שָׁחַת
𐤔𐤇𐤕
shâchath
H7843 verb
SILEX Entry
Definition
To spoil, ruin, or corrupt something, particularly in the sense of rendering it unusable, marred, or destroyed; also, to act wickedly or bring moral corruption. The verb is used for both physical destruction (such as devastation of land, destruction of objects, or annihilation of beings) and non-physical ruin (moral corruption, perverting justice, or bringing about social decay). The term frequently appears in contexts of violence, judgment, or divine retribution, but can also refer to self-inflicted ruin or acts of moral distortion.
Semantic Range
to ruin, to destroy, to spoil, to corrupt (physically), to act wickedly or morally corrupt, to pervert justice or truth, to waste, to decay, to devastate, to bring to perdition
Root / Etymology
Root: שׁחת (shin-chet-tav). The verbal root means primarily 'to spoil, corrupt, destroy.' In Hebrew morphology, the root occurs in the qal (to be spoiled, perish), piel (to ruin, destroy), and hiphil (to cause to perish, destroy) stems, reflecting both intensive and causative semantical developments. The underlying sense is of taking something from a state of wholeness to a state of irreparable damage or corruption.
Historical & Contextual Notes
Throughout the Hebrew Bible, שָׁחַת appears in a range of contexts: In Genesis, it describes both the physical corruption of the earth and moral depravity leading to the flood narrative (Gen 6:11–13), illustrating the word’s range from tangible destruction to ethical decay. In legal and prophetic literature, it can denote acts that undermine justice or integrity within the community (e.g., corrupting judgment, Deut 16:19; Isa 1:4). In warfare, it is used for acts of devastation against land, cities, or peoples (e.g., Jer 12:10). The word contrasts with synonyms such as אבד (’avad, 'to perish/be lost'), which focuses more on loss or disappearance rather than active ruin or corruption. English translations often collapse the semantic range to 'destroy' or 'corrupt,' but these can obscure the nuance between physical annihilation and moral/spiritual perversion present in the Hebrew usage. Over time, the word’s core meanings remain stable, though prophetic contexts increasingly emphasize societal and ethical disorder as forms of corruption or ruination wrought by human action or divine judgment. In post-biblical Hebrew, the core idea persists but is shaped by evolving religious and ethical discourses.
Original Strong's Gloss (1890)
a primitive root; to decay, i.e. (causatively) ruin (literally or figuratively); batter, cast off, corrupt(-er, thing), destroy(-er, -uction), lose, mar, perish, spill, spoiler, [idiom] utterly, waste(-r).
Bantu Hebrew
No Bantu Hebrew comparisons have been submitted for this word yet.
+ Add Bantu Hebrew WordRoot Family
שׁחת (sh-ḥ-t) — to spoil, to ruin, to corrupt, to destroy
| Strong's | Lemma | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|
| H4889 | מַשְׁחִית | the destroyer |
| H4893 | מִשְׁחָת | their corruption |
| H7844 | שְׁחַת | and ruined one |
Word Forms
70 distinct forms
| SIDANCE | Surface | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 | Occurrences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7843-19 |
לְ/שַׁחֵ֣ת | leshachet | HR/Vpc |
to destroy | to ruin utterly | 10 |
H7843-14 |
לְ/הַשְׁחִ֖ית | lehashechit | HR/Vhc |
to destroy | to cause to ruin | 8 |
H7843-22 |
מַשְׁחִ֥ית | mashechit | HVhrmsa |
who destroys | ruin-bringer | 8 |
H7843-24 |
מַשְׁחִתִ֣ים | mashechitim | HVhrmpa |
corrupters | destroying-ones | 7 |
H7843-68 |
יַשְׁחִ֥ת | yashechit | HVhi3ms |
he shall destroy | he will bring to ruin | 6 |
H7843-53 |
וַ/יַּשְׁחִ֨יתוּ֙ | vayashechitu | HC/Vhw3mp |
and they destroyed | and they brought to ruin | 6 |
H7843-04 |
הַ/מַּשְׁחִ֔ית | hamashechit | HTd/Ncmsa |
who was destroying | the destroyer | 6 |
H7843-13 |
הִשְׁחִ֣יתוּ | hishechitu | HVhp3cp |
had destroyed | they brought to ruin | 6 |
H7843-01 |
אַשְׁחִ֔ית | ashechit | HVhi1cs |
I will destroy | I will cause to ruin | 6 |
H7843-36 |
שִׁחֵ֣ת | shichet | HVpp3ms |
he has destroyed | he ruined | 6 |
Occurrences in Scripture
147 total occurrences
| SIDANCE | Reference | Word | Transliteration | Morphology | Common | SIBI-P1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
H7843-51 |
Genesis 6:11 | וַ/תִּשָּׁחֵ֥ת | vatishachet | HC/VNw3fs |
was corrupt | she was ruined |
H7843-30 |
Genesis 6:12 | נִשְׁחָ֑תָה | nishechatah | HVNp3fs |
it was corrupt | she was ruined |
H7843-12 |
Genesis 6:12 | הִשְׁחִ֧ית | hishechit | HVhp3ms |
had corrupted | he brought to ruin |
H7843-23 |
Genesis 6:13 | מַשְׁחִיתָ֖/ם | mashechitam | HVhrmsc/Sp3mp |
will destroy them | the one destroying them |
H7843-19 |
Genesis 6:17 | לְ/שַׁחֵ֣ת | leshachet | HR/Vpc |
to destroy | to ruin utterly |
H7843-19 |
Genesis 9:11 | לְ/שַׁחֵ֥ת | leshachet | HR/Vpc |
to destroy | to ruin utterly |
H7843-19 |
Genesis 9:15 | לְ/שַׁחֵ֖ת | leshachet | HR/Vpc |
to destroy | to ruin utterly |
H7843-32 |
Genesis 13:10 | שַׁחֵ֣ת | shachet | HVpc |
destroyed | to bring to ruin |
H7843-11 |
Genesis 18:28 | הֲ/תַשְׁחִ֥ית | hatashechit | HTi/Vhi2ms |
will you destroy | will you cause to ruin? |
H7843-01 |
Genesis 18:28 | אַשְׁחִ֔ית | ashechit | HVhi1cs |
I will destroy | I will cause to ruin |