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H960 · Hebrew · Old Testament
בָּזֹה
Bazoh
Adjective/Verb (Qal passive participle)
despised, contemned, held in contempt

Definition

The Hebrew bazoh is the passive participle of bazah (to despise, hold in contempt). It describes something or someone who is despised, scorned, or treated as worthless. The word appears in one of Scripture's most poignant texts: "like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised" (Isaiah 53:3).

Usage & Theological Significance

The concept of being bazoh — despised — reaches its theological apex in the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53. The very thing that marks human shame and rejection becomes the pathway for salvation. Jesus, the fulfillment of Isaiah's Servant, was despised and rejected (Isaiah 53:3), yet through that despising, God accomplished the greatest act of redemption. What humans counted as worthless, God used as the instrument of salvation.

Key Bible Verses

Isaiah 53:3 He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised.
Psalm 22:6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people.
Malachi 1:6 A son honors his father, and a slave his master. If I am a father, where is the honor due me? If I am a master, where is the respect due me?
1 Samuel 2:30 Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained.
Luke 18:9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else.

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