Lexical Summary arom: Naked, bare, exposed Original Word: עָרוֹם Strong's Exhaustive Concordance naked Or marom {aw-rome'}; from aram (in its original sense); nude, either partially or totally -- naked. see HEBREW aram NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom ur Definition naked NASB Translation naked (16). Brown-Driver-Briggs עָרוֺם, עָרֹם adjective naked (perhaps secondary form from עֵירֹם Ew§ 163 c Sta§ 327 a; or from √ עָרָה, q. v. ); — absolute עָרוֺם Amos 2:16 8t., עָרֹם 1 Samuel 19:24 3t.; feminine עֲרֻמָּה Hosea 2:5; plural עֲרוּמִּים Genesis 2:25; Job 22:6; — naked Genesis 2:25 (J) 1 Samuel 19:14; Hosea 2:5; adverb. (Ges§ 118n) with הָלַךְ Isaiah 20:2,3,4; Micah 1:8, compare Amos 2:16; Job 24:7,10; = substantive concrete Isaiah 58:7; Job 22:6; = without possessions Job 1:21 (twice in verse) = Ecclesiastes 5:14; of Sh®°ôl, open before ׳י Job 26:6. Topical Lexicon עָרוֹם Range of Usage The term describes literal unclothedness, social destitution, and the spiritual exposure of creatures before their Creator. It appears sixteen times, spanning primeval innocence, personal lament, social injustice, prophetic symbolism, and eschatological judgment. Nakedness and Innocence Genesis 2:25 introduces עָרוֹם in a pre-Fall setting: “And the man and his wife were both naked, yet they felt no shame.” The word here conveys pure vulnerability without guilt. This sets a theological baseline: in God’s original design nakedness was compatible with holiness; shame entered only after sin (Genesis 3:7). Nakedness and Mortality Job repeatedly draws on the word to confess human transience. “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart” (Job 1:21). Ecclesiastes 5:15 echoes the thought: “As a man comes from his mother’s womb, so he will depart again, naked as he came.” עָרוֹם thus frames life’s brevity and the futility of earthly gain. Nakedness and Poverty or Exploitation Job indicts oppressors who “stripped men of their clothes, leaving them naked” (Job 22:6) and who send the poor out “naked, without clothing” (Job 24:7,10). Isaiah 58:7 urges covenant people to “provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe him.” Amos 2:16 foretells defeat so absolute that “even the strong will flee naked on that day.” Here עָרוֹם exposes social sin: when the powerful withhold covering, they mirror Eden’s rupture rather than its innocence. Nakedness Exposed Before God Job 26:6 declares, “Sheol is naked before Him.” Hosea 2:3 warns that God will lay unfaithful Israel “bare as on the day she was born.” No creature, nation, or hidden realm escapes divine scrutiny; עָרוֹם becomes a metaphor for total accountability. Nakedness as Prophetic Sign Act Isaiah becomes a living oracle by walking “naked and barefoot” three years (Isaiah 20:2-4), forecasting Egypt’s humiliation. Micah’s grief erupts similarly: “I will lament like jackals and mourn like ostriches, for I will walk barefoot and naked” (Micah 1:8). In 1 Samuel 19:24 Saul’s disrobing before Samuel prefigures his declension; his involuntary nakedness testifies that prophetic power can strip kings of pretension. Covenantal Clothing and Redemptive Hope The Old Testament anticipates a covering that only God can provide. From the garments God made for Adam and Eve to Isaiah’s promise of “garments of salvation” (Isaiah 61:10), nakedness underscores humanity’s need for divine righteousness. New-covenant fulfillment shines in passages such as Revelation 3:18, where Christ offers “white garments so that you will not be naked,” echoing the theology embedded in עָרוֹם. Ministerial Implications 1. Compassion: Isaiah 58:7 instructs believers to clothe the naked, a mandate reaffirmed by Jesus (“I was naked and you clothed Me,” Matthew 25:36). Thus עָרוֹם traces a canonical arc from sinless openness, through fallen shame and societal injustice, to eschatological exposure and, finally, to the promised covering secured by God Himself. Forms and Transliterations וְעָר֑וֹם וְעָרֹם֙ וערום וערם עֲרֻמָּ֔ה עֲרוּמִּ֔ים עֲרוּמִּ֣ים עָר֛וֹם עָר֣וֹם עָר֥וֹם עָרֹ֔ם עָרֹ֨ם עָרֹם֙ ערום ערומים ערם ערמה ‘ā·rō·wm ‘ā·rōm ‘ă·rum·māh ‘ă·rūm·mîm ‘ārōm ‘ārōwm ‘ărummāh ‘ărūmmîm aRom arumMah arumMim veaRom wə‘ārōm wə‘ārōwm wə·‘ā·rō·wm wə·‘ā·rōmLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Genesis 2:25 HEB: וַיִּֽהְי֤וּ שְׁנֵיהֶם֙ עֲרוּמִּ֔ים הָֽאָדָ֖ם וְאִשְׁתּ֑וֹ NAS: were both naked and were not ashamed. KJV: And they were both naked, the man INT: become were both naked and the man and his wife 1 Samuel 19:24 Job 1:21 Job 1:21 Job 22:6 Job 24:7 Job 24:10 Job 26:6 Ecclesiastes 5:15 Isaiah 20:2 Isaiah 20:3 Isaiah 20:4 Isaiah 58:7 Hosea 2:3 Amos 2:16 Micah 1:8 16 Occurrences |
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