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.
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"]
Job 30:3, Job 30:14, Job 38:27, Ps 35:8, Ps 35:8, Ps 63:9, Prov 3:25, Isa 10:3, Isa 47:11, Zeph 1:15
▼ 1 more sense below
Senses
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"]
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…