Skip to content
The Historic Faith
Strong's Concordance
Hebrew Word Study

Strong's H6172 עֶרְוָה (ervah)

Ervah means “nakedness” — full meaning, definition, and every linked Bible usage across the indexed canon.

Strong's Number H6172
Language Hebrew
Linked Usages 40
Books 9

Strong's H6172 Quick Answer

Strong's H6172 עֶרוָה (`ervah) is a Hebrew Strong's word-study entry. `ervah (er-vaw') n-f. 1. nudity, literally (especially the pudenda) or figuratively (disgrace, blemish) [from H6168] It has 40 linked Bible usages across 9 books. Visible English usage signals include nakedness, unclean, and shame. Indexed coverage on this page includes Old Testament.

Meaning
`ervah (er-vaw') n-f. 1. nudity, literally (especially the pudenda) or figuratively (disgrace, blemish) [from H6168]
Usage
40 linked usages
Books
9 indexed books
Corpus
Old Testament
Usage Words
nakedness, unclean, and shame

Meaning and Definition

`ervah (er-vaw') n-f. 1. nudity, literally (especially the pudenda) or figuratively (disgrace, blemish) [from H6168] KJV: nakedness, shame, unclean(-ness). Root(s): H6168

Original Word
עֶרוָה
Transliteration
`ervah
Derivation
Root: ערה First root strongs: 6168
Morphology
noun fem

Across Lexicons

How independent scholarly lexicons define Strong's H6172. Each definition is shown with its source so you can compare and cite the original reference works.

Extended Strong's Hebrew Lexicon (Brown-Driver-Briggs based)

nakedness

Usage: 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)

STEPBible · Tyndale House, Cambridge · CC BY 4.0

How Strong's H6172 Is Translated

The English word each shown verse actually uses to render `ervah, taken from the interlinear word alignment (the same word underlined in the excerpts below). Where a rendering is used more than once, the count is shown.

nakedness Genesis 9:22 37× shame Isaiah 20:4 unclean Deuteronomy 23:14

How Strong's H6172 Usage Compares

Indexed coverage includes Old Testament. Each section below keeps corpus counts and sample passages visible so readers can compare the word across contexts instead of reading one flat concordance list.

  • The largest indexed corpus on this page is Old Testament with 40 linked usages.
  • The linked rows are Old Testament Hebrew usage, grouped by book for fast canonical scanning.

Strong's H6172 by Corpus

Indexed usage grouped by testament and extended corpus so readers can compare this word across the Bible, Septuagint, deuterocanonical books, and 1 Enoch where present.

Strong's H6172 in the Old Testament

40 indexed usages in Old Testament.

Genesis 9:22 KJV

And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.

Genesis 9:23 KJV

And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness.

Genesis 42:9 KJV

And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.

Usage Excerpts

First 40 linked usage excerpts for Strong's H6172.

Genesis 9:22 Old Testament, KJV
And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.
Genesis 9:23 Old Testament, KJV
And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness.
Genesis 42:9 Old Testament, KJV
And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.
Genesis 42:12 Old Testament, KJV
And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come.
Exodus 20:26 Old Testament, KJV
Neither shalt thou go up by steps unto mine altar, that thy nakedness be not discovered thereon.
Exodus 28:42 Old Testament, KJV
And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach:
Leviticus 18:6 Old Testament, KJV
None of you shall approach to any that is near of kin to him, to uncover their nakedness: I am the LORD.
Leviticus 18:7 Old Testament, KJV
The nakedness of thy father, or the nakedness of thy mother, shalt thou not uncover: she is thy mother; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.
Leviticus 18:8 Old Testament, KJV
The nakedness of thy father's wife shalt thou not uncover: it is thy father's nakedness.
Leviticus 18:9 Old Testament, KJV
The nakedness of thy sister, the daughter of thy father, or daughter of thy mother, whether she be born at home, or born abroad, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover.
Leviticus 18:10 Old Testament, KJV
The nakedness of thy son's daughter, or of thy daughter's daughter, even their nakedness thou shalt not uncover: for theirs is thine own nakedness.
Leviticus 18:11 Old Testament, KJV
The nakedness of thy father's wife's daughter, begotten of thy father, she is thy sister, thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.
Leviticus 18:12 Old Testament, KJV
Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father's sister: she is thy father's near kinswoman.
Leviticus 18:13 Old Testament, KJV
Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother's sister: for she is thy mother's near kinswoman.
Leviticus 18:14 Old Testament, KJV
Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy father's brother, thou shalt not approach to his wife: she is thine aunt.
Leviticus 18:15 Old Testament, KJV
Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy daughter in law: she is thy son's wife; thou shalt not uncover her nakedness.
Leviticus 18:16 Old Testament, KJV
Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother's wife: it is thy brother's nakedness.
Leviticus 18:17 Old Testament, KJV
Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of a woman and her daughter, neither shalt thou take her son's daughter, or her daughter's daughter, to uncover her nakedness; for they are her near kinswomen: it is wickedness.
Leviticus 18:18 Old Testament, KJV
Neither shalt thou take a wife to her sister, to vex her, to uncover her nakedness, beside the other in her life time.
Leviticus 18:19 Old Testament, KJV
Also thou shalt not approach unto a woman to uncover her nakedness, as long as she is put apart for her uncleanness.
Leviticus 20:11 Old Testament, KJV
And the man that lieth with his father's wife hath uncovered his father's nakedness: both of them shall surely be put to death; their blood shall be upon them.
Leviticus 20:17 Old Testament, KJV
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.
Leviticus 20:18 Old Testament, KJV
And if a man shall lie with a woman having her sickness, and shall uncover her nakedness; he hath discovered her fountain, and she hath uncovered the fountain of her blood: and both of them shall be cut off from among their people.
Leviticus 20:19 Old Testament, KJV
And thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy mother's sister, nor of thy father's sister: for he uncovereth his near kin: they shall bear their iniquity.
Leviticus 20:20 Old Testament, KJV
And if a man shall lie with his uncle's wife, he hath uncovered his uncle's nakedness: they shall bear their sin; they shall die childless.
Leviticus 20:21 Old Testament, KJV
And if a man shall take his brother's wife, it is an unclean thing: he hath uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless.
Deuteronomy 23:14 Old Testament, KJV
For the LORD thy God walketh in the midst of thy camp, to deliver thee, and to give up thine enemies before thee; therefore shall thy camp be holy: that he see no unclean thing in thee, and turn away from thee.
Deuteronomy 24:1 Old Testament, KJV
When a man hath taken a wife, and married her, and it come to pass that she find no favour in his eyes, because he hath found some uncleanness in her: then let him write her a bill of divorcement, and give it in her hand, and send her out of his house.
1 Samuel 20:30 Old Testament, KJV
Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, Thou son of the perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion, and unto the confusion of thy mother's nakedness?
Isaiah 20:4 Old Testament, KJV
So shall the king of Assyria lead away the Egyptians prisoners, and the Ethiopians captives, young and old, naked and barefoot, even with their buttocks uncovered, to the shame of Egypt.
Isaiah 47:3 Old Testament, KJV
Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen: I will take vengeance, and I will not meet thee as a man.
Lamentations 1:8 Old Testament, KJV
Jerusalem hath grievously sinned; therefore she is removed: all that honoured her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness: yea, she sigheth, and turneth backward.
Ezekiel 16:8 Old Testament, KJV
Now when I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold, thy time was the time of love; and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the Lord GOD, and thou becamest mine.
Ezekiel 16:36 Old Testament, KJV
Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thy filthiness was poured out, and thy nakedness discovered through thy whoredoms with thy lovers, and with all the idols of thy abominations, and by the blood of thy children, which thou didst give unto them;
Ezekiel 16:37 Old Testament, KJV
Behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers, with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated; I will even gather them round about against thee, and will discover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness.
Ezekiel 22:10 Old Testament, KJV
In thee have they discovered their fathers' nakedness: in thee have they humbled her that was set apart for pollution.
Ezekiel 23:10 Old Testament, KJV
These discovered her nakedness: they took her sons and her daughters, and slew her with the sword: and she became famous among women; for they had executed judgment upon her.
Ezekiel 23:18 Old Testament, KJV
So she discovered her whoredoms, and discovered her nakedness: then my mind was alienated from her, like as my mind was alienated from her sister.
Ezekiel 23:29 Old Testament, KJV
And they shall deal with thee hatefully, and shall take away all thy labour, and shall leave thee naked and bare: and the nakedness of thy whoredoms shall be discovered, both thy lewdness and thy whoredoms.
Hosea 2:9 Old Testament, KJV
Therefore will I return, and take away my corn in the time thereof, and my wine in the season thereof, and will recover my wool and my flax given to cover her nakedness.

All Indexed Usage Links

Every indexed verse link for Strong's H6172, grouped by book.

Genesis 4 usages, Old Testament
Exodus 2 usages, Old Testament
Leviticus 20 usages, Old Testament
Deuteronomy 2 usages, Old Testament
1 Samuel 1 usage, Old Testament
Isaiah 2 usages, Old Testament
Lamentations 1 usage, Old Testament
Ezekiel 7 usages, Old Testament
Hosea 1 usage, Old Testament

Strong's H6172 FAQ

What does ervah (עֶרְוָה) mean?

Ervah (Strong's H6172) is a Hebrew word most simply glossed "nakedness". `ervah (er-vaw') n-f. 1. nudity, literally (especially the pudenda) or figuratively (disgrace, blemish) [from H6168]

How many times is ervah (עֶרְוָה) used in the Bible?

This page currently indexes 40 linked usages for Strong's H6172 across 9 books.

Where can I study ervah (עֶרְוָה) in context?

Use the linked verse references on this page to study Strong's H6172 in context. The indexed coverage includes Old Testament.

What English words translate ervah (עֶרְוָה)?

The visible usage excerpts most often surface English words such as nakedness, unclean, and shame. These are scanning signals from the displayed verses, not replacements for the original-language definition.