The Greek verb aischynomai (αἰσχύνομαι) means to be ashamed, to feel shame, or to be put to shame. It can describe a healthy shame (embarrassment at sin or failure) or the shameful experience of being humiliated. In the NT, the word appears in a variety of contexts: the shame of covering one's face, the fear of being ashamed before Christ at His coming, and the assurance that the believer who trusts in Christ will not be put to shame.
Shame is a central category in biblical anthropology. After the Fall, Adam and Eve experienced shame — hiding from God (Genesis 3:10). The entire sacrificial and atonement system addresses the problem of sin-and-shame. The New Testament resolves shame ultimately through the cross: Christ 'endured the cross, scorning its shame' (Hebrews 12:2) so that believers need not be ashamed before God.
Romans 5:5 declares 'hope does not put us to shame (kataischynō).' 1 Peter 2:6 cites Isaiah: 'the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.' The Christian's freedom from shame is not a denial of guilt but a confession of it — and the joyful receipt of forgiveness. Christ bore our shame so we could be free from it. This is the exchange: our shame for His glory, our condemnation for His righteousness.