Lexical Summary shemamah or shimamah: Desolation, waste, devastation Original Word: שְׁמָמָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance laid, most desolate waste Or shimamah {shee-mam-aw'}; feminine of shamem; devastation; figuratively, astonishment -- (laid, X most) desolate(- ion), waste. see HEBREW shamem NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom shamem Definition devastation, waste NASB Translation desolate (19), desolation (33), horror (1), utterly desolate (1), waste (1), waste and a desolation (1). Brown-Driver-Briggs שְׁמָמָה55 noun feminine a devastation, waste; — absolute ׳שׁ Exodus 23:29 +; plural construct שִׁמְמוֺת Jeremiah 51:26 +; — waste, usually of land, city, house, etc., Exodus 23:29 (E), Isaiah 1:7 (probably strike out, with words following StuJP Th. 1877, 714 FBJBL (1890), 84), Leviticus 26:33 (H), Jeremiah 4:27 14t. Jeremiah ("" מֵאֵין ׳אָדָם ונו Jeremiah 32:43, מֵאֵין ישֵׁב Jeremiah 34:22), Ezekiel 6:14 18t. Ezekiel (Ezekiel 35:7 a read שְׁמָמָה וּמְשַׁמָּה for ᵑ0 ִשׁמְמָה וּשְׁמָמָה, so Hi Co Toy Krae and others) +; of prince, ׳יִלְבַּשׁ שׁ Ezekiel 7:27; of idols Micah 1:7; ׳כּוֺם שַׁמָּה ושׁ Ezekiel 23:33. — Ezekiel 35:12 see שׁמם Qal. ִשׁמְמָה Ezekiel 35:7 see foregoing. Topical Lexicon Semantic field and toneשְׁמָמָה evokes an atmosphere of lifeless ruin: fields uncultivated, walls broken, voices silenced. It is never a neutral vacancy; it is a vacancy that testifies to judgment. The term is regularly paired with words such as “astonishment,” “hissing,” and “waste,” underscoring both the physical emptiness and the chilling effect it has on onlookers. Old Testament distribution Roughly fifty-eight appearances are concentrated in the Former Prophets (Joshua, Judges, 2 Kings), the Major Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel), and the Twelve. While the Pentateuch sets the theological groundwork (Leviticus 26:31-35), the prophets give the word its fullest dramatic weight, describing: • The promised land after covenant violation (Leviticus 26:32; Ezekiel 33:28). Covenant backdrop Leviticus 26 establishes שְׁמָמָה as one of the final sanctions in the covenant lawsuit. “I will lay your cities waste and will make your sanctuaries desolate” (Leviticus 26:31). From that legal foundation, every later prophetic use of the word functions as a citation of the covenant’s closing arguments. When the prophets declare upcoming desolation, they are not introducing a new threat but invoking the ancient treaty the nation had already ratified. Historical fulfillments 1. Northern Kingdom (Samaria). After repeated prophetic warnings (Micah 1:6), Assyria reduced the hilltop capital to a ruin in 722 B.C. Desolation and hope held together Prophetic oracles never end with desolation. The same Isaiah who foresaw the land “utterly laid waste” (Isaiah 24:3) also proclaimed: “They will rebuild the ancient ruins; they will restore the places long devastated” (Isaiah 61:4). Ezekiel’s valley of dry bones culminates with the land inhabited again “no longer a desolation” (Ezekiel 36:34). Thus, שְׁמָמָה becomes the black canvas upon which restoration is painted, magnifying divine mercy. Christological and eschatological resonance Matthew 24:15 and 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 adopt the language of “desolation” to describe end-time defilement in the temple and global rebellion. The Old Testament usage of שְׁמָמָה prepares the reader to understand these future events as covenant judgments on a grand scale, soon to be eclipsed by the consummate renewal of creation (Revelation 21:5). Pastoral and homiletical applications • Warning. Preachers may employ passages such as Jeremiah 44:6 to underscore the seriousness of persistent sin: “So My fierce anger poured out… and they became a desolation.” Summary שְׁמָמָה portrays more than empty landscapes; it voices the covenant’s verdict upon unfaithfulness while simultaneously setting the stage for lavish restoration. Its recurring presence across Scripture reinforces God’s unwavering righteousness and His equally unwavering resolve to redeem and rebuild. Forms and Transliterations וּשְׁמָמָ֑ה וּשְׁמָמָ֔ה וּשְׁמָמָ֖ה וּשְׁמָמָה֒ ושממה לְשִֽׁמְמ֥וֹת לְשִֽׁמְמָ֖ה לִשְׁמָמָ֑ה לִשְׁמָמָ֔ה לִשְׁמָמָ֖ה לִשְׁמָמָ֣ה לשממה לשממות שְׁמֵמָ֑ה שְׁמָמָ֑ה שְׁמָמָ֔ה שְׁמָמָ֖ה שְׁמָמָ֜ה שְׁמָמָ֣ה שְׁמָמָ֤ה שְׁמָמָ֥ה שְׁמָמָ֨ה שְׁמָמָֽה׃ שְׁמָמָה֙ שִֽׁמְמ֤וֹת שִׁמְמ֥וֹת שֹֽׁמְמֹתֵ֔ינוּ שממה שממה׃ שממות שממתינו lə·šim·māh lə·šim·mō·wṯ leshimMah leshimMot ləšimmāh ləšimmōwṯ liš·mā·māh lishmaMah lišmāmāh šə·mā·māh šə·mê·māh šəmāmāh šəmêmāh shemaMah shemeMah shimMot shomemoTeinu šim·mō·wṯ šimmōwṯ šō·mə·mō·ṯê·nū šōməmōṯênū ū·šə·mā·māh ūšəmāmāh ushemaMahLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Exodus 23:29 HEB: תִּהְיֶ֤ה הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ שְׁמָמָ֔ה וְרַבָּ֥ה עָלֶ֖יךָ NAS: may not become desolate and the beasts KJV: lest the land become desolate, and the beast INT: become the land desolate multiply too Leviticus 26:33 Joshua 8:28 Isaiah 1:7 Isaiah 1:7 Isaiah 6:11 Isaiah 17:9 Isaiah 62:4 Isaiah 64:10 Jeremiah 4:27 Jeremiah 6:8 Jeremiah 9:11 Jeremiah 10:22 Jeremiah 12:10 Jeremiah 12:11 Jeremiah 25:12 Jeremiah 32:43 Jeremiah 34:22 Jeremiah 44:6 Jeremiah 49:2 Jeremiah 49:33 Jeremiah 50:13 Jeremiah 51:26 Jeremiah 51:62 Ezekiel 6:14 58 Occurrences |
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