H1942 H1942
Destruction, calamity, engulfing ruin; also (evil) desire, covetous craving
The noun הַוָּה carries a brooding, ominous weight in Hebrew poetry and prophecy. In its primary sense it means devastating ruin or calamity — the kind of engulfing destruction that swallows the wicked. The Psalms are its natural habitat: the throat of the wicked is an open grave, 'their inward part is הַוּוֹת' (Ps 5:9, quoted by Paul in Rom 3:13). Job speaks of his own הַוָּה weighing heavier than sand (Job 6:2). A second, rarer sense describes covetous desire or craving — the 'desire of the wicked' in Proverbs 10:3 and 11:6 — linking internal appetite to outward ruin. The Arabic cognate هَاوِيَة ('abyss, hell') illuminates the root's imagery of a gaping chasm that devours.
Senses
1. destruction, calamity, ruin — Destruction, calamity, engulfing ruin — disaster that overwhelms and devours, often as divine judgment on the wicked or as the affliction of the righteous. Appearing 12 times, primarily in Psalms and Job, this sense evokes a yawning chasm of catastrophe. In Ps 5:9, the wicked are filled with הַוּוֹת ('destructions'), and in Ps 52:2, the tongue devises הַוּוֹת like a sharpened razor. Job's calamity (הַוָּתִי) outweighs the sand of the sea (Job 6:2), and his path is breached as in a ruin (Job 30:13). Ps 38:12 and 57:1 likewise use the term for destructive intent. Multilingual glosses — 'destrucción,' 'ruine,' 'calamity' — uniformly confirm the sense of devastating catastrophe. The Arabic cognate هَاوِيَة ('deep pit, hell') preserves the root metaphor of an engulfing abyss. 12×
AR["المَصائِبَ", "المَصائِبُ", "الْهَلَاكِ", "بِ-شَرِّهِ", "بِ-هَلاكاتٍ", "لِ-هَلاكِي", "هَلاكٌ", "هَلاكٍ", "هَلاَكاَتٌ", "هَلَاكَاتٍ"]·ben["-বিপদ", "আমার-বিনাশের-জন্য", "ধ্বংস", "ধ্বংসের", "বিনাশ", "বিনাশের", "বিপদ", "বিপদগুলি", "মধ্যে-ধ্বংস-তার"]·DE["[הוות]", "[הות]", "[להותי]", "destruction", "in-sein-destruction"]·EN["calamity", "destruction", "in-his-destruction", "to-my-destruction"]·FR["dans-ruine", "le-ruine", "ruine", "à-mon-ruine-moi"]·heb["ב-הוות-ו", "הווות", "הוות", "ל-הוותי"]·HI["दुष्टता-अपनी-में", "विनाश", "विनाश-का", "विनाश-की", "विनाश-मेरे-के-लिए", "विनाशकारी", "विपत्ति", "विपत्तियाँ", "विपत्तियों"]·ID["Malapetaka", "kebinasaan", "untuk-kecelakaanku"]·IT["per-rovina-mio", "rovina"]·jav["bilahi", "bilai", "ingkang-ngrisak", "kanggé-karisakan-kula", "karisakan", "nalika-rawuh", "pangrisakan", "rina", "saking-tarub"]·KO["그-의-악-에", "나의-멸망-에", "멸망-들-이", "멸망-을", "멸망들-이로다", "재앙-의", "재앙들-을", "재앙이니라", "파멸-의", "파멸들-을"]·PT["Destruição", "Destruições", "as-calamidades", "calamidades", "destruidora", "destruição", "destruições", "em-sua-destruição", "iniquidade", "para-minha-ruína", "é-perversão"]·RU["беды", "в-пагубе-своей", "гибели", "гибельной", "для-погибели-моей", "зла", "пагуба", "пагубному", "пагубу", "пагубы"]·ES["Ruina", "calamidades", "destrucciones", "destrucción", "destructora", "en-su-destrucción", "para-mi-caída"]·SW["Uharibifu", "katika-uharibifu-wake", "kwa-maangamizi-yangu", "maafa", "maangamizi", "maangamizo", "uharibifu", "ya-maangamizo"]·TR["felaket", "felaketi", "felaketler", "felakettir", "kötülükleri", "yıkıcı", "yıkım", "yıkımları", "yıkımıma", "yıkımın", "yıkımında"]·urd["اپنی-تباہی-میں", "تباہی", "تباہی-کی", "تباہیاں", "ظلم-کا", "میری مصیبت کے لیے", "ہلاک-کرنے-والی", "ہَلاکَت", "ہَلاکَتیں"]
2. desire, craving — Evil desire, greedy craving — a strong appetite that leads to ruin, typically characterizing the wicked. In Prov 10:3, 'the LORD thrusts away the הַוַּת of the wicked,' and in Prov 11:6, 'the treacherous are caught by their own הַוָּה.' Mic 7:3 speaks of the powerful man 'uttering the desire (הַוַּת) of his soul.' Spanish 'deseo/codicia' and English 'craving/desire' mark this as a distinct sense from destruction, though the two are semantically linked: unrestrained desire becomes the instrument of one's own undoing. The root's semantic field thus spans the arc from inner appetite to outward catastrophe. 3×
AR["بِشَهْوَةِ", "وَ-بِهَوى", "وَ-شَهْوَةَ"]·ben["এবং-কামনা", "এবং-কামনায়", "কামনা-"]·DE["[הות]", "[ובהות]", "[והות]"]·EN["but-by-the-craving-of", "but-the-craving-of", "desire-of"]·FR["et-ruine", "malheur"]·heb["הוות", "ו-ב-הוות", "ו-הוות"]·HI["इच्छा", "और-लालसा", "और-लालसा-में"]·ID["keinginan", "tetapi-dalam-keinginan", "tetapi-keinginan"]·IT["[הות]", "e-in-rovina", "e-rovina"]·jav["lan-ing-kekarepan", "lan-kekarepan-saking", "pepinginan"]·KO["그러나-소원-에서", "그러나-소원-을", "욕망-을"]·PT["desejo-de", "e-desejo-de", "e-por-desejo"]·RU["а-в-пагубе", "а-желание", "прихоть"]·ES["deseo-de", "y-deseo-de", "y-en-codicia-de"]·SW["lakini-kwa-tamaa-ya", "lakini-tamaa-ya", "maovu-ya"]·TR["arzusunu-o", "ve-arsuzu-", "ve-arzusunda"]·urd["اور-خواہش", "اور-خواہش-میں", "خواہش"]
Related Senses
H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H4480a 1. source or separation (1198×)H5892b 1. city, town (1093×)G1519 1. direction: into, to, toward (1061×)H3427 1. Qal: to dwell, inhabit (937×)G1537 1. from, out of (source/origin) (886×)H8034 1. Name (designation / identifier) (856×)G3361 1. subjective negation (not) (834×)G1909 1. on, upon (spatial surface) (757×)H0369 1. existential negation: there is not (738×)H5869a 1. in the eyes/sight of (evaluative) (734×)H5650 1. Servant, attendant, subject (723×)H0408 1. prohibitive negation do-not (712×)G2443 1. so that, in order that (purpose/result) (665×)G0575 1. from (649×)G1223 1. through, by means of (582×)H3541 1. thus, so, in this manner (569×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† הַוָּה n.f. 1.desire; 2. chasm, fig. destruction (cf. هَوًى desire, هَوَاءٌ atmosphere, emptiness, هَاوِيَةٌ a deep pit, hell (cf. sub הָוָה); Aramaic ܗܰܘܬܴܐ gulf, chasm (Lu 16:26 𝔖)) cstr. הַוַּת Mi 7:3 +, sf. הַוָּתִי Jb 6:2 +, pl. הַוּוֹת ψ 5:10 +;— 1. desire (in bad sense) Mi 7:3 דֹּבֵר הַוַּת נַפְשׁוֹ speaketh the desire of his soul, Pr 10:3 הַוַּת רְשָׁעִים, 11:6 ה׳ בֹּגְדִים, ψ 52:9…