מְשׁוֹאָה
𐤌𐤔𐤅𐤀𐤄
mᵉshôwʼâh
H4875 noun
SILEX Entry
Definition
Destruction or ruin; a condition or act of laying waste, often signifying a state of desolation associated with catastrophic events. Used concretely of physical devastation or abstractly for the concept of utter ruin.
Semantic Range
ruin, devastation, desolation, act of destruction, state of being laid waste, the result of a catastrophic event, physical wreckage, act/process of devastation
Root / Etymology
From the root שׁוא (shoʼ), meaning 'to lay waste, devastate, cause desolation.' מְשׁוֹאָה is a feminine noun formation denoting the result or state of that action: ruin, destruction. The variant מְשֹׁאָה represents a phonological alternative in spelling, without change in meaning.
Historical & Contextual Notes
מְשׁוֹאָה appears most often in prophetic literature (e.g., Isaiah, Zephaniah), characterizing conditions following overwhelming judgment or disaster, particularly the aftermath of military conquest or divine punishment. Across periods, its usage remains tied to imagery of total devastation, especially in urban or cultivated landscapes. The English renderings 'desolation' or 'waste' capture most of its range but may obscure the word's association with active devastation and the sense of something made uninhabitable. Its semantic field overlaps with חָרְבָּה (ḥorbah, 'ruin, desolation') but מְשׁוֹאָה emphasizes the process or catastrophic result. Not to be misconstrued as a theological term; its focus is on destruction and aftermath, not on causes. In post-exilic Hebrew, related roots may have acquired slightly broader meanings, but in the Hebrew Bible מְשׁוֹאָה is consistently tied to catastrophic loss or eradication. Later translations, including the Septuagint and Vulgate, often use terms that emphasize destruction or total ruin, though some English versions use 'waste' in ways that could suggest mere neglect rather than catastrophic devastation.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
or מְשֹׁאָה; from the same as שׁוֹא; (a) ruin, abstractly (the act) or concretely (the wreck); desolation, waste.
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
שׁוא (š-w-ʾ) — lay waste, devastate, destroy
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H7722 | שׁוֹא | like a devastation |
Word Forms
1 distinct form
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4875-01 |
וּ/מְשׁוֹאָ֔ה | umeshoah | HC/Ncfsa |
and desolate | and devastation | 3 |
Occurrences in Scripture
3 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H4875-01 |
Zephaniah 1:15 | וּ/מְשׁוֹאָ֔ה | umeshoah | HC/Ncfsa |
and desolation | and devastation |
H4875-01 |
Job 30:3 | וּ/מְשֹׁאָֽה | umeshoah | HC/Ncfsa |
and waste | and devastation |
H4875-01 |
Job 38:27 | וּ/מְשֹׁאָ֑ה | umeshoah | HC/Ncfsa |
and desolate | and devastation |