Original Word: שָׁאָה
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: sha'ah
Pronunciation: shaw-aw'
Phonetic Spelling: (shaw-aw')
KJV: be desolate, (make a) rush(-ing), (lay) waste
NASB: devastated, rumble, rush, turn
Word Origin: [a primitive root]

1. to rush
2. (by implication) to desolate

be desolate, make a rushing, lay waste

A primitive root; to rush; by implication, to desolate -- be desolate, (make a) rush(-ing), (lay) waste.

Word Origin
a prim. root
Definition
to make a din or crash, crash into ruins
NASB Translation
devastated (1), rumble (1), rush (1), turn (1), turn* (1).

I. [שָׁאָה] verb make a din or crash, crash into ruins (perhaps akin to שׁוֺאָה (√ שׁוא) storm, devastation; >Aramaic be deserted, שַׁהֲוָוא, שַׁהֲוָתָא desert); —

Qal Perfect3plural שָׁאוּ Isaiah 6:11 until cities have crashed into ruins; + perhaps Nahum 1:5 (p. 671a).

Niph`al Imperfect3feminine singular תִּשָּׁאֶה שְׁמָמָה Isaiah 6:11, usually, and the ground be ruined into a desolation, but ᵐ5 Lo Du Marti תִּשָּׁאֵר be left a desolation; 3 masculine plural יִשָּׁא֑וּן Isaiah 17:12 they are in uproar (of nations, "" יֶהֱמָיוּן), Isaiah 17:13 (but strike out as doublet Du Che^Hpt Marti).

Hiph`il Infinitive construct לְהַשְׁאוֺת Isaiah 37:26, = לַהְשׁוֺת 2 Kings 19:25 (Ges^{§ 23f} Kö^{i. 570}, who follow van d. H. in giving לְהַשְׁאוֺת as Qr, but see Baer Gi), to cause ... cities to crash into ruined heaps.

Root Connotations

שָׁאָה evokes the violent crashing of waves and the devastation that follows military conquest. Whether translated “lay waste,” “be desolate,” or “roar,” the verb consistently conveys upheaval that only the sovereign hand of God can marshal or restrain.

Occurrences and Literary Context

2 Kings 19:25 (paralleled in Isaiah 37:26)

“Have you not heard? Long ago I ordained it; in days of old I planned it. Now I have brought it to pass, that you should crush fortified cities into piles of rubble.”

Here שָׁאָה underscores the certainty of Assyria’s victories—victories ultimately decreed by the LORD for His disciplinary purposes toward Judah and the surrounding nations.

Isaiah 6:11

“Then I said, ‘How long, O Lord?’ And He replied: ‘Until cities lie ruined and without inhabitant, houses are without people, and the land is utterly desolate.’”

Used twice in this verse, the verb deepens Isaiah’s vision of covenant judgment, portraying the land’s devastation as comprehensive yet time-bounded by God’s redemptive plan.

Isaiah 17:12–13

“Ah, the raging of many nations— they rage like the raging sea. Ah, the uproar of the peoples— they roar like the roaring of mighty waters. Though the peoples roar like the roar of surging waters, He will rebuke them and they will flee far away.”

שָׁאָה paints the nations’ aggression as chaotic surf, but the LORD’s rebuke stills the tumult, revealing His unrivaled authority over geopolitical storms.

Theological Significance

1. Divine Sovereignty in Judgment

Each occurrence links devastation with God’s prior decree. Neither Assyrian siege works nor the clamor of coalitions can exceed the boundaries He sets.

2. Moral Accountability of Nations

While God employs empires as instruments, the same passages affirm their accountability. The Assyrian boast meets divine rebuke; the roaring nations are scattered.

3. Hope beyond Desolation

Isaiah’s prophecies pivot from שָׁאָה-induced ruin to restoration (Isaiah 11:1; Isaiah 37:32). Desolation is penultimate; redemption is ultimate.

Historical Background

The term surfaces in oracles delivered during the eighth-century threat of Assyria. Hezekiah’s Jerusalem (2 Kings 18–19) stands at the brink of collapse, yet the prophet frames Assyria’s rampage as preauthorized. Similarly, Isaiah addresses Ephraim and Aram (Isaiah 17) when they tremble before regional superpowers. שָׁאָה becomes a theological lens through which Israel interprets geopolitical turmoil: not random, but orchestrated within God’s covenant dealings.

Practical Ministry Applications

• Pastoral comfort: Believers facing societal upheaval can rest in the same sovereignty that set limits to Assyria’s advance.
• Prophetic warning: National arrogance invites the kind of ruin described; ministries of intercession and repentance remain vital.
• Missional perspective: The roar of the nations today signals both unrest and opportunity—“He will rebuke them and they will flee far away,” clearing paths for the gospel.

Christological Echoes

Isaiah’s imagery anticipates the Messiah who stills literal seas (Mark 4:39) and will ultimately silence the nations’ uproar (Revelation 19:15). The One who bore covenant curses on the cross ensures that the final word over creation is not שָׁאָה but shalom.

יִשָּׁא֔וּן יִשָּׁאֽוּן׃ ישאון ישאון׃ לְהַשְׁא֛וֹת לַהְשׁ֛וֹת להשאות להשות שָׁא֨וּ שאו תִּשָּׁאֶ֥ה תשאה lah·šō·wṯ lahShot lahšōwṯ lə·haš·’ō·wṯ ləhaš’ōwṯ lehashot šā’ū šā·’ū shaU tiš·šā·’eh tishshaEh tiššā’eh yiš·šā·’ūn yishshaUn yiššā’ūnInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts