H7722b H7722b
Devastation, ruin; desolation brought by judgment or calamity; a violent storm used figuratively
The noun שׁוֹאָה (also spelled שֹׁאָה) names catastrophic destruction — the kind of ruin that renders a place desolate or leaves a person utterly ruined. It describes divine judgment crashing down on the wicked (Ps 35:8; Prov 3:25), Babylon's sudden devastation (Isa 47:11), and the wasteland that Job haunts (Job 30:3, 14). In two vivid similes it takes the specific form of a storm or tempest: Proverbs 1:27 warns that calamity will come 'like a storm' (כְּשׁוֹאָה), and Ezekiel 38:9 describes Gog ascending 'like a storm.' Spanish captures the dual registers with 'destruccion/desolacion' for ruin and 'tempestad/tormenta' for the storm image.
Senses
1. ruin, devastation, desolation — Devastation, ruin, or desolation — catastrophic destruction viewed as a state or event. Used of divine judgment upon the wicked (Ps 35:8; 63:10), of sudden ruin threatening the complacent (Prov 3:25; Isa 10:3), of Babylon's overthrow (Isa 47:11), and of the desolate wastes where Job wanders (Job 30:3, 14; 38:27). Zephaniah 1:15 pairs שׁוֹאָה with מְשׁוֹאָה in describing the Day of the LORD. Spanish 'destruccion,' 'desolacion,' and 'devastacion,' along with French 'devaStation,' consistently render the abstract destructive force without specifying a meteorological vehicle. 10×
AR["الخَرابِ", "الْقَفْرَ", "بِ-الكارِثَةِ", "خَرابٌ", "خَرَابٌ", "خَرَابٍ", "كارِثَةٌ", "لِ-الهَلاكِ", "وَ-لِـ-الْخَرَابِ", "وَ-مِنْ-خَرَابِ"]·ben["-ধ্বংসে", "ও--এর-ধ্বংস-থেকে", "ও-ধ্বংসের-জন্য", "জনহীনতাকে", "ধ্বংস", "ধ্বংসের", "ধ্বংসের-জন্য"]·DE["[ולשואה]", "[ומשאת]", "[שאה]", "[שואה]", "destruction", "für-destruction", "hinein-destruction"]·EN["and-for-devastation", "crash", "destruction", "devastation", "for-destruction", "into-destruction", "or-of-the-ruin-of", "ruin", "waste"]·FR["[ולשואה]", "[שואה]", "dans-dévastation", "dévastation", "et-ומשאת", "ruine", "à-dévastation", "שאה", "שואה"]·heb["ב-שואה", "ו-ל-שואה", "ו-מ-שואת", "ל-שואה", "שואה"]·HI["-विनाश-के-लिए", "उजाड़", "और-विनाश-से", "और-विपत्ति-के-लिए", "तबाही", "तबाही-के", "में-विनाश", "विनाश", "विनाश-का"]·ID["dan-dari-kehancuran", "dan-pada-kehancuran", "kebinasaan", "kehancuran", "kerusakan", "menuju-kebinasaan"]·IT["[ולשואה]", "[שואה]", "devastazione", "e-da-devastazione", "rovina"]·jav["ing-karisakan", "kanggé-karisakan", "karisakan", "karusakan", "lan-kangge-karusakan", "lan-saking-prahara-saking"]·KO["그리고-파멸-을", "멸망-안으로", "멸망-을-위하여", "멸망이", "황폐-의", "황폐가", "황폐와", "황폐한-곣을", "황폐함"]·PT["desolação", "destruição", "devastação", "e-de-destruicao-de", "e-para-devastação", "em-destruição", "para-destruição"]·RU["бурю", "в-гибели", "гибель", "для-погибели", "и-в-катастрофу", "и-от-погибели", "опустошение", "опустошения", "пустошь"]·ES["desolación", "destrucción", "devastación", "en", "ni-de-la-ruina-de", "para-destrucción", "y-para-devastación"]·SW["kwa-maangamizi", "kwa-uharibifu", "maangamizi", "na-kwa-maangamizi", "ukame", "wala-uharibifu-wa", "ya-uharibifu"]·TR["ve-den-yıkımından", "ve-yikim-icin", "yikim", "yıkım", "yıkım-için", "yıkımda", "yıkımı", "yıkımın"]·urd["اور-تباہی-سے", "اور-تباہی-کے-لیے", "اور-ویرانی", "بربادی", "بربادی-کا", "تباہی", "تباہی-میں", "لَ-تَباہی", "نیچے", "ویرانی"]
2. storm, tempest — A violent storm or tempest — the word deployed in explicit similes to evoke the sudden, overwhelming force of calamity. Proverbs 1:27 warns that dread will come 'like a storm' (כְּשׁוֹאָה, parallel to סוּפָה 'whirlwind'), and Ezekiel 38:9 describes Gog's invasion ascending 'like a storm' (כַּשֹּׁאָה, parallel to עָנָן 'cloud'). Spanish 'como tempestad' and 'como tormenta' confirm the storm-specific image. This sense is distinguished from sense 1 by its meteorological metaphor — ruin personified as a tempest — rather than abstract devastation. 2×
AR["(كَعَاصِفَةٍ)", "كَالْعَاصِفَةِ"]·ben["-এর-মতো-ঝড়", "ঝড়ের-মতো"]·DE["[(כשואה )]", "[כשאה]"]·EN["like-a-storm", "like-the-storm"]·FR["comme-(כשואה )", "ruine"]·heb["כ-שואה"]·HI["आँधी-की-तरह", "तूफान-की-तरह"]·ID["seperti-badai"]·IT["come-devastazione", "rovina"]·jav["kados-prahara"]·KO["폭풍-같이", "폭풍처럼"]·PT["como-tempestade"]·RU["(как-буря)", "как-буря"]·ES["como-tempestad", "como-tormenta"]·SW["kama-dhoruba"]·TR["(fırtına-gibi)", "fırtına-gibi"]·urd["طوفان-کی-طرح"]
Related Senses
H4325 1. water, waters (582×)H6965b 1. Qal: to rise, arise, get up (432×)H2091 1. gold (the metal) (389×)H4421 1. war, battle, armed conflict (319×)H0341 1. enemy, adversary, foe (284×)H0068 1. stone, rock (material/object) (267×)H3898a 1. Nifal: to fight, wage war (167×)H2026 1. kill, slay (active) (146×)H2451 1. wisdom, discernment (146×)H5483b 1. horse (the animal) (138×)H5178a 1. bronze/copper as metal (131×)H6083 1. dust, dry earth, soil (108×)H0006 1. to perish, be destroyed (105×)H8313 1. burn, set fire to (94×)H7843 1. Hifil: destroy, annihilate (83×)H2734 1. anger was kindled (82×)G5204 1. water (80×)H2822 1. darkness, absence of light (80×)H2491a 1. slain, fatally pierced (74×)G5457 1. light (illumination) (71×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† שׁוֹאָה, שֹׁאָה n.f. devastation, ruin, waste;—abs. שׁו׳ Is 10:3 +, שֹׁאָה 47:11; Zp 1:15; Jb 30:14 (+ 38:27 van d. H. Gi, but v. Baer’s n.); cstr. שֹׁאַת Pr 3:25;— 1. devastation, ruin, as coming on pers., Is 10:3; 47:11 (Babylon personif.), ψ 35:8a; 63:10; שֹׁאַת רְשָׁעִים Pr 3:25 (obj. genit.; ‖ פַּחַד); (יוֹם) שׁ׳ וּמְשׁוֹאָה Zp 1:15; prob. = devastating storm, in sim. Ez 38:9 (‖ עָנָן), Pr…