שָׁחַת

𐤔𐤇𐤕

shâchath

H7843 verb

SILEX Entry

Root שׁחת to spoil, to ruin, to corrupt, to destroy

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

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Root 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