Hebrew word · H937

בּוּז

buz

contempt

Contempt, scorn, derision, being despised. It is the noun of the verb bûz, 'to despise'. It names the social experience of being looked down on.

Appears 11 times in 11 verses of the Hebrew Old Testament. ·

What it means

1) contempt

1a) springing from evil

1b) springing from prosperity

1c) springing from judgment

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

From the study of Psalm 107:40

Range of meaning

Contempt, scorn, derision, being despised. It is the noun of the verb bûz, 'to despise'. It names the social experience of being looked down on.

Against the English

'Contempt' is accurate. Modern readers may take it as a private feeling. In Hebrew it is public and social, the status of someone who has lost honour.

Used elsewhere in the period

Psalm 119:22 ('take from me scorn and contempt'); Psalm 123:3–4 (the psalmist is 'filled with contempt' from the proud and those at ease); Proverbs 18:3 ('when wickedness comes, contempt comes too').

From the study of Psalm 31:18

Range of meaning

Contempt, scorn, treating as worthless. The verb buz means "to despise."

Against the English

"Contempt" in BSB, WEB, ESV, NASB and NIV; "contemptuously" in KJV. Accurate.

Used elsewhere in the period

Ps 119:22 ("take away from me scorn and contempt"); Ps 123:3–4 ("we have had more than enough of contempt… the contempt of the proud"); Prov 18:3 ("when wickedness comes, contempt comes too").

From the study of Job 12:21

Range of meaning

Contempt, scorn, derision. Both the attitude of despising and, more often, the condition of being despised: public shame. Related verb bûz, 'to despise'.

Against the English

English 'contempt' usually names a private feeling ("she felt contempt for him"). The Hebrew phrase 'pour contempt upon' is about status. God does not merely dislike the nobles. He makes them despised in public.

How it drifted

Modern English treats contempt mainly as an inner emotion. Ancient Israel's honour-and-shame society made public standing central.

Used elsewhere in the period

Ps 107:40 has exactly the same words, שֹׁפֵךְ בּוּז עַל־נְדִיבִים. Elsewhere: Ps 119:22 'take away from me scorn and contempt'; Ps 123:3–4 'we have had more than enough of contempt'; Prov 18:3 'when wickedness comes, contempt comes too'; Job 31:34 'the contempt of families terrified me'.

Where it appears

Genesis · 1

  1. Genesis 38:23 לָב֑וּז <into> contempt

    “Let her keep the items,” Judah replied. “Otherwise we will become a laughingstock. After all, I did send her this young goat, but you could not find her.”

Job · 3

  1. Job 12:5 בּ֭וּז contempt

    The one at ease scorns misfortune as the fate of those whose feet are slipping.

  2. Job 12:21 בּ֭וּז contempt

    He pours out contempt on nobles and disarms the mighty.

    Here: Public disgrace, not only a feeling God has. The nobles become objects of scorn in front of everyone, losing the honour their position depended on.

  3. Job 31:34 וּבוּז־ and [the] contempt of

    because I greatly feared the crowds and the contempt of the clans terrified me, so that I kept silent and would not go outside—

Psalms · 5

  1. Psalm 31:18 וָבֽוּז׃ and contempt

    May lying lips be silenced—lips that speak with arrogance against the righteous, full of pride and contempt.

    Here: "And contempt": treating the victim as worthless. Paired with pride, it describes speakers who set themselves up high and push the righteous one down.

  2. Psalm 107:40 בּ֭וּז contempt

    He pours out contempt on the nobles and makes them wander in a trackless wasteland.

    Here: Public disdain, the loss of honour. In a society built on honour and shame, this is the worst thing that can happen to an aristocrat: becoming someone people look down on.

  3. Psalm 119:22 וָב֑וּז and contempt

    Remove my scorn and contempt, for I have kept Your testimonies.

    Here: Being looked down on and treated as worthless. Paired with ḥerpāh, it rounds out the picture: mocking words plus a dismissive attitude.

  4. Psalm 123:3 בֽוּז׃ contempt

    Have mercy on us, O LORD, have mercy, for we have endured much contempt.

    Here: Contempt done to them by others: being looked down on, treated as nothing, made a public object of scorn. It is a loss of honor in the community's eyes, not a feeling inside the speakers.

  5. Psalm 123:4 הַ֝בּ֗וּז the contempt

    We have endured much scorn from the arrogant, much contempt from the proud.

    Here: The treatment of someone as worthless. It repeats the last word of verse 3, so the prayer returns to the same injury and the psalm's complaint ends on it.

Proverbs · 2

  1. Proverbs 12:8 לָבֽוּז׃ <into> contempt

    A man is praised according to his wisdom, but a twisted mind is despised.

  2. Proverbs 18:3 בּ֑וּז contempt

    With a wicked man comes contempt as well, and shame is accompanied by disgrace.

Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.