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:[fromH2778 (חָרַף - To reproach)]
1. contumely, disgrace, the pudenda
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
rebuke, reproachfully, shame
Fromcharaph.; contumely, disgrace, the pudenda -- rebuke, reproach(-fully), shame.
see HEBREWcharaph.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Originfrom
charaphDefinitiona reproach
NASB Translationcontempt (1), disgrace (5), reproach (60), reproaches (2), scorn (3), shame (1), taunting (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
—
Genesis 34:14 35t.; construct
Joshua 5:9 15t.; suffix
Psalm 74:22 etc. + 17 t. suffixes; plural
Psalm 69:11;
Daniel 12:2; construct
Psalm 69:10. —
taunt of enemy1 Samuel 17:26; so also1 Samuel 25:39;reproach cast upon another,scorn, contumelyNehemiah 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;Jeremiah 51:51;Zephaniah 2:8;Lamentations 3:61;Jeremiah 23:40;Psalm 15:3 (slander);Jeremiah 31:19;Ezekiel 36:15;Micah 6:16 (reproach);bear reproach forPsalm 69:8;Jeremiah 15:15;Zephaniah 3:18;Hosea 12:15;Nehemiah 3:36;Psalm 69:10;Psalm 79:12;Psalm 89:51;1 Samuel 17:26;Isaiah 25:8;Psalm 119:39;reproaches against GodPsalm 69:10 (),Psalm 74:22;Psalm 79:12.
reproach which rests upon one, condition ofshame, disgrace:
2 Samuel 13:13;Isaiah 47:3;Ezekiel 16:57;Proverbs 6:33.
Genesis 30:23 (E)Isaiah 4:1; widowhoodIsaiah 54:4.
Ezekiel 36:30; diseaseJob 19:5.
Genesis 34:14 (P)Joshua 5:9 (JE).
Lamentations 3:30;Lamentations 5:1;Nehemiah 1:3;Nehemiah 2:7;Job 16:10;Daniel 11:18 (twice in verse).
a reproach, the object of reproach, the person of thing reproacheda reproach of manPsalm 22:7;Psalm 39:9;become an object of reproach toPsalm 31:12;Psalm 79:4;Psalm 89:42;Psalm 109:25;Ezekiel 5:15;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;Ezekiel 22:4;Joel 2:19;Psalm 78:66;Jeremiah 24:9;Jeremiah 29:18;Ezekiel 5:14;Joshua 2:17;Psalm 44:14;1 Samuel 11:2.
II. (√ of following; compare Arabic
gather fruit, pluck).
Topical Lexicon
Overviewחֶרְפָּה (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 inJohn 2:17 andRomans 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
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