How many times is shame mentioned in the Bible?
The word shame appears 100 times in the King James Version, in 98 verses. Counting every form (shame, shamed, shameful, shamefully), it appears 110 times in 107 verses across 30 of the 66 books. The World English Bible uses shame 89 times (117 with every form).
Shame in the King James Version and the World English Bible
Each form of shame counted in each translation.
| Form | KJV | WEB |
|---|---|---|
| shame | 100 | 89 |
| shamed | 4 | 10 |
| shameful | 2 | 11 |
| shamefully | 4 | 7 |
| Total | 110 | 117 |
Which books mention shame most
Shame appears in 30 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Psalms has the most (20), then Proverbs (14) and Ezekiel (14).
Also in: Exodus (1), Judges (1), 1 Samuel (1), 1 Chronicles (1), 2 Chronicles (1), Job (1), Daniel (1), Obadiah (1), Nahum (1), Mark (1), Acts (1), Ephesians (1), Philippians (1), 1 Thessalonians (1), Jude (1).
First and last mention of shame
And Judah said, Let her take it to her, lest we be shamed: behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her.
Behold, I come as a thief. Blessed is he that watcheth, and keepeth his garments, lest he walk naked, and they see his shame.
The verse that uses it most is Isaiah 54:4, 2 times (tied with Ezekiel 16:52, Habakkuk 2:16):
Fear not; for thou shalt not be ashamed: neither be thou confounded; for thou shalt not be put to shame: for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more.
Where the two translations differ
18 verses match in the KJV but not in the World English Bible, and 22 verses match only in the World English Bible, usually because the other translation chose a different word there.
Exodus 32:25: counted in the KJV only
And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:)
When Moses saw that the people had broken loose, (for Aaron had let them loose for a derision among their enemies),
1 Chronicles 8:12: counted in the KJV only
The sons of Elpaal; Eber, and Misham, and Shamed, who built Ono, and Lod, with the towns thereof:
The sons of Elpaal: Eber, Misham, and Shemed, who built Ono and Lod, with its towns;
Leviticus 20:17: counted in the World English Bible only
And if a man shall take his sister, his father’s daughter, or his mother’s daughter, and see her nakedness, and she see his nakedness; it is a wicked thing; and they shall be cut off in the sight of their people: he hath uncovered his sister’s nakedness; he shall bear his iniquity.
“‘If a man takes his sister, his father’s daughter, or his mother’s daughter, and sees her nakedness, and she sees his nakedness; it is a shameful thing. They shall be cut off in the sight of the children of their people. He has uncovered his sister’s nakedness. He shall bear his iniquity.
Deuteronomy 22:14: counted in the World English Bible only
And give occasions of speech against her, and bring up an evil name upon her, and say, I took this woman, and when I came to her, I found her not a maid:
accuses her of shameful things, and gives her a bad name, and says, “I took this woman, and when I came near to her, I didn’t find in her the tokens of virginity”;
Verses with shame on our topic pages
11 verses that use shame in the World English Bible are in our topic collections.
Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
On: Resurrection, Eternal Life, What Does the Bible Say About Cremation? 25 Verses, What Does the Bible Say About Reincarnation? 26 Verses
looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising its shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
On: Faith, Joy, Discipleship, Perseverance
but now you also put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and shameful speaking out of your mouth.
On: Anger, Bitterness, What Does the Bible Say About Cussing and Swearing? 26 Verses
Show me a sign of your goodness, that those who hate me may see it, and be shamed, because you, Yahweh, have helped me, and comforted me.
On: Comfort
The rod of correction gives wisdom, but a child left to himself causes shame to his mother.
On: Children
“Don’t be afraid; for you will not be ashamed. Don’t be confounded; for you will not be disappointed. For you will forget the shame of your youth; and the reproach of your widowhood you shall remember no more.
On: Divorce
Instead of your shame you will have double. Instead of dishonor, they will rejoice in their portion. Therefore in their land, they will possess double. Everlasting joy will be to them.
On: Depression
But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by the manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.
On: Integrity
For the things which are done by them in secret, it is a shame even to speak of.
whose end is destruction, whose god is the belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who think about earthly things.
Common questions
How many times is shame in the Old Testament and the New Testament?
In the King James Version, counting every form, 91 of the 110 uses are in the Old Testament and 19 in the New Testament. Shame appears in 30 books of the 66 in the King James Version. Psalms has the most (20), then Proverbs (14) and Ezekiel (14).
Where is shame first mentioned in the Bible?
The first use in the King James Version is Genesis 38:23: "And Judah said, Let her take it to her, lest we be shamed: behold, I sent this kid, and thou hast not found her." The last is Revelation 16:15.
More word counts: Artaxerxes, Bilhah, Milcah, Sanballat, Jehoiada, Amaziah, Jehoiakim, Obed, or all 635 words.
Counted by Bible Says About from the full public-domain text of the King James Version (1769 edition) and the World English Bible. Verse text only: headings and psalm titles are left out. A word is a run of letters: a hyphenated name like Beer-sheba counts as two, and an apostrophe stays inside its word (LORD'S is one). Matching ignores capital letters. Data compiled 2026-10-24.