Hebrew word · H6172
עֶרְוָה
'ervah
nakedness
Nakedness, specifically the genitals. By extension it means anything shameful or indecent ('ʿerwat dābār,' 'something indecent,' Deut 23:14; 24:1) and a country's undefended weak point ('the nakedness of the land,' Gen 42:9, 12).
Appears 54 times in 40 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·
What it means
1) nakedness, nudity, shame, pudenda
1a) pudenda (implying shameful exposure)
1b) nakedness of a thing, indecency, improper behaviour
1c) exposed, undefended (fig.)
Aramaic equivalent: ar.vah (עַרְוָה "dishonor" H6173)
Abridged from Brown, Driver and Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
- Range of meaning
Nakedness, specifically the genitals. By extension it means anything shameful or indecent ('ʿerwat dābār,' 'something indecent,' Deut 23:14; 24:1) and a country's undefended weak point ('the nakedness of the land,' Gen 42:9, 12).
- Against the English
'Nakedness' is accurate. It is a little softer than the Hebrew, which points to the most private exposure rather than just being without clothes.
- Used elsewhere in the period
The phrase 'uncover the nakedness' (gillâ ʿerwâ) is the Levitical idiom for forbidden sexual relations (Lev 18:6–19; 20:11–21). In the prophets the same words describe the public stripping of a city or nation pictured as a woman: Isa 20:4; Ezek 16:36–37; 23:10, 29; Hos 2:9–10 (Eng. 2:9–10); Lam 1:8. Compare Nah 3:5 against Nineveh: 'I will show the nations your nakedness.'
From the study of Ezekiel 16:8
- Range of meaning
Nakedness, especially genital exposure; by extension shame, disgrace, something indecent (Deut 24:1, 'ervat davar), and a country's exposed or undefended state (Gen 42:9, "the nakedness of the land").
- Against the English
Every version has "nakedness," which is accurate. But the English word is more neutral than the Hebrew, which carries strong shame and vulnerability.
- Used elsewhere in the period
Leviticus 18 and 20 ("do not uncover the nakedness of…") use it for forbidden sexual relations; Genesis 9:22–23 tells of Noah's sons covering their father's nakedness; Ezekiel 16:36–37 and 23:10, 29 describe Jerusalem's nakedness being exposed as judgment.
From the study of Deuteronomy 24:1
- Range of meaning
ʿErvah means nakedness or exposed genitals, and by extension shameful exposure or disgrace. In Leviticus 18 and 20 the idiom "uncover the nakedness of" stands for sexual relations. Joined to davar ("thing, matter") it means "a matter of nakedness": something indecent, improper or shameful. The exact phrase appears only one other time, in Deuteronomy 23:14 (Hebrew 23:15). There it means human excrement left uncovered in the war camp, which God must not "see" among Israel. That use is not sexual at all.
- Against the English
KJV "some uncleanness", WEB "some unseemly thing", BSB/ESV/NASB "some indecency", NIV "something indecent", YLT "nakedness of anything". "Uncleanness" suggests ritual impurity, which is a different Hebrew word (tumʾah). "Indecency" is closer but sounds narrowly sexual to modern ears.
- How it drifted
KJV's "uncleanness" follows the Latin Vulgate's foeditas ("foulness"). Later debates about whether the verse names grounds for divorce pushed readers to give the vague phrase one exact meaning, whether "adultery" or "anything at all".
- Used elsewhere in the period
Deut 23:14 (exposed excrement, "anything indecent"). LXX translates it ἄσχημον πρᾶγμα, "a shameful or unseemly thing". In the Mishnah (Gittin 9:10) the school of Shammai stressed ʿervah: only sexual misconduct counts. The school of Hillel stressed davar: any "thing", even spoiling his food. Rabbi Akiva went further, appealing to "she does not find favor": even if he finds a prettier woman. Josephus (Antiquities 4.253) paraphrases the law as divorce "for any cause whatsoever".
Where it appears
Genesis · 5
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Genesis 9:22 עֶרְוַ֣ת [the] nakedness of
And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father’s nakedness and told his two brothers outside.
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Genesis 9:23 עֶרְוַ֣ת וְעֶרְוַ֥ת [the] nakedness of, and [the] nakedness of
Then Shem and Japheth took a garment and placed it across their shoulders, and walking backward, they covered their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned away so that they did not see their father’s nakedness.
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Genesis 42:9 עֶרְוַ֥ת [the] nakedness of
Joseph remembered his dreams about them and said, “You are spies! You have come to see if our land is vulnerable.”
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Genesis 42:12 עֶרְוַ֥ת [the] nakedness of
“No,” he told them. “You have come to see if our land is vulnerable.”
Exodus · 2
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Exodus 20:26 עֶרְוָתְךָ֖ nakedness your
And you must not go up to My altar on steps, lest your nakedness be exposed on it.’
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Exodus 28:42 עֶרְוָ֑ה nakedness
Make linen undergarments to cover their bare flesh, extending from waist to thigh.
Leviticus · 32
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Leviticus 18:6 עֶרְוָ֑ה nakedness
None of you are to approach any close relative to have sexual relations. I am the LORD.
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Leviticus 18:7 עֶרְוַ֥ת וְעֶרְוַ֥ת עֶרְוָתָֽהּ׃ ס [the] nakedness of, and [the] nakedness of, nakedness her
You must not expose the nakedness of your father by having sexual relations with your mother. She is your mother; you must not have sexual relations with her.
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Leviticus 18:8 עֶרְוַ֥ת עֶרְוַ֥ת [the] nakedness of, [is] [the] nakedness of
You must not have sexual relations with your father’s wife; it would dishonor your father.
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Leviticus 18:9 עֶרְוַ֨ת עֶרְוָתָֽן׃ ס [the] nakedness of, nakedness their
You must not have sexual relations with your sister, either your father’s daughter or your mother’s daughter, whether she was born in the same home or elsewhere.
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Leviticus 18:10 עֶרְוַ֤ת עֶרְוָתָ֑ן עֶרְוָתְךָ֖ [the] nakedness of, nakedness their, [are] own nakedness your
You must not have sexual relations with your son’s daughter or your daughter’s daughter, for that would shame your family.
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Leviticus 18:11 עֶרְוַ֨ת עֶרְוָתָֽהּ׃ ס [the] nakedness of, nakedness her
You must not have sexual relations with the daughter of your father’s wife, born to your father; she is your sister.
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Leviticus 18:12 עֶרְוַ֥ת [the] nakedness of
You must not have sexual relations with your father’s sister; she is your father’s close relative.
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Leviticus 18:13 עֶרְוַ֥ת [the] nakedness of
You must not have sexual relations with your mother’s sister, for she is your mother’s close relative.
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Leviticus 18:14 עֶרְוַ֥ת [the] nakedness of
You must not dishonor your father’s brother by approaching his wife to have sexual relations with her; she is your aunt.
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Leviticus 18:15 עֶרְוַ֥ת עֶרְוָתָֽהּ׃ ס [the] nakedness of, nakedness her
You must not have sexual relations with your daughter-in-law. She is your son’s wife; you are not to have sexual relations with her.
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Leviticus 18:16 עֶרְוַ֥ת עֶרְוַ֥ת [the] nakedness of, [is] [the] nakedness of
You must not have sexual relations with your brother’s wife; that would shame your brother.
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Leviticus 18:17 עֶרְוַ֥ת עֶרְוָתָ֔הּ [the] nakedness of, nakedness her
You must not have sexual relations with both a woman and her daughter. You are not to marry her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter and have sexual relations with her. They are close relatives; it is depraved.
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Leviticus 18:18 עֶרְוָתָ֛הּ nakedness her
You must not take your wife’s sister as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while your wife is still alive.
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Leviticus 18:19 עֶרְוָתָֽהּ׃ nakedness her
You must not approach a woman to have sexual relations with her during her menstrual period.
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Leviticus 20:11 עֶרְוַ֥ת [the] nakedness of
If a man lies with his father’s wife, he has uncovered his father’s nakedness. Both must surely be put to death; their blood is upon them.
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Leviticus 20:17 עֶרְוָתָ֜הּ עֶרְוָתוֹ֙ עֶרְוַ֧ת nakedness her, nakedness his, [the] nakedness of
If a man marries his sister, whether the daughter of his father or of his mother, and they have sexual relations, it is a disgrace. They must be cut off in the sight of their people. He has uncovered the nakedness of his sister; he shall bear his iniquity.
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Leviticus 20:18 עֶרְוָתָהּ֙ nakedness her
If a man lies with a menstruating woman and has sexual relations with her, he has exposed the source of her flow, and she has uncovered the source of her blood. Both of them must be cut off from among their people.
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Leviticus 20:19 וְעֶרְוַ֨ת and [the] nakedness of
You must not have sexual relations with the sister of your mother or your father, for it is exposing one’s own kin; both shall bear their iniquity.
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Leviticus 20:20 עֶרְוַ֥ת [the] nakedness of
If a man lies with his uncle’s wife, he has uncovered the nakedness of his uncle. They will bear their sin; they shall die childless.
