Lexical Summary shammah: Desolation, horror, waste Original Word: שַׁמָּה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance ruin, desolation, waste From shamem; ruin; by implication, consternation -- astonishment, desolate(-ion), waste, wonderful thing. see HEBREW shamem NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom shamem Definition waste, horror NASB Translation appalling (1), desolate (2), desolation (10), desolations (1), destroyed (1), destruction (1), dismay (1), horror (9), object of horror (10), waste (3). Brown-Driver-Briggs I. שַׁמָּה noun feminine waste, appalment (24 t. Jeremiah); — absolute ׳שׁ Jeremiah 5:30 +; plural absolute שַׁמּוֺת Psalm 46:9; — 1 a waste, of land, city, etc., Hosea 5:9; Isaiah 5:9; Isaiah 13:9; Isaiah 24:12; Zechariah 7:14; Jeremiah 2:15; Jeremiah 4:7; Jeremiah 18:16; Jeremiah 19:8; Jeremiah 46:19; Jeremiah 48:9; Jeremiah 50:3; Jeremiah 51:29,43, vine Joel 1:7; person Psalm 73:19; וּשְׁמָמָה ׳כּוֺם שׁ Ezekiel 23:33. 2 appalment, horror, i.e. occasion of it; of people land etc., Deuteronomy 28:37; 2 Kings 22:19; Micah 6:16; Zephaniah 2:15; Jeremiah 5:30; Jeremiah 25:9,11,18,38; Jeremiah 29:18; Jeremiah 44:12,22; Jeremiah 49:13,17; Jeremiah 50:23; Jeremiah 51:37,41; 2Chronicles 29:8; 30:7; ׳הֶחֱזִָק֑תְנִ ׳שׁ Jeremiah 8:21. Topical Lexicon Overview The term denotes the chilling aftermath of divine judgment—ruin, desolation, object-of-horror—that turns a place or people into a warning sign for all who pass by. Its approximately thirty-nine appearances stretch from the Torah through the post-exilic prophets, consistently affirming both the righteousness of God’s wrath and the certainty of His covenant promises. Covenantal Context: Blessings and Curses The first uses appear in the covenant sanctions of Deuteronomy. If Israel spurned the LORD, He would make them “an object of horror, scorn, and ridicule among all the nations” (Deuteronomy 28:37). The warning is repeated in Deuteronomy 29:22-24, where future generations and foreigners would see the land’s barrenness and ask, “Why has the LORD done this to this land?” Thus, שַׁמָּה becomes a covenantal sign: obedience brings flourishing; rebellion brings visible devastation. Jerusalem and the Temple After Solomon’s dedication, the LORD declared that persistent sin would turn even the newly built temple into a byword: “This house will become a heap of rubble; all who pass by will be appalled” (1 Kings 9:8; echoed in 2 Chronicles 7:21). The Babylonian destruction fulfilled that threat, confirming that sacred privilege never nullifies holy standards. National Judgment and Desolation Jeremiah employs the word repeatedly as he predicts—and later laments—the fall of Judah: Ezekiel broadens the horizon, announcing shammah over Jerusalem (Ezekiel 5:15) and over Tyre, Sidon, Egypt, and ultimately Gog (Ezekiel 26:21; 27:36; 28:19; 29:16; 32:10). Thus the term becomes a prophetic refrain underscoring God’s sovereignty over all nations. Foreign Nations as Warnings Zephaniah singles out Moab and Ammon: “Moab will become like Sodom, and the Ammonites like Gomorrah—a place of weeds and salt pits, a perpetual desolation” (Zephaniah 2:9). Nineveh, once proud, ends “a place of desolation, a lair for wild beasts” (Zephaniah 2:15). The lesson is universal: pride, idolatry, and oppression invite the same fate, whether committed by covenant Israel or pagan empires. Reversal to Restoration Shammah is not God’s final word. After judgment, Ezekiel foretells a day when Israel “will no longer bear the scorn of the nations” (Ezekiel 36:15). The same prophet closes with a vision of a restored city named “The LORD Is There” (Ezekiel 48:35), deliberately contrasting the ruin of shammah with the abiding presence of Yahweh. Divine mercy transforms horror into hope. Eschatological Vision Apocalyptic passages hint that ultimate desolation awaits the forces arrayed against God, but the new heavens and new earth will never again know shammah. What begins as a warning in Deuteronomy culminates in Revelation’s picture of a creation free from curse, tears, and dread. Ministerial and Devotional Application 1. Preaching: The word embodies the dreadful seriousness of sin. It calls congregations to repentance by illustrating that no person or nation is exempt from accountability. The thread running through every occurrence is consistent: God’s holiness will not be mocked; yet His covenant love ultimately triumphs, replacing desolation with dwelling. Forms and Transliterations וּלְשַׁמָּ֧ה וּלְשַׁמָּה֙ ולשמה לְשַׁמָּ֑ה לְשַׁמָּ֔ה לְשַׁמָּ֖ה לְשַׁמָּ֗ה לְשַׁמָּ֛ה לְשַׁמָּ֣ה לְשַׁמָּ֧ה לְשַׁמָּה֙ לשמה נָשַׁ֣מָּה נשמה שַׁמָּ֑ה שַׁמָּ֖ה שַׁמָּ֣ה שַׁמָּ֥ה שַׁמָּה֙ שַׁמּ֣וֹת שמה שמות lə·šam·māh ləšammāh leshamMah nā·šam·māh nāšammāh naShammah šam·māh šam·mō·wṯ šammāh šammōwṯ shamMah shamMot ū·lə·šam·māh ūləšammāh uleshamMahLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Deuteronomy 28:37 HEB: וְהָיִ֣יתָ לְשַׁמָּ֔ה לְמָשָׁ֖ל וְלִשְׁנִינָ֑ה NAS: You shall become a horror, a proverb, KJV: And thou shalt become an astonishment, a proverb, INT: shall become A horror A proverb taunt 2 Kings 22:19 2 Chronicles 29:8 2 Chronicles 30:7 Psalm 46:8 Psalm 73:19 Isaiah 5:9 Isaiah 13:9 Isaiah 24:12 Jeremiah 2:15 Jeremiah 4:7 Jeremiah 5:30 Jeremiah 8:21 Jeremiah 18:16 Jeremiah 19:8 Jeremiah 25:9 Jeremiah 25:11 Jeremiah 25:18 Jeremiah 25:38 Jeremiah 29:18 Jeremiah 42:18 Jeremiah 44:12 Jeremiah 44:22 Jeremiah 46:19 Jeremiah 48:9 39 Occurrences |
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