H1943 H1943
ruin, disaster, calamity
A noun of doom and destruction. Isaiah warns that 'disaster shall fall upon you' (Isa 47:11), and Ezekiel prophesies 'disaster upon disaster' coming (Ezek 7:26, repeated twice in the verse for rhetorical effect). The Spanish calamidad and French malheur capture the catastrophic, overwhelming force of the word. This is not ordinary trouble but cascading ruin—divine judgment unfolding in waves.
Senses
1. sense 1 — The noun denotes calamity and disaster in prophetic judgment oracles. It describes ruin falling on Babylon (Isa 47:11) and successive waves of disaster on Jerusalem (Ezek 7:26). The multilingual evidence (calamity, malheur) uniformly points to sudden, overwhelming catastrophe. The repetition in Ezekiel ('disaster upon disaster') emphasizes relentless, cumulative devastation. 3×
AR["مُصيبَةٌ", "مُصيبَةٍ", "مُصِيبَةٌ"]·ben["বিপদ", "বিপর্যয়"]·DE["[הוה]"]·EN["calamity", "disaster"]·FR["[הוה]", "malheur"]·heb["הווה"]·HI["विनाश", "विपत्ति"]·ID["Bencana", "bencana", "malapetaka"]·IT["[הוה]"]·jav["Bilahi", "bilahi", "kasangsaran"]·KO["재난이", "재앙이"]·PT["Desastre", "desastre"]·RU["беда", "беду"]·ES["calamidad"]·SW["maafa", "msiba"]·TR["felaket"]·urd["آفت", "تباہی"]
Related Senses
H7965 1. peace, absence of conflict (198×)H3467 1. save, deliver, rescue (Hifil active) (156×)H5127 1. flee, run away (Qal) (144×)G1515 1. peace, well-being, harmony (93×)H8002 1. peace offering(s) (87×)G4982 1. save spiritually, grant salvation (79×)H3444 1. salvation, deliverance (67×)H4422 1. Nifal: escape, flee (63×)H1272 1. flee, run away (Qal) (58×)H6869b 1. distress, trouble (57×)G4991 1. of salvation (46×)G2347 1. tribulation, affliction, distress (45×)H0983 1. security, safety, confidence (42×)H6031b 1. Piel: afflict, oppress (42×)H6040 1. affliction, misery, suffering (36×)H3468 1. salvation, deliverance (33×)G5343 1. flee, run away (28×)H3467 2. savior, deliverer (Hifil participle substantive) (28×)H8668 1. salvation, deliverance (27×)H8252 1. be quiet, be at rest (26×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† הֹוָה n.f. ruin, disaster (cf. sub הַוָּה) Ez 7:26(×2) הֹוָה עַל הֹוָה תָבוֹא disaster shall come upon disaster, Is 47:11 וְתִפֹּל עָלַיִךְ הֹוָה disaster shall fall upon thee (‖ רָעָה, שֹׁאָה).