to despise
ba.zah denotes treating a person, command, oath, or object as beneath regard, or being held in contempt.
The verb most often marks an active attitude that dismisses a person or treats a word, oath, command, or other matter as unworthy of regard. It also appears in participial forms for someone or something regarded with contempt or made low before others.
Senses in use
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Treating someone or something with contempt · dominant
In 1 Samuel 17:42, the Qal sequential imperfect occurs after the Philistine sees David; the APB renders that response as having “despised him.” The same active use targets the word of the LORD in 2 Samuel 12:9, an oath and covenant in Ezekiel 17:19, and the LORD's name in Malachi 1:6.
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Being regarded as contemptible · common
Niphal participles describe a person or thing in the condition of being held in contempt: in Isaiah 53:3 the APB renders the man as “despised,” while in Malachi 1:12 the food of the Lord's table is called “contemptible.” Qal passive participles likewise occur where a people are described as “despised” among others in Obadiah 1:2.
In the Anselm Project Bible: The APB commonly uses “despised” for active clauses involving people, the LORD's word, an oath, and a command, and for passive participial descriptions. It also uses “contemptible” or “with contempt” in several clauses; these renderings reflect the verse context rather than a word-by-word alignment.