Related Terms

Infamous (2 Occurrences)

Brand (4 Occurrences)

Object (76 Occurrences)

Levi (79 Occurrences)

Infancy (2 Occurrences)

Ignominy (7 Occurrences)

Reuben (73 Occurrences)

Maachah (19 Occurrences)

Maacah (30 Occurrences)

Blot (23 Occurrences)

Sear

Smear (2 Occurrences)

Scandalous (1 Occurrence)

Soil (59 Occurrences)

Stain (6 Occurrences)

Revile (28 Occurrences)

Hanging (82 Occurrences)

Judah (802 Occurrences)

Practise (52 Occurrences)

Persecution (22 Occurrences)

Falsehood (107 Occurrences)

Humble (97 Occurrences)

Infallible
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