Original Word: שַׁאֲוָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: sha'avah
Pronunciation: sha-ah-vah
Phonetic Spelling: (shah-av-aw')
KJV: desolation
NASB: storm
Word Origin: [from H7582 (שָׁאָה - devastated)]

1. a tempest (as rushing)

desolation

From sha'ah; a tempest (as rushing) -- desolation.

see HEBREW sha'ah

Word Origin
from shaah
Definition
a devastating storm
NASB Translation
storm (1).

שַׁאֲוָה Kt, שׁוֺאָה Qr, noun feminine devastating storm: — simile Proverbs 1:27 ("" סוּפָה). V. שׁוֺאָה, √ II. שׁוא.

Key Meaning

שַׁאֲוָה pictures a violent, engulfing storm—an image of overwhelming calamity that sweeps away all resistance. It is not a passing shower but a devastating tempest that leaves ruin in its wake.

Biblical Context and Usage

Proverbs 1:27 is its sole occurrence: “when your dread comes like a storm, and your destruction like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish overwhelm you.” Here Wisdom warns the naïve, scoffers, and fools that rejection of her call will bring catastrophe as sudden and inescapable as a desert squall. The term intensifies a triple cascade of judgments—terror, ruin, distress—underscoring the certainty and severity of divine retribution.

Historical Insights

Ancient Near-Eastern hearers were well acquainted with sudden windstorms that roared through the wadis and swallowed travelers without warning. Solomon’s audience would immediately sense the helplessness such storms produced; the metaphor therefore communicated consequences that were both imaginable and frighteningly real.

Theological Implications

1. Divine Justice: שַׁאֲוָה affirms that moral choices invite tangible outcomes. Wisdom’s early chapters ground ethics in theology: ignoring God’s voice brings judgment (compare Isaiah 28:2; Jeremiah 23:19).
2. Covenant Accountability: The word echoes covenant curses (Deuteronomy 32:23–24) where disaster answers disobedience; the Wisdom writer applies covenant principles to everyday life.
3. Eschatological Foretaste: The sudden storm anticipates final judgment scenes (Joel 2:1–11; 1 Thessalonians 5:2–3), linking daily decisions with ultimate destiny.

Christological Connections

Jesus embodies God’s Wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:24). He calmed literal storms (Mark 4:39), offering rescue from the greater storm of wrath (John 3:36). Rejecting Christ parallels the refusal described in Proverbs; accepting Him brings the security promised later in the chapter: “whoever listens to me will dwell in safety” (Proverbs 1:33).

Practical Ministry Applications

• Evangelism: Proverbs 1:27 provides a vivid warning to accompany the gospel invitation, balancing grace with the seriousness of sin’s consequences.
• Discipleship: The verse encourages believers to cultivate teachability, reminding them that ignoring godly counsel breaks protective boundaries.
• Pastoral Care: When counseling those reaping painful results of poor choices, the image of שַׁאֲוָה helps frame consequences without minimizing hope—pointing sufferers to repentance and restoration.

Homiletical Suggestions

• Contrast “the storm that destroys” (Proverbs 1:27) with “the rock that stands” (Matthew 7:24–27).
• Trace the motif of divine storms from Sinai (Exodus 19:16) to the eschaton (Revelation 16:18–21).
• Highlight the shelter offered in Christ (Psalm 91:1–2) against the backdrop of Proverbs’ warning.

Contemporary Relevance

Modern life still faces moral tempests—financial collapse, relational breakdown, cultural upheaval. שַׁאֲוָה reminds today’s believers that ignoring God’s wisdom invites devastation no less real than an ancient sandstorm, while heeding His voice secures lasting peace.

כְשֹׁואָ֨ה כשואה cheshoAh ḵə·šō·w·’āh ḵəšōw’āhInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts