Insult (3679) (oneidizo [word study] from óneidos = disgrace, abuse, or object of disgrace or shame) means to assail with abusive words, upbraid (), slander, revile, falsely accuse or to speak disparagingly of a person in manner not justified, to find fault in a way that demeans the other, to mock, to heap insults upon as a way of shaming. The idea is to to find fault in a way that demeans the one being reproached. It means to upbraid, which in turn means to criticize severely, find fault with, reproach severely or scold vehemently. In the Psalms (see Lxx uses of oneidizo below) enemies revile God, Israel, the righteous, etc. There is an use of oneidizo in which one justifiably lays a charge on someone else (see below - Jesus reproached cities, His own disciples) Oneidizo “to cast into the teeth,” as in “hurling an insult.” It means that Christians can expect to be made the butt of public jokes and open ridicule. Oneidizo refers to especially strong verbal abuse which is interesting because the Jewish culture at that time considered verbal abuse to be extremely vicious. The Jewish rabbis even considered reviling to be as evil as idolatry, fornication, and bloodshed all combined! Why so serious? Because by the defamation of one's character the victim would lose his or her place in the community and, according to the circumstance of that day, almost the possibility of continuing their life. The insulting word itself was believed to have a power of its own. Oneidizo can be translated “say evil about”, “say you are bad”. In West Africa there is an idiom, “to spoil your name” which is very appropriate in this context. Here are the 9 uses of oneidizo in the NT... Matthew 5:11 "Blessed are you when men cast insults at you, and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, on account of Me. Matthew 11:20 Then He began to reproach the cities in which most of His miracles were done, because they did not repent. Matthew 27:44 And the robbers also who had been crucified with Him were casting the same insult at Him. Mark 15:32 "Let this Christ, the King of Israel, now come down from the cross, so that we may see and believe!" And those who were crucified with Him were casting the same insult at Him. Mark 16:14 And afterward He appeared to the eleven themselves as they were reclining at the table; and He reproached them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen. Luke 6:22 "Blessed are you when men hate you, and ostracize you, and cast insults at you, and spurn your name as evil, for the sake of the Son of Man. Romans 15:3 (note) For even Christ did not please Himself; but as it is written, "The reproaches of those who reproached Thee fell upon Me." (Comment: Paul is holding up Christ as the perfect model of unselfishness.) James 1:5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all men generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 1 Peter 4:14 (note) If you are reviled for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. There are 40 uses in the OT, Septuagint (LXX) (Jdg. 5:18; 8:15; 1 Sam. 17:10, 36, 45; 2 Sam. 21:21; 23:9; 2 Ki. 19:4, 16, 22f; 1 Chr. 20:7; 2 Chr. 32:17; Neh. 6:13; Ps. 35:7; 42:10; 44:16; 55:12; 69:9; 74:10, 18; 79:12; 89:51; 102:8; 119:42; Prov. 20:4; 25:8, 10; Isa. 27:8; 37:4, 6, 17, 23f; 43:12; 54:4; 65:7; Jer. 15:9; Zeph. 2:8, 10). Study the following sampling of the LXX uses of oneidizo and note who received the reproaches. Judges 5:18 "Zebulun was a people who despised (Hebrew = charaph = to reproach, taunt; Lxx = oneidizo) their lives even to death, And Naphtali also, on the high places of the field. 1 Samuel 17:10 Again the Philistine (Goliath) said, "I defy (Hebrew = charaph = to reproach, taunt; Lxx = oneidizo) the ranks of Israel this day; give me a man that we may fight together." 1 Samuel 17:36 "Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, since he has taunted (Hebrew = charaph = to reproach, taunt; Lxx = oneidizo) the armies of the living God." Nehemiah 6:13 He (Shemaiah the son of Delaiah) was hired (Nehemiah's mortal enemies Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him) for this reason, that I might become frightened and act accordingly and sin, so that they might have an evil report in order that they could reproach (Hebrew = charaph = to reproach, taunt; Lxx = oneidizo) me. Psalm 42:10 As a shattering of my bones, my adversaries revile (Hebrew = charaph = to reproach, taunt; Lxx = oneidizo) me, While they say to me all day long, "Where is your God?" (Spurgeon's note = Cruel mockeries cut deeper than the flesh, they reach the soul as though a rapier were introduced between the ribs to prick the heart. If reproaches kill not, yet they are killing, the pain caused is excruciating. The tongue cuts to the bone, and its wounds are hard to cure. While they say daily unto me, Where is thy God? This is the most unkind cut of all, reflecting as it does both upon the Lord's faithfulness and His servant's character. Such was the malice of David's foes, that having thought of the cruel question, they said it, said it daily, repeated it to him, and that for a length, of time; surely the continual yapping of these curs at his heel was enough to madden him, and perhaps would have done so had he not resorted to prayer and made the persecutions of his enemies a plea with his Lord.) Psalm 69:9 For zeal for Thy house has consumed me (quoted by Jesus in John 2:14, by Paul in Romans 15:3), And the reproaches (Lxx = noun = oneidismos related to verb oneidizo = unjustifiable verbal abuse and/or insults) of those who reproach (Hebrew = charaph = to reproach, taunt; Lxx = oneidizo in the present tense = continually) Thee have fallen on me. (Spurgeon's note - Those who habitually blaspheme God now curse me instead. I have become the butt for arrows intended for the Lord Himself. Thus the Great Mediator [THE MESSIAH] was, in this respect, a Substitute for God as well as for man, He bore the reproaches aimed at the one, as well as the sins committed by the other.) Psalm 74:10 How long, O God, will the adversary revile (Hebrew = charaph = to reproach, taunt; Lxx = oneidizo), And the enemy spurn Thy name forever? (Spurgeon's note = O God, how long shall the adversary reproach? Though we know not how long yet thou dost. The times and seasons are with thee. When God is reproached, there is hope for us, for it may be He will hearken and avenge His dishonoured name. Wickedness has great license allowed it, and justice lingers on the road; God has His reasons for delay, and His seasons for action, and in the end it shall be seen that He is not slack concerning His promise as some men count slackness.) Psalm 74:18 Remember this, O LORD, that the enemy has reviled (Hebrew = charaph = to reproach, taunt; Lxx = oneidizo); And a foolish people has spurned Thy name. (Spurgeon's note = Against thee, the ever glorious Maker of all things, have they spoken, Thine honour have they assailed, and defied even Thee. This is forcible pleading indeed, and reminds us of Moses and Hezekiah in their intercessions: "What wilt thou do unto thy great name?" "It may be that the Lord thy God will hear the words of Rabshakeh, who hath reproached the living God." Jehovah is a jealous God, and will surely glorify His own Name; here our hope finds foothold.) Psalm 102:8 My enemies have reproached (Hebrew = charaph = to reproach, taunt; Lxx = oneidizo), me all day long; Those who deride me have used my name as a curse. (Spurgeon's note = Their rage was unrelenting and unceasing, and vented itself in taunts and insults, the Psalmist's patriotism and his griefs were both made the subjects of their sport. Pointing to the sad estate of his people they would ask him, "Where is your God?" and exult over him because their false gods were in the ascendant. Reproach cuts like a razor, and when it is continued from hour to hour, and repeated all the day and every day, it makes life itself undesirable. They were so furious that they bound themselves by oath to destroy him, and used his name as their usual execration, a word to curse by, the synonym of abhorrence and contempt. What with inward sorrows and outward persecutions he was in as ill a plight as may well be conceived.) Psalm 119:42 So I shall have an answer for him who reproaches (Hebrew = charaph = to reproach, taunt; Lxx = oneidizo in the present tense = continually) me, For I trust (Hebrew = batach = have confidence in; Lxx = elpizo = to hope, in the sense of counting on!) in Thy word. Comment: A Scriptural antidote you can "pick up" like a shield to defend your mind from the fiery missiles of the evil one. Spurgeon's note = So shall I have wherewith to answer him that reproacheth me. This is an unanswerable answer. When God, by granting us salvation, gives to our prayers an answer of peace, we are ready at once to answer the objections of the infidel, the quibbles of the skeptical, and the sneers of the contemptuous. It is most desirable that revilers should be answered, and hence we may expect the Lord to save his people in order that a weapon may be put into their hands with which to rout his adversaries. When those who reproach us are also reproaching God, we may ask him to help us to silence them by sure proofs of his mercy and faithfulness. For I trust in thy word. His faith was seen by his being trustful while under trial, and he pleads it as a reason why he should be helped to beat back reproaches by a happy experience. Faith is our argument when we seek mercies and salvation; faith in the Lord who has spoken to us in his word. "I trust in thy word" is a declaration more worth the making than any other; for he who can truly make it has received power to become a child of God, and so to be the heir of unnumbered mercies. God hath more respect to a man's trust than to all else that is in him; for the Lord hath chosen faith to be the hand into which he will place his mercies and his salvation. If any reproach us for trusting in God, we reply to them with arguments the most conclusive when we show that God has kept his promises, heard our prayers, and supplied our needs. Even the most sceptical are forced to bow before the logic of facts. In this second verse of this eight the Psalmist makes a confession of faith, and a declaration of his belief and experience. Note that he does the same in the corresponding verses of the sections which follow. See notes on the following psalms Psalms 119:50 , "Thy word hath quickened me"; Ps 119:58 , "I entreated thy favour"; Psalms 119:66 , "I have believed thy commandments"; Ps 119:74, "I have hoped in thy word." A wise preacher might find in these a series of experimental discourses.