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שָׁמֵם

𐤔𐤌𐤌

shâmêm

H8074 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To be or become desolate, deserted, or devastated; to experience devastation or horror, to be appalled or stunned, often as a result of witnessing or experiencing catastrophic ruin. The term can describe both literal destruction of places and figurative states of astonishment or horror from calamity. Usage typically reflects passive experience but can also denote actively bringing ruin upon something.

Semantic Range

to be laid waste, to be deserted, to become desolate, to stun or be appalled, to devastate, to horrify, to be numbed, to amaze, to cause to desolate, to astonish

Root / Etymology

From the root שָׁמֵם (שׁ-מ-ם), which conveys the idea of emptiness, barrenness, or desolation. The verbal form שָׁמֵם emerges from this root, expressing the action or result of becoming desolate or stunned. There is no clear cognate in closely related Semitic languages, but the core notion is consistent within Hebrew usage.

Historical & Contextual Notes

שָׁמֵם is common in prophetic, poetic, and lament texts, describing wastelands, ruined cities, or the emotional state of devastation following calamity (such as exile or military defeat). The term signals both physical desolation (cities, land, sanctuary) and emotional/psychic devastation (astonishment, horror). In many passages, it is paired with imagery of infertility, silence, and utter abandonment. Later biblical and post-biblical Hebrew preserve both senses. English translations like 'desolate' or 'astonished' can capture part of the range but often obscure the somatic, visceral nuance of the verb—where numbness and horror overlap. Related Hebrew terms (e.g., שָׁדַד 'to ruin, devastate,' חָרֵב 'to be dry, ruin') can overlap in context but generally have narrower physical or agricultural connotations. שָׁמֵם is distinct for regularly denoting both existential and physical desolation. In exilic and post-exilic texts, the term often describes the ruined state of Jerusalem and the land, with implications for both landscape and the people's emotional state. In poetic parallels, it is sometimes paired with verbs for mourning or amazement, highlighting its range from environmental to psychological impact.

Translation Consistency

primary "devastate" 16 occurrences

Covers the primary senses of H8074 — physical laying waste/destruction and the passive experience of being ruined or stunned/appalled. 'Devastate' works naturally in both transitive (to devastate a place) and intransitive/passive (to be devastated, to become devastated) uses and fits the typical emotional and catastrophic contexts found in the lemma’s semantic range.

Alternatives (34 occurrences):
"appalled" (11x) "desolate" (7x) "make desolate" (3x) "become desolate" (2x) "made desolate" (1x) "desolation" (1x) "caused desolation" (1x) "desolated ones" (1x) "became appalled" (1x) "desolations of" (1x) "stunned one" (1x) "make him desolate" (1x) "make appalled" (1x) "desolated" (1x) "became desolate" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to stun (or intransitively, grow numb), i.e. devastate or (figuratively) stupefy (both usually in a passive sense); make amazed, be astonied, (be an) astonish(-ment), (be, bring into, unto, lay, lie, make) desolate(-ion, places), be destitute, destroy (self), (lay, lie, make) waste, wonder.

Bantu Hebrew

No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been recorded for this word yet.

Root Family

שׁ־מ־ם (Shamehut) — to be desolate, to be appalled, to cause devastation

Root שׁ־מ־ם to be desolate, to be appalled, to be devastated, to be stunned
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H8049 שַׁמְהוּת Shamhuth
H8076 שָׁמֵם the desolated one

Word Forms

44 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H8074-30 וַ/הֲשִׁמֹּתִ֞י vahashimoti HC/Vhq1cs and I will make desolate and I devastated and I will make desolate 6
H8074-38 וְ/נָשַׁ֨מּוּ֙ venashamu HC/VNq3cp and they will be appalled and they became desolate and they were devastated 6
H8074-44 יִשֹּׁ֣ם yishom HVqi3ms will be appalled he will become desolate will be appalled 6
H8074-13 נָשַׁ֣מּוּ nashamu HVNp3cp are desolate they became desolate they were devastated 5
H8074-11 מְשֹׁמֵ֔ם meshomem HVmrmsa appalled devastating one appalled 4
H8074-15 נְשַׁמּוֹת֙ neshamot HVNrfpa desolated desolated ones devastated ones 4
H8074-17 שָׁמְמ֖וּ shamemu HVqp3cp are appalled they were devastated are appalled 4
H8074-25 שֹׁמֵמֽוֹת shomemot HVqrfpa desolations desolate ones devastating ones 4
H8074-03 הַ/נְּשַׁמָּ֖ה haneshamah HTd/VNsfsa that was desolate the desolation the devastation 3
H8074-21 שֹׁמֵ֔ם shomem HVqrmsa of desolation desolated one desolated one 3

Occurrences in Scripture

86 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H8074-38 Leviticus 26:22 וְ/נָשַׁ֖מּוּ venashamu HC/VNq3cp and be desolate and they became desolate and they were devastated
H8074-30 Leviticus 26:31 וַ/הֲשִׁמּוֹתִ֖י vahashimoti HC/Vhq1cs and-I-will-make-desolate and I devastated and I will make desolate
H8074-30 Leviticus 26:32 וַ/הֲשִׁמֹּתִ֥י vahashimoti HC/Vhq1cs and-I-will-lay-waste and I devastated and I devastated
H8074-39 Leviticus 26:32 וְ/שָֽׁמְמ֤וּ veshamemu HC/Vqq3cp and-they-will-be-appalled and they became desolate and they will be desolate
H8074-09 Leviticus 26:34 הֳשַׁמָּ֔/ה hoshamah HVHc/Sp3fs of desolation her being made desolate her being made desolate
H8074-05 Leviticus 26:35 הָשַּׁמָּ֖/ה hashamah HVHc/Sp3fs that it is desolate her being made desolate her being devastated
H8074-02 Leviticus 26:43 בָּ/הְשַׁמָּ/ה֙ baheshamah HR/VHc/Sp3fs in-its-desolation her being made desolate in her desolation
H8074-32 Numbers 21:30 וַ/נַּשִּׁ֣ים vanashim HC/Vhw1cp we have laid waste and we caused desolation and we caused desolation
H8074-33 1 Samuel 5:6 וַ/יְשִׁמֵּ֑/ם vayeshimem HC/Vhw3ms/Sp3mp and he devastated them and he caused them to be desolated and he devastated them
H8074-44 1 Kings 9:8 יִשֹּׁ֣ם yishom HVqi3ms will-be-appalled he will become desolate will be appalled
H8074-13 Isaiah 33:8 נָשַׁ֣מּוּ nashamu HVNp3cp are desolate they became desolate they were devastated
H8074-25 Isaiah 49:8 שֹׁמֵמֽוֹת shomemot HVqrfpa desolate desolate ones devastating ones
H8074-40 Isaiah 49:19 וְ/שֹׁ֣מְמֹתַ֔יִ/ךְ veshomemotayikhe HC/Vqrfpc/Sp2fs and your desolate places and your desolated ones and your desolated ones
H8074-17 Isaiah 52:14 שָׁמְמ֤וּ shamemu HVqp3cp were appalled they were devastated they were appalled
H8074-22 Isaiah 54:1 שׁוֹמֵמָ֛ה shomemah HVqrfsa the desolate being desolate being desolate
H8074-15 Isaiah 54:3 נְשַׁמּ֖וֹת neshamot HVNrfpa desolate desolated ones devastated ones
H8074-34 Isaiah 59:16 וַ/יִּשְׁתּוֹמֵ֖ם vayishetomem HC/Vrw3ms and was astonished and he became appalled and he became appalled
H8074-25 Isaiah 61:4 שֹׁמְמ֥וֹת shomemot HVqrfpc desolations desolate ones desolations of
H8074-25 Isaiah 61:4 שֹׁמְמ֖וֹת shomemot-2 HVqrfpc desolations desolate ones devastating ones
H8074-35 Isaiah 63:5 וְ/אֶשְׁתּוֹמֵ֖ם veeshetomem HC/Vri1cs and-I-was-appalled and I would stand appalled and I was appalled
H8074-26 Jeremiah 2:12 שֹׁ֥מּוּ shomu HVqv2mp be appalled be devastated be appalled
H8074-38 Jeremiah 4:9 וְ/נָשַׁ֨מּוּ֙ venashamu HC/VNq3cp and they will be appalled and they became desolate and they will be appalled
H8074-08 Jeremiah 10:25 הֵשַֽׁמּוּ heshamu HVhp3cp they have laid waste they caused desolation they devastated
H8074-12 Jeremiah 12:11 נָשַׁ֨מָּה֙ nashamah HVNp3fs it gasps she has become desolate it was devastated
H8074-44 Jeremiah 18:16 יִשֹּׁ֖ם yishom HVqi3ms will be appalled he will become desolate will be appalled
H8074-44 Jeremiah 19:8 יִשֹּׁ֥ם yishom HVqi3ms will be astonished he will become desolate it will become desolate
H8074-04 Jeremiah 33:10 הַֽ/נְשַׁמּ֗וֹת haneshamot HTd/VNrfpa the-desolate the desolated ones the desolate
H8074-44 Jeremiah 49:17 יִשֹּׁ֥ם yishom HVqi3ms will be appalled he will become desolate he will become desolate
H8074-41 Jeremiah 49:20 יַשִּׁ֛ים yashim HVhi3ms He will make desolate He will devastate He will devastate
H8074-44 Jeremiah 50:13 יִשֹּׁ֥ם yishom HVqi3ms will be horrified he will become desolate will be appalled
H8074-41 Jeremiah 50:45 יַשִּׁ֛ים yashim HVhi3ms He will make He will devastate It will devastate
H8074-10 Ezekiel 3:15 מַשְׁמִ֥ים mashemim HVhrmsa stunned desolating one stunned one
H8074-38 Ezekiel 4:17 וְ/נָשַׁ֨מּוּ֙ venashamu HC/VNq3cp and they will be appalled and they became desolate and they will be appalled
H8074-38 Ezekiel 6:4 וְ/נָשַׁ֨מּוּ֙ venashamu HC/VNq3cp and your altars will be desolated and they became desolate and they were devastated
H8074-31 Ezekiel 14:8 וַ/הֲשִֽׂמֹתִ֨י/הוּ֙ vahasimotihu HC/Vhq1cs/Sp3ms and-I-will-make-him and I devastated him and I will make him desolate
H8074-01 Ezekiel 20:26 אֲשִׁמֵּ֔/ם ashimem HVhi1cs/Sp3mp I might devastate them I will desolate them I will desolate them
H8074-12 Ezekiel 25:3 נָשַׁ֔מָּה nashamah HVNp3fs it-was-desolated she has become desolate it was devastated
H8074-39 Ezekiel 26:16 וְ/שָׁמְמ֖וּ veshamemu HC/Vqq3cp and they will be appalled and they became desolate and they will be appalled
H8074-17 Ezekiel 27:35 שָׁמְמ֖וּ shamemu HVqp3cp are appalled they were devastated are appalled
H8074-17 Ezekiel 28:19 שָׁמְמ֖וּ shamemu HVqp3cp are appalled they were devastated were appalled
H8074-15 Ezekiel 29:12 נְשַׁמּ֗וֹת neshamot HVNrfpa desolated desolated ones devastated ones
H8074-38 Ezekiel 30:7 וְ/נָשַׁ֕מּוּ venashamu HC/VNq3cp and they will be desolate and they became desolate and they will be desolate
H8074-15 Ezekiel 30:7 נְשַׁמּ֑וֹת neshamot HVNrfpa desolated desolated ones devastated ones
H8074-30 Ezekiel 30:12 וַ/הֲשִׁמֹּתִ֞י vahashimoti HC/Vhq1cs and I will make desolate and I devastated and I will make desolate
H8074-30 Ezekiel 30:14 וַ/הֲשִׁמֹּתִי֙ vahashimoti HC/Vhq1cs and I will make desolate and I devastated and I will make desolate
H8074-30 Ezekiel 32:10 וַ/הֲשִׁמּוֹתִ֨י vahashimoti HC/Vhq1cs And I will make appalled and I devastated and I will make appalled
H8074-28 Ezekiel 32:15 וּ/נְשַׁמָּ֗ה uneshamah HC/VNsfsa and waste the desolated one and is desolated
H8074-39 Ezekiel 33:28 וְ/שָֽׁמְמ֛וּ veshamemu HC/Vqq3cp and-they-will-be-desolate and they became desolate and they became desolate
H8074-20 Ezekiel 35:12 שממה shmmh HVqp3fs desolate she became desolate desolate
H8074-17 Ezekiel 35:12 שָׁמֵ֑מוּ shamemu HVqp3cp they are desolate they were devastated they are desolate
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