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ἐρήμωσις

erḗmōsis

G2050 noun

SILEX Entry

Definition

A state or process of being made deserted, laid waste, or depopulated; primarily denotes the act of turning a place into a wilderness or leaving it uninhabited, and secondarily the result of this process—a condition of devastation, ruin, or abandonment. It can be applied to cities, lands, or persons being bereft of inhabitants or prosperity.

Semantic Range

making desolate, rendering uninhabited, depopulation, devastation, the state of being laid waste; ruin, abandonment

Root / Etymology

Derived from the verb ἐρημόω (erēmoō), meaning 'to make desolate, to lay waste,' itself related to the adjective ἔρημος (erēmos, 'desolate, deserted, solitary'). Formation involves the noun suffix -σις, denoting the action or result of a process: 'making desolate, desolation.'

Historical & Contextual Notes

In classical Greek, ἐρήμωσις is rare and generally conveys the sense of turning a place into a wilderness or uninhabited area. In the Septuagint (LXX), it frequently reflects the Hebrew שְׁמָמָה (shemamah), often describing the effects of warfare, divine judgment, or abandonment, especially concerning cities and lands left uninhabited. In the New Testament (e.g., in the Synoptic Apocalypse: Matt 24:15; Mark 13:14; Luke 21:20), it appears in the prophetic and eschatological context, referring to catastrophic events rendering Jerusalem or the 'holy place' deserted and devastated. Later translation traditions often render it as 'desolation' or 'destruction,' but the lexeme specifically refers to the process and state of depopulation or ruination, not to plundering or mere destruction. The term is distinct from other Greek words such as καταστροφή ('overturning, ruin') or ἀφανισμός ('obliteration, disappearance'). Modern English 'desolation' often fails to capture the original's emphasis on both the act and state of being deserted, with connotations of both physical ruin and loss of habitation.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from ἐρημόω; despoliation:--desolation.

Root Family

ἐρήμωσις (erēmōsis) — to desert, to depopulate, to lay waste, devastation, abandonment

Root ἐρημω- to desert, to depopulate, to lay waste

Word Forms

2 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
G2050-01 ἐρημώσεως eremoseos N GEN F SG desolation of desolation desolation 2
G2050-02 ἐρήμωσις eremosis N NOM F SG desolation desolating devastation desolation 1

Occurrences in Scripture

3 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
G2050-01 Matthew 24:15 ἐρημώσεως eremoseos N GEN F SG desolation of desolation desolation
G2050-01 Mark 13:14 ἐρημώσεως eremoseos N GEN F SG desolation of desolation desolation
G2050-02 Luke 21:20 ἐρήμωσις eremosis N NOM F SG desolation desolating devastation desolation
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