שְׁמָמָה55 H8077a
Desolation, devastation, waste; concretely, desolate place(s) or ruin(s)
A noun expressing the condition and result of devastation, appearing prominently in the prophetic judgments of Jeremiah and Ezekiel. In its abstract sense, it names the state of being laid waste — cities emptied, land made barren, populations removed. Prophetic formulas like 'I will make this city a desolation' (שְׁמָמָה) recur dozens of times. In its concrete plural form, it denotes the actual ruined places themselves, as when Daniel prays over 'our desolations' (Dan 9:18). Spanish 'desolación' and French 'désolation' track the abstract sense faithfully, while plural forms shift to 'desolaciones/dévastation.'
Senses
1. desolation, waste (abstract state) — The abstract state of devastation or waste (52x), used predicatively or in purpose clauses throughout the prophets. Lev 26:33 warns that the land will become a שְׁמָמָה, and Isa 6:11 envisions cities lying desolate. Ezekiel alone accounts for 18+ occurrences, often paired with מְשַׁמָּה for intensification (Ezek 35:7). The convergence of 'desolation/desolación/désolation/Oede' across translations confirms the abstract, stative reading as the dominant sense. 52×
AR["خَرابَةً", "خَرَابًا", "خَرَابٌ", "خَرِبٍ", "دَهْشَةً", "مُقْفِرَةً"]·ben["জনশূন্য", "জনশূন্যতা", "ধ্বংসস্থল", "ধ্বংসস্থান", "ধ্বংসস্থানের", "প্রান্তর", "বিরান", "বিস্ময়", "শূন্য"]·DE["Oede"]·EN["a-desolation", "desolate", "desolation"]·FR["désolation"]·heb["שממה"]·HI["इसलिए", "उजाड़", "वीरान", "वीराना", "वीरानी", "वीरानी-का"]·ID["Kesolatan", "kehancuran", "kesolatan", "kesunyian", "ketakutan", "reruntuhan", "sunyi", "sunyi-senyap", "sunyi-senyap,", "sunyi-senyap.", "sunyi-sepi", "tandus"]·IT["desolazione"]·jav["karisakan", "sepi", "sepi-mamring", "sunyi", "suwung", "suwăng"]·KO["황무가", "황무지가", "황무지로", "황무지의", "황무지이다", "황폐가", "황폐라", "황폐로", "황폐를", "황폐와", "황폐하고", "황폐함을", "황폐함의"]·PT["Desolação", "desolação", "desolação."]·RU["Пустыня", "в-запустении", "в-опустошение", "в-пустыню", "запустением", "запустения", "опустошение", "опустошённая", "опустошённой", "пустыней"]·ES["Desolación", "desolación", "desolada", "en-desolación", "horror", "ruinas"]·SW["imekuwa-ukiwa", "tupu", "ukiwa"]·TR["harabeye", "issizlik", "olurdu", "viran", "virane", "vırane", "çöl", "ıssız", "ıssızlık", "ıssızlığa", "şaşkınlık"]·urd["اُجاڑ", "بالکل", "ویران", "ویرانہ", "ویرانی"]
2. desolate place(s), ruin(s) — Concrete desolate places or ruins (5x), typically in the plural construct, referring to specific devastated locations. Jeremiah speaks of Babylon's שִׁמְמוֹת as ruins that will never be rebuilt (Jer 51:26, 62), and Daniel prays with his eyes toward 'our desolations' — the visible rubble of Jerusalem (Dan 9:18). The Spanish plural 'desolaciones-de' and French plural forms signal the shift from abstract condition to tangible, nameable ruins on the landscape. 5×
AR["خَرَائِبَ", "خَرَابَاتٌ", "خَرَابَاتِ", "خَرَابَاتِنَا", "لِلخِرَبِ"]·ben["আমাদের-ধ্বংসস্থানগুলি", "জনশূন্যতা", "ধ্বংসস্থান", "শূন্যতায়"]·DE["Oede"]·EN["desolations-of", "for-desolations-of", "our-desolations"]·FR["[שממות]", "[שממתינו]", "dévastation"]·heb["ל-שממות", "שוממותינו", "שממות"]·HI["उजाड़", "उजाड़ों", "वीरानियों-को", "हमारे-उजाड़े-हुए-स्थानों-को"]·ID["kehancuran", "kehancuran-kami", "kesunyian"]·IT["desolazione"]·jav["kangge-karusakan", "karisakan-kawula", "kasuwungan", "sepi-sepi"]·KO["에-황무지들로", "우리-의-황폐들-을", "황무지로", "황폐함들로"]·PT["Desolações-de", "desolações", "nossas-desolações", "por-desolações-de-"]·RU["опустошением", "опустошения-наши", "пустыни", "пустынями"]·ES["Desolaciones-de", "desolaciones", "desolaciones-de-nosotros", "por-desolaciones"]·SW["Ukiwa", "ukiwa", "ukiwa-wetu"]·TR["harabeler", "harabeliklerimizi", "viraneliklere", "ıssız"]·urd["ویرانی", "ویرانیاں", "ویرانیوں-کے-لئے", "ہماری-ویرانیوں"]
Related Senses
H4421 1. war, battle, armed conflict (319×)H0341 1. enemy, adversary, foe (284×)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×)H0006 1. to perish, be destroyed (105×)H7843 1. Hifil: destroy, annihilate (83×)H2491a 1. slain, fatally pierced (74×)H6862c 1. adversary, enemy, foe (69×)H8045 1. destroy, exterminate (69×)G0615 1. kill, put to death (60×)H6571b 1. horseman, cavalryman (52×)G4678 1. of wisdom (51×)G4717 1. crucify, fasten to a cross (46×)H2763a 1. utterly destroy (Hifil active) (44×)G0622 1. perish, be destroyed (intransitive) (41×)H0006 2. to destroy, annihilate (Piel) (38×)H8074 1. be desolate, lie waste (36×)G2190 1. enemy / hostile one (32×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
שְׁמָמָה55 n.f. a devastation, waste;—abs. שׁ׳ Ex 23:29 +; pl. cstr. שִׁ��ְמוֹת Je 51:26 +;—waste, usually of land, city, houses, etc., Ex 23:29 (E), Is 1:7 (prob. del., with words foll. StuJPTh. 1877, 714 FBJBL (1890), 84), Lv 26:33 (H), Je 4:27 + 14 times Je (‖ מֵאֵין אָדָם וגו׳ 32:43, מֵאֵין ישֵׁב 34:22), Ez 6:14 + 18 times Ez (35:7a read שְׁמָמָה וּמְשַׁמָּה for MT שִֽׁמְמָה וּשְׁמָמָה, so Hi…