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שָׁאָה

𐤔𐤀𐤄

shâʼâh

H7583 verb

SILEX Entry

Root שׁאה to be desolate, lay waste, be appalled, be horrified

Definition

To be or become desolate, deserted, or laid waste; by extension, to be appalled, horrified, or stunned in reaction to utter devastation. The verb primarily describes a response to scenes of destruction or emptiness, indicating a state of stupefaction, horror, or loss. It can also refer to the act of causing astonishment, horror, or appalled silence in others by introducing devastation or desolation.

Semantic Range

to be desolate, to become waste or deserted, to be appalled or horrified by devastation, to cause astonishment or horror, to be stunned into silence by ruin

Root / Etymology

Root שָׁאָה (sha'ah), meaning at its core "to be desolate" or "to lay waste." The root conveys the idea of emptiness, waste, or devastation. While the precise origination beyond the triconsonantal root is uncertain, the word is consistently connected with images of ruin or abandoned places and extends metaphorically to emotional responses stemming from such devastation.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In biblical usage, שָׁאָה most often appears in prophetic and poetic contexts describing the fate of cities, lands, or peoples subject to divine judgment, especially in major prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. It frequently communicates both the objective outcome (ruin, waste) and the resultant emotional impact (horror, stupefaction) on observers. This verb can apply intransitively (to be appalled) or transitively (to cause to be appalled). In later biblical books, the term continues to carry connotations of horror at moral or physical devastation. English translations may alternate between 'be desolate,' 'appalled,' 'horrified,' 'astonished,' or 'laid waste,' but often fall short of conveying the full range of both physical and emotional desolation implied by the Hebrew. The word is sometimes confused with other roots (e.g., שָׁמֵם, meaning 'to be desolate'), but tends to highlight emotional reaction in addition to state. No later Jewish sectarian or rabbinic technical meaning is attested; its usage remains connected to destruction and astonishment.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root (identical with through the idea of whirling to giddiness); to stun, i.e. (intransitively) be astonished; wonder.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שאה (sh-ʾ-h) — desolation, devastation, appalled horror, stunned astonishment

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H4876 מַשּׁוּאָה to ruined sites
H7582 שָׁאָה to cause desolation
H7584 שַׁאֲוָה like a crashing storm
H7588 שָׁאוֹן like roaring tumult
H7591 שְׁאִיָּה and devastation

Word Forms

1 distinct form

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H7583-01 מִשְׁתָּאֵ֖ה mishetaeh HVtrmsa was gazing/wondering the one appalling himself 1

Occurrences in Scripture

1 total occurrence

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H7583-01 Genesis 24:21 מִשְׁתָּאֵ֖ה mishetaeh HVtrmsa was gazing/wondering the one appalling himself
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