Empaigmos means mockery or derision — the act of ridicule and contemptuous treatment. It appears once in the NT (Hebrews 11:36) in the catalogue of faith heroes who endured suffering. The word derives from empaizo (to mock), which is used for the soldiers mocking Jesus before the crucifixion.
Hebrews 11:36 includes empaigmos (mocking) alongside flogging, imprisonment, and death among the sufferings endured by faith-filled people. This places ridicule alongside physical torture as a genuine form of persecution — acknowledging that social shame and contempt are real suffering in an honor-shame culture. The verb empaizo appears in all three Synoptic Gospels describing soldiers mocking Jesus (Matthew 27:29, Mark 15:20, Luke 23:36), connecting the suffering of faith heroes with Christ Himself. 2 Peter 3:3 predicts empaiktai (mockers) in the last days who scoff at Christ's return — making endurance of mockery an eschatological sign and virtue.