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מְשַׁמָּה

𐤌𐤔𐤌𐤄

mᵉshammâh

H4923 noun

SILEX Entry

Root שׁמם to be desolate, to be appalled, to be destroyed

Definition

State or place of devastation, ruin, or utter desolation; a condition of being laid waste, often conveying a sense of emptiness, destruction, and astonishment at the scale of loss. The term can be used literally for physical desolation of cities, land, or houses, as well as metaphorically for utter devastation in other domains (e.g., the spirit or hope).

Semantic Range

desolation, devastation, utter ruin (of land, cities, houses); a place laid waste; the state of being utterly destroyed; astonishment (as a response to extreme devastation)

Root / Etymology

מְשַׁמָּה is a feminine noun derived from the root שׁמם, which means 'to be desolate, to be appalled, to be destroyed'. The noun is a derivative emphasizing the state or result of desolation, rather than the process. The mem-prefix in nouns often signals a resultant or place noun, indicating 'that which is made desolate' or 'a state of devastation'.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In Biblical usage, מְשַׁמָּה typically connotes severe devastation or ruin, often in connection with divine judgment or aftermath of conflict. The desolation described can pertain to urban centers (e.g., Jerusalem, cities of other nations), the land of Israel or its environs, or even houses and personal property. The term is frequently paired with synonymic nouns such as שְׁמָמָה (shemamah), amplifying the depth of devastation with assonance and intensifying effect. מְשַׁמָּה occurs in prophetic literature (e.g., Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel) in oracles against both Israelite/Judahite and foreign cities. English translations usually render it as 'desolation', 'waste', or less often 'astonishment', but the sense of being astonished is secondary, a reaction to the degree of devastation. There is a subtle difference between מְשַׁמָּה (emphasizing the result) and שְׁמָמָה (often used interchangeably, but occasionally more abstract). In later biblical periods, the term continues to signify thorough devastation rather than mere abandonment. It does not carry the later theological or soteriological nuances sometimes assigned in translations like 'astonishment' (as in KJV 'astonishment'), which are better seen as emotional reactions to the primary sense of ruin.

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

from שָׁמֵם; a waste or amazement; astonishment, desolate.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שׁמם (š-m-m) — to be desolate, to be appalled, to be destroyed

Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H8047 שַׁמָּה for utter desolation
H8049 שַׁמְהוּת Shamhuth
H8054 שַׁמּוֹת Shammoth
H8060 שַׁמַּי Shammay
H8064 שָׁמַיִם in the lofty-heights

Word Forms

3 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 Occurrences
H4923-03 וּ/מְשַׁמָּ֔ה umeshamah HC/Ncfsa and-waste and utter desolation 5
H4923-01 לִ/מְשַׁמּ֖וֹת limeshamot HR/Ncfpa desolations to desolations 1
H4923-02 מְשַׁמּ֣וֹת meshamot HNcfpa desolate desolations 1

Occurrences in Scripture

7 total occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1
H4923-02 Isaiah 15:6 מְשַׁמּ֣וֹת meshamot HNcfpa desolate desolations
H4923-01 Jeremiah 48:34 לִ/מְשַׁמּ֖וֹת limeshamot HR/Ncfpa desolations to desolations
H4923-03 Ezekiel 5:15 וּ/מְשַׁמָּ֔ה umeshamah HC/Ncfsa and-horror and utter desolation
H4923-03 Ezekiel 6:14 וּ/מְשַׁמָּה֙ umeshamah HC/Ncfsa and-waste and utter desolation
H4923-03 Ezekiel 33:28 וּ/מְשַׁמָּ֔ה umeshamah HC/Ncfsa and-waste and utter desolation
H4923-03 Ezekiel 33:29 וּ/מְשַׁמָּ֔ה umeshamah HC/Ncfsa and waste and utter desolation
H4923-03 Ezekiel 35:3 וּ/מְשַׁמָּֽה umeshamah HC/Ncfsa and-waste and utter desolation
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