Original Word: יָשַׁם
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: yasham
Pronunciation: yah-sham'
Phonetic Spelling: (yaw-sham')
KJV: be desolate
NASB: appalled, desolate, stripped
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to lie waste

be desolate

A primitive root; to lie waste -- be desolate.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to be desolate
NASB Translation
appalled (1), desolate (1), stripped (1).

[יָשַׁם] verb be desolate (compare שָׁמַם) —

Qal Imperfect3feminine singular תֵּשַׁם Ezekiel 12:19; תֵּשָׁ֑ם Genesis 47:19; וַתֵּ֫שַׁם Ezekiel 19:7; 3feminine plural תִּישָׁ֑מְנָה Ezekiel 6:6 (Co תֵּשׁמנה); — be desolate , subject ארץ Ezekiel 12:19; Ezekiel 19:7; subject אֲדָמָה Genesis 47:19 (J); subject במות Ezekiel 6:6.

The Motif of Desolation

Strong’s Hebrew 3456 (יָשַׁם) speaks of land or cities falling into ruin, a condition that Scripture presents not as random misfortune but as a covenantal consequence. From Eden onward, fruitfulness is linked to obedience, and barrenness or devastation signals covenant breach (Leviticus 26; Deuteronomy 28). Thus each occurrence of יָשַׁם carries theological weight: it exposes the futility of life detached from God and heralds His resolve to purge idolatry, injustice, and pride.

Occurrences in the Canonical Narrative

1. Genesis 47:19

Pharaoh’s subjects plead, “Provide us with seed, so that we may live and not die, and the land will not become desolate”. Here יָשַׁם frames desolation as the ultimate loss: not merely famine but forfeiture of stewardship. Joseph’s wise administration averts that fate, foreshadowing the greater Redeemer who rescues creation itself from bondage to decay (Romans 8:21).

2. Ezekiel 6:6

The Lord declares, “Wherever you live, the cities will be laid waste”. The verb underscores that idolatry empties life of purpose, leaving only ruins. By dismantling the high places, God removes counterfeit securities so that a remnant might seek Him sincerely (Ezekiel 6:8–10).

3. Ezekiel 12:19

“Their land will be stripped of everything because of the violence of all who live there”. Violence, not merely political miscalculation, triggers the desolation. The prophet dramatizes exile to show that sin unravels social fabric, turning abundance into scarcity.

4. Ezekiel 19:7

The lion‐prince “devastated their cities. The land and all who were in it shuddered at the sound of his roaring”. Leadership gone rogue accelerates corporate ruin, fulfilling earlier warnings (Jeremiah 22:5). יָשַׁם thus becomes a verdict on tyrannical power.

Historical Setting

Ezekiel’s oracles arise during the sixth‐century Babylonian crisis, a historical backdrop that verifies prophetic accuracy: Jerusalem was indeed laid waste in 586 B.C. Genesis 47, by contrast, takes place in Egypt during a seven‐year famine dated by many scholars to Egypt’s Middle Kingdom. Across centuries, then, יָשַׁם traces a consistent principle—when God’s order is despised, the land itself suffers.

Ministry Significance

• Warning: Pastoral proclamation must retain the note of divine severity. Sin still desolates lives, families, and nations.
• Hope: Joseph’s preservation of Egypt anticipates Christ, who reverses curse by bearing it (Galatians 3:13). The same God who decrees desolation also promises restoration (Ezekiel 36:34–35).
• Stewardship: Believers are summoned to cultivate, not exploit, creation. The specter of יָשַׁם urges environmental responsibility anchored in worship rather than secular activism.

Christological and Eschatological Outlook

In the Gospels, Jesus cites impending desolation (Matthew 23:38) using analogous terminology, linking first‐century Jerusalem’s fate with Ezekiel’s precedent. Yet Revelation foresees the New Jerusalem where “no longer will there be any curse” (Revelation 22:3). יָשַׁם therefore functions both as a present warning and a backdrop against which the consummate renewal shines.

Key Takeaways for Discipleship

1. Covenant faithfulness safeguards fruitfulness; rebellion breeds ruin.
2. God’s judgments aim at purification, not annihilation; desolation prepares the soil for renewal.
3. The church must echo Ezekiel—exposing idolatry—while also embodying Joseph’s redemptive wisdom.
4. Final deliverance from all desolation rests in the crucified and risen Christ, whose kingdom ushers everlasting fullness.

Thus יָשַׁם, though sparsely used, threads a vital theme through Scripture: desolation is the visible shadow of invisible estrangement from God, a shadow dispelled only by repentance and the redeeming work of the Lord.

וַתֵּ֤שַׁם ותשם תִּישָׁ֑מְנָה תֵּשַׁ֤ם תֵשָֽׁם׃ תישמנה תשם תשם׃ tê·šam ṯê·šām têšam ṯêšām teSham tî·šā·mə·nāh tîšāmənāh tiShamenah vatTesham wat·tê·šam wattêšamInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts