Word Studies:
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SHAME - AISCHUNE - (ahee-skhoo-nay)
"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the SHAME, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." Hebrews 12:2 (KJV)
NOTE: Used 6 times in the New Testament.
LEXICONS:
STRONG'S - #152 - Shame or disgrace from the word AISCHOS - disfigurement.
ANALYTICAL GREEK LEXICON - Shame, disgrace; cause of shame, dishonorable conduct.
BLOOMFIELD'S N. T. LEXICON - Objectively in Heb. 12:2. The ignominy or disgrace suffered, reproach.
BULLINGER - The sense of disgrace, the feeling of shame which attends the performance of a dishonorable deed.
DONNEGAN'S LEXICON - A sense of shame that comes to a person who is virtuous and honorable. This person recoils from all that is base or disgraceful.
GREEK LEXICON OF THE N. T. - Abbott-Smith - shame, disgrace. (In LXX chiefly for shame.)
GREEN, JAY - To experience disgrace or shame as a feeling.
HELPS FOR TRANSLATORS - AISCHUNE - shame or disgrace includes not only the abuse which was directed against Jesus on the cross but the disgrace of the punishment itself compared for example, with the honorable death of being beheaded. Crucifixion was a Roman punishment. Galatians 3:13 identifies it with hanging from a tree (Deut. 21:23), which was the O. T. form of execution. It was believed to bring God's curse on the land. LAWRENCE RICHARDS - In Hebrews 12:2 Jesus was willing to endure the shame associated with a criminal's death. We can see that the N. T. emphasis on the word "shame" is on reaction to public ridicule.
THAYER'S LEXICON - Ignominy in Hebrews 12:2 visited on Christ by the wicked.
R. C. TRENCH - AISCHUNE - refers to the feeling that leads one to shun doing what is unworthy out of an anticipation of dishonor. Plato defined AISCHUNE as "Fear of anticipated ill-repute". AISCHUNE can include fleeing from disgrace.
YOUNG'S - Baseness - dishonor
COMMENTARIES
THE COMPLETE BIBLICAL LIBRARY - AISCHUNE is a mainly a social type of shame or humiliation. In the N. T. AISCHUNE often seems to denote public shame or humiliation that would occur were something to be made public. In Luke 14:9 the embarrassed dinner guest might receive public humiliation if he were asked to take a less prestigious seat. In Hebrews 12:2 Jesus endured the public shame of the cross.
COOK, F. C. - For he could say in assured faith, "I know that I shall not be ashamed." (Isaiah 1:7)
DICTIONARY OF N. T. THEOLOGY - In the book of Hebrews, Christ is not ashamed to call men His brothers (Heb. 2:11). God is not ashamed to be called their God (Heb. 11:16). Christ even takes the public shame of death on the cross upon Himself (Heb. 12:2). It's a demonstration of God's saving activity.
ELLICOTT'S - The literal meaning is very forcible, "endured a cross, despising shame": the shame of such a death being set over against the joy that lay before Him. Here again we have the thought of the joy of His accomplished purpose and the glory with which He was crowned; being the reward for His "obedience even unto death." (See Phil. 2:9-10, Isa.53:11, Matt. 15:21, Luke 10:21-22, John 17:1, and I Pet. 1:11) The whole form of the expression, shows that Jesus is presented to us as an example not of endurance only, but also of faith
EXEGETICAL DICTIONARY OF THE N. T. - Christ despised the public disgrace of the cross.
EXPOSITOR'S BIBLE COMMENTARY - If one "scorns" a thing, one normally has nothing to do with it; but "scorning its shame" means rather that Jesus thought so little of the pain and shame involved that He did not bother to avoid it. He endured it. Then, having completed His work of redemption, He "sat down at the right hand of the throne of God".
GILL'S COMMENTARY - ...for it was an ignominious death, as well as a painful one; and as he endured the pain of it with patience, He treated the shame of it with contempt; throughout the whole of His life, He despised the shame and reproach that was cast upon Him; and so he did at the time of his apprehension, and when upon His trial, and at His death, under all the ignominious circumstances that attended it; which should teach us not to be ashamed of the reproach of Christ, but count it an honour to be worthy to suffer shame for His name.
LIDDELL-SCOTT - Shame that goes with ill-deeds. Also the sense of shame. In classical Greek the word is to make ugly - disfigure - mar - disgrace - and tarnish.
NEW INTERNATIONAL COMMENTARY ON THE NEW TESTAMENT - F. F. Bruce - To die by crucifixion was to plumb the lowest depths of disgrace; it was a punishment reserved for those who were deemed most unfit to live, a punishment for those who were subhuman. From so degrading a death Roman citizens were exempt by ancient statute; the dignity of the Roman name would be besmirched by being brought into association with anything as vile as the cross. For slaves, and criminals of low degree, it was regarded as a suitable means of execution, and a grim deterrent to others. But this disgrace Jesus disregarded, as something not worthy to be taken into account when it was a question of his obedience to the will of God. So he brought faith to perfection by His endurance of the cross - and now the place of highest exaltation is His.
UNITED BIBLE SOCIETIES - A painful feeling due to the consciousness of having done or experienced something disgraceful.