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Leviticus 20:21 עֶרְוַ֥ת [the] nakedness of
If a man marries his brother’s wife, it is an act of impurity. He has uncovered the nakedness of his brother; they shall be childless.
Deuteronomy · 2
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Deuteronomy 23:14 עֶרְוַ֣ת [the] nakedness of
For the LORD your God walks throughout your camp to protect you and deliver your enemies to you. Your camp must be holy, lest He see anything unclean among you and turn away from you.
Here: Literally 'nakedness of.' It means something exposed that ought to be covered. In context that is uncovered human waste, though the phrase covers anything indecent left in view.
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Deuteronomy 24:1 עֶרְוַ֣ת [the] nakedness of
If a man marries a woman, but she becomes displeasing to him because he finds some indecency in her, he may write her a certificate of divorce, hand it to her, and send her away from his house.
Here: "Nakedness of…". This is a word for exposure that brings shame. It is the key and much-debated term of the verse (see studies).
1 Samuel · 1
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1 Samuel 20:30 עֶרְוַ֥ת [the] nakedness of
Then Saul’s anger burned against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of the mother who bore you?
Isaiah · 2
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Isaiah 20:4 עֶרְוַ֥ת [the] nakedness of
so the king of Assyria will lead away the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Cush, young and old alike, naked and barefoot, with bared buttocks—to Egypt’s shame.
Here: 'The nakedness of…' The word for exposed private parts, and so for disgrace itself. It sums up the whole scene: this exposure is Egypt's public shaming.
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Isaiah 47:3 עֶרְוָתֵ֔ךְ nakedness your
Your nakedness will be uncovered and your shame will be exposed. I will take vengeance; I will spare no one.”
Here: 'Your nakedness,' addressed to Babylon pictured as a woman. The word refers to the private parts, and exposing them was the deepest public humiliation. The pronoun 'your' is feminine singular, keeping up the picture of 'Daughter Babylon.'
Lamentations · 1
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Lamentations 1:8 עֶרְוָתָ֔הּ nakedness her
Jerusalem has sinned greatly; therefore she has become an object of scorn. All who honored her now despise her, for they have seen her nakedness; she herself groans and turns away.
Here: 'Her nakedness.' This is not neutral nudity. It means the private parts exposed, the deepest public shame for a woman. It is also the image of a conquered city stripped and laid open.
Ezekiel · 8
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Ezekiel 16:8 עֶרְוָתֵ֑ךְ nakedness your
Then I passed by and saw you, and you were indeed old enough for love. So I spread My cloak over you and covered your nakedness. I pledged Myself to you, entered into a covenant with you, and you became Mine, declares the Lord GOD.
Here: "Your nakedness." In Hebrew this is a heavy word for sexual exposure and the shame and vulnerability that go with it, the word used in Leviticus 18's "uncover the nakedness of". Covering it means giving her protected, honorable status. The image is turned around later in vv. 36–37, where her nakedness is uncovered.
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Ezekiel 16:36 עֶרְוָתֵ֔ךְ nakedness your
This is what the Lord GOD says: Because you poured out your wealth and exposed your nakedness in your promiscuity with your lovers and with all your detestable idols, and because of the blood of your children which you gave to them,
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Ezekiel 16:37 עֶרְוָתֵךְ֙ עֶרְוָתֵֽךְ׃ nakedness your
therefore I will surely gather all the lovers with whom you found pleasure, all those you loved and all those you hated. I will gather them against you from all around and expose you before them, and they will see you completely naked.
Here: 'Your nakedness': the genitals, and by extension shameful exposure. 'Uncover nakedness' is the Leviticus idiom for sexual relations (Lev 18). Here it is turned into a public shaming.
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Ezekiel 22:10 עֶרְוַת־ [the] nakedness of
In you they have uncovered the nakedness of their fathers; in you they violate women during their menstrual impurity.
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Ezekiel 23:10 עֶרְוָתָהּ֒ nakedness her
They exposed her nakedness, seized her sons and daughters, and put her to the sword. Thus she became a byword among women, and they executed judgment against her.
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Ezekiel 23:18 עֶרְוָתָ֑הּ nakedness her
When Oholibah openly prostituted herself and exposed her nakedness, I turned away from her in disgust, just as I had turned away from her sister.
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Ezekiel 23:29 עֶרְוַ֣ת [the] nakedness of
They will treat you with hatred, take all for which you have worked, and leave you naked and bare, so that the shame of your prostitution will be exposed. Your indecency and promiscuity
Hosea · 1
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Hosea 2:9 עֶרְוָתָֽהּ׃ nakedness her
Therefore I will take back My grain in its time and My new wine in its season; I will take away My wool and linen, which were given to cover her nakedness.
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.