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.'
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"]
Lev 26:33, Josh 8:28, Isa 1:7, Isa 1:7, Isa 6:11, Isa 17:9, Isa 64:10, Jer 4:27, Jer 6:8, Jer 9:11, Jer 10:22, Jer 12:10 (+38 more)
▼ 1 more sense below
Senses
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…