שָׁמַד

𐤔𐤌𐤃

shâmad

H8045 verb

SILEX Entry

Definition

To destroy completely, annihilate, or exterminate, often with a sense of intentional or total removal. The verb denotes the act of causing the cessation of existence, frequently with an emphasis on violence and eradication. In various grammatical forms it can refer to bringing people, objects, or even places to an utter end.

Semantic Range

to destroy completely, annihilate, exterminate (people, places, or things); to be destroyed; to bring to an end; to perish utterly; to wipe out; to overthrow (in the sense of eradication); to cause utter cessation

Root / Etymology

Root: שׁמד. The root appears only in the derived verb form and is not attested outside Hebrew. The core meaning is 'to destroy entirely, exterminate.' The verb form שָׁמַד (qal, niphal, hiphil, hophal) has the sense of 'to be destroyed/annihilated' (niphal), 'to destroy/annihilate' (hiphil), and passive or causative uses.

Historical & Contextual Notes

In the Hebrew Bible, שָׁמַד is primarily used with reference to the near or complete destruction of nations, peoples, or particular groups—often in contexts of warfare or divine judgment. It does not refer merely to damage or defeat, but to the act of removing any trace of the target. In the Deuteronomistic literature (Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges), שָׁמַד regularly refers to instructions regarding the elimination or extermination of non-Israelite populations in the land of Canaan. This root differs semantically from חָרַם (ḥāram), which emphasizes both ban/consecration and total destruction, and from שׁחת (shaḥat), which more generally means 'to ruin, corrupt, destroy.' Later biblical texts broaden the term to metaphorical destruction, such as the removal of idolatrous objects or institutions. Most English translations use 'destroy,' 'exterminate,' or 'annihilate,' but occasionally renderings like 'bring to nothing' or 'perish' appear. The term gains pejorative or intensified nuance when paired with adverbs or idioms signifying utter completion ('utterly destroy'). In post-biblical Hebrew, שָׁמַד refers to national calamity or persecution—revealing a semantic shift, but this lies outside the First Temple and exilic literature.

Translation Consistency

primary "destroy" 59 occurrences

'Destroy' is the most natural, widely used English verb that captures the primary SILEX sense of complete, violent annihilation or utter cessation. It matches the typical usage across contexts (people, places, things) better than the more technical or narrower alternatives ('annihilate', 'exterminate') and will produce idiomatic translations when inflected for person/tense.

Alternatives (31 occurrences):
"annihilated" (17x) "annihilate" (8x) "utterly annihilated" (1x) "me annihilate" (1x) "exterminate" (1x) "destruction" (1x) "caused to be annihilated" (1x) "annihilate utterly" (1x)

Original Strong's Gloss (1890)

a primitive root; to desolate; destory(-uction), bring to nought, overthrow, perish, pluck down, [idiom] utterly.

Bantu Hebrew

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Root Family

שׁמד (sh-m-d) — destroy, annihilate, exterminate

Root שׁמד to destroy, annihilate, exterminate
Strong's Lemma SIBI-P1
H8046 שְׁמַד to exterminate

Word Forms

49 distinct forms

SIDANCE Surface Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2 Occurrences
H8045-19 לְ/הַשְׁמִ֥יד lehashemid HR/Vhc to destroy to annihilate to destroy 11
H8045-12 הִשְׁמִ֤יד hishemid HVhp3ms had destroyed he annihilated he annihilated 5
H8045-15 הִשְׁמִיד֛/וֹ hishemido HVhp3ms/Sp3ms destroyed him he annihilated him he destroyed him 4
H8045-30 וּ/לְ/הַשְׁמִ֣יד ulehashemid HC/R/Vhc and to destroy and to annihilate and to destroy 4
H8045-38 וְ/הִשְׁמַדְתִּ֞י vehishemadeti HC/Vhq1cs and I will destroy and I will annihilate and I will destroy 4
H8045-08 הִשָּׁמְדָֽ/ךְ hishamedakhe HVNc/Sp2fs he has destroyed you your being annihilated your being destroyed 4
H8045-46 יַשְׁמִ֞יד yashemid HVhi3ms he will destroy he will annihilate he will destroy 3
H8045-42 וְ/נִשְׁמַ֣ד venishemad HC/VNq3ms and Moab will be destroyed and he was annihilated and it was destroyed 3
H8045-49 יִשָּׁמֵ֛ד yishamed HVNi3ms be destroyed he will be annihilated he will be destroyed 2
H8045-34 וַ/יַּשְׁמֵ֣ד vayashemed HC/Vhw3ms and destroyed and he annihilated and he destroyed 2

Occurrences in Scripture

90 occurrences

SIDANCE Reference Word Transliteration Morphology Common SIBI-P1 SIBI-P2
H8045-43 Genesis 34:30 וְ/נִשְׁמַדְתִּ֖י venishemadeti HC/VNp1cs I shall be destroyed and I was annihilated and I shall be destroyed
H8045-38 Leviticus 26:30 וְ/הִשְׁמַדְתִּ֞י vehishemadeti HC/Vhq1cs And I will destroy and I will annihilate and I will destroy
H8045-28 Numbers 33:52 תַּשְׁמִֽידוּ tashemidu HVhi2mp you-shall-demolish you (masculine plural) will annihilate you (masculine plural) will destroy
H8045-21 Deuteronomy 1:27 לְ/הַשְׁמִידֵֽ/נוּ lehashemidenu HR/Vhc/Sp1cp to-destroy-us to annihilate us to annihilate us
H8045-36 Deuteronomy 2:12 וַ/יַּשְׁמִידוּ/ם֙ vayashemidum HC/Vhw3mp/Sp3mp and-destroyed-them they annihilated them and they destroyed them
H8045-35 Deuteronomy 2:21 וַ/יַּשְׁמִידֵ֤/ם vayashemidem HC/Vhw3ms/Sp3mp and he destroyed them and he annihilated them and he annihilated them
H8045-12 Deuteronomy 2:22 הִשְׁמִ֤יד hishemid HVhp3ms he destroyed he annihilated he annihilated
H8045-17 Deuteronomy 2:23 הִשְׁמִידֻ֖/ם hishemidum HVhp3cp/Sp3mp destroyed-them they annihilated them they destroyed them
H8045-15 Deuteronomy 4:3 הִשְׁמִיד֛/וֹ hishemido HVhp3ms/Sp3ms destroyed him he annihilated him he destroyed him
H8045-07 Deuteronomy 4:26 הִשָּׁמֵ֖ד hishamed HVNa destroyed to be utterly annihilated to be utterly annihilated