Lexical Summary
shadad: To devastate, destroy, ruin, spoil, oppress
Original Word:שָׁדַד
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:shadad
Pronunciation:shah-DAD
Phonetic Spelling:(shaw-dad')
KJV: dead, destroy(-er), oppress, robber, spoil(-er), X utterly, (lay) waste
NASB:destroyed, destroyer, destroy, devastated, ruined, destroyers, destroying
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. (properly) to be burly
2. (figuratively) to be powerful
3. (passively) to be impregnable
4. (by implication) to ravage
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
dead, destroyer, oppress, robber, spoiler, utterly, lay waste
A primitive root; properly, to be burly, i.e. (figuratively) powerful (passively, impregnable); by implication, to ravage -- dead, destroy(-er), oppress, robber, spoil(-er), X utterly, (lay) waste.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto deal violently with, despoil, devastate, ruin
NASB Translationassaults (1), completely destroyed (1), dead (1), desolate (1), despoil (1), destroy (7), destroyed (12), destroyer (9), destroyer still destroys (1), destroyers (4), destroying (2), devastate (2), devastated (6), lays waste (1), robbers (1), ruined (6).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
[]
56 (Late Hebrew
id., Niph`al; Arabic
stop up, obstruct, arrest, make firm; Ethiopic
expel; Assyrian
šadâdu is
draw, drag); —
Perfect3plural consecutiveEzekiel 32:12; suffixPsalm 17:9;Imperfect3masculine singular (metaplastic, compare Ges§ 67q Bae)Psalm 91:6 suffix (Ges§ 67n)Proverbs 11:3 Qr (Kt Perfect ),Jeremiah 5:6;Imperative masculine plural (Ges§ 67cc)Jeremiah 49:28;Infinitive absoluteMicah 2:4; constructJeremiah 47:4 (Ges§ 45g), compare alsoHosea 10:14;Participle activeJeremiah 6:26 +,etc.;pass.Judges 5:27 +, femininePsalm 137:8; —violently destory, person, =slayJudges 5:27 (passive),Jeremiah 5:6 (wolf subject; "" ); accusative PhilistinesJeremiah 47:4 ("" ),Jeremiah 47:4 (subject ); =devastate, accusative (subject )Jeremiah 51:55, comparePsalm 137:8 (read probably We Du, compare Ew Hi see Köii.194);Ezekiel 32:12 ("" ), compareHosea 10:14,Jeremiah 25:36 (subject ), absoluteIsaiah 21:2 ("" ),Isaiah 33:1 (on use of pt see Ges§ 120b), passIsaiah 33:1 ("" ),Jeremiah 4:30 (Gf BaNB 179, but dubious; < Du ); =despoil, accusative of personJeremiah 49:28; =bring personto ruinMicah 2:4 (Infinitive absolute + Niph`al q. v.),Proverbs 11:3; weaker,assailPsalm 17:9; elsewhereParticiple active as substantivedevastator (despoiler?): of national foesIsaiah 16:4;Isaiah 21:2;Isaiah 33:1;Jeremiah 6:26 8t. Jeremiah; Obadiah 5 ("" ) strike out Now GASm; personal foeJob 15:21; representing wicked in GeneralJob 12:6 ("" ).
Perfect1plural (Ges§ 67u Köi. 342 f.)we are utterly ruined.
Imperfect2masculine singularProverbs 24:15assault not his dwelling-place ("" );Participle as substantiveProverbs 19:26he who assaults, maltreats (his) father ("" ).
Perfect3masculine singularIsaiah 15:1 +, 3 feminine singularJeremiah 4:20 +,Nahum 3:7 (Ges§ 52q), etc.; —be devastated, of cityIsaiah 15:1 (twice in verse);Isaiah 23:1;Jeremiah 48:1;Jeremiah 49:3;Nahum 3:7, country or nationJeremiah 4:20, compareJeremiah 4:13;Jeremiah 9:18;Jeremiah 48:15,20;Jeremiah 49:10, dwellings ()Jeremiah 4:20;Jeremiah 10:20, treesZechariah 11:2 (strike out StaZAW 1 (1881), 25), compareZechariah 11:33, stength of shipsIsaiah 23:14, field (by drought)Joel 1:10, cropJoel 1:10. Po`l.violently destroy: Imperfect3masculine singularHosea 10:2 ("" ).
Imperfect (or
passive Imperfect? compare Ges§ 53u)be devastated:3masculine singularHosea 10:14 (of Ephraim, < We plural ); 2 masculine singularIsaiah 33:1 (subject , see ).
Topical Lexicon
Root Meaning and Overviewשָׁדַד (shadad) portrays violent stripping away, plundering, or devastation. The verb regularly describes the ruthless action of a stronger power against a weaker target, whether human aggressors or the LORD Himself executing judgment. It can denote both sudden, destructive raids and prolonged oppression that leaves the victim emptied and ruined.
Frequency and Distribution
Roughly fifty-seven occurrences are scattered from Job through Zechariah. The highest concentrations are in the prophetic books (Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Hosea–Zephaniah) where national judgment is in view. Wisdom literature employs the verb for interpersonal oppression, while historical narratives are virtually devoid of it, highlighting its rhetorical weight in preaching and prophecy.
Contexts of Devastation and Judgment
1. Foreign Invaders
•Isaiah 33:1—“Woe to you, O destroyer, never destroyed…” emphatically warns Assyria that its own tactics will return upon it.
•Jeremiah 48:8—“The destroyer will come against every city, and no town will escape”; Moab will suffer the very violence it once inflicted.
•Jeremiah 51:20–23 uses Babylon as the LORD’s war-club to “shatter” (shadad) nations, yet that same Babylon is shattered in 51:56.
2. Divine Warrior Motif
•Zephaniah 1:13—“Their wealth will be plundered and their houses laid waste.” Though Babylon will carry out the act, the text attributes the devastation to the day of the LORD.
•Hosea 10:14 presents Shalman devastating Beth-arbel, yet verse 15 argues that such destruction reflects the LORD’s retributive justice on a faithless Israel.
3. Social Oppression
•Proverbs 22:22-23—“Do not rob the poor…for the LORD will take up their case and will ruin those who rob them.” The same verb that describes imperial conquest also indicts street-level exploitation.
•Psalm 17:9 defines “the wicked who oppress me” as those who plunder with predatory zeal.
Theological Themes
Judgment with Measure. Shadad never implies random violence; it unfolds under divine sovereignty.Isaiah 10:5-7 presents Assyria as the “rod of My anger,” yet Assyria’s unchecked desire “to destroy and cut off many nations” brings its own judgment (10:12).
Retributive Justice. The moral calculus is clear: what a nation or individual does in violent plunder returns upon them (Obadiah 1:5-7;Psalm 137:8).
Hope for the Oppressed. Repeated vows that the LORD will “ruin those who ruin” His people (Jeremiah 30:16) ground the believer’s confidence that no injustice escapes His notice.
Christological and Redemptive Implications
While shadad focuses on material ruin, it foreshadows the ultimate reversal in Christ. At the cross the powers of darkness sought to “plunder” the Son, yetColossians 2:15 declares that He “disarmed the rulers and authorities.”Revelation 18 applies the plunder motif to end-time Babylon, promising final vindication for the saints.
Pastoral and Homiletical Applications
• Warning Against Predatory Behavior. The verb’s breadth—spanning grand armies to personal theft—allows preachers to confront any form of unjust gain.
• Comfort in Affliction. Congregations facing persecution or economic exploitation find assurance in texts such asJeremiah 4:10 andNahum 2:2, where the LORD pledges to restore all that has been ravaged.
• Call to Forgive and Await God’s Justice.Romans 12:19 echoes the prophetic pattern: “Vengeance is Mine; I will repay.”
Related Terms and Contrastive Concepts
שֹׁד (shod, “violence/devastation”) is the noun cognate, frequently paired with שָׁדַד. By contrast, שָׁלֵם (shalem, “to make whole, repay, complete”) depicts restoration. Scripture holds these side by side: the God who allows shadad as discipline also promises shalom as the ultimate state (Isaiah 32:17-18).
Representative Reference List
Job 5:22;Psalm 17:9;Isaiah 16:4;Isaiah 33:1;Isaiah 42:22;Jeremiah 4:7;Jeremiah 6:26;Jeremiah 12:12;Jeremiah 30:16;Jeremiah 48:8, 15, 18;Jeremiah 49:28;Jeremiah 50:11;Jeremiah 51:48, 56;Hosea 10:14;Joel 1:10;Amos 4:2;Micah 2:2;Nahum 2:2;Habakkuk 2:8, 17;Zephaniah 1:13;Zephaniah 3:10;Zechariah 11:6.
Forms and Transliterations
הַשְּׁד֫וּדָ֥ה הַשֹּׁדֵ֖ד הַשּׁוֹדְדִ֖ים השדד השדודה השודדים וְהַשּׁוֹדֵ֣ד ׀ וְשָֽׁדְדוּ֙ וְשָׁדְד֖וּ והשודד ושדדו יְשָׁדְדֵ֔ם יְשֹׁדֵ֖ד יְשָׁדֵּֽם׃ יוּשַּׁ֔ד יושד ישדד ישדדם ישדם׃ לְשֹׁ֥דְדִ֗ים לִשְׁד֣וֹד לשדדים לשדוד מְֽשַׁדֶּד־ משדד־ נְשַׁדֻּ֔נוּ נשדנו שַׁדּ֑וּנִי שָׁד֔וּד שָׁד֜וּד שָׁד֣וֹד שָׁדְּדָ֣ה שָׁדֽוּד׃ שֹֽׁדְדִ֔ים שֹׁדְדִ֛ים שֹׁדֵ֜ד שֹׁדֵ֣ד שֹׁדֵ֤ד שֹׁדֵ֥ד שֻׁדְּד֣וּ שֻׁדְּדָ֖ה שֻׁדְּדָה־ שֻׁדַּ֖ד שֻׁדַּ֣ד שֻׁדַּ֤ד שֻׁדַּ֥ד שֻׁדַּ֨ד שֻׁדָּ֑דְנוּ שֻׁדָּ֑דוּ שֻׁדָּ֔ד שֻׁדָּ֔דָה שֻׁדָּֽדְנוּ׃ שׁ֣וֹדְדֵי שׁוֹדֵ֑ד שׁוֹדