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
H5921a 1. upon, on, over (spatial) (5443×)H0413 1. directional: to, toward (5366×)H1121a 1. son, male offspring, descendant (4914×)H3808 1. simple negation (not) (4839×)H4428 1. king, human ruler (2518×)G1722 1. locative: in, within (2442×)H1004b 1. house, dwelling, building (2015×)H6440 1. before, in front of (spatial) (1870×)G3756 1. not (negation particle) (1635×)H3027 1. physical hand (body part) (1596×)H1697 1. word, speech, utterance (1235×)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×)
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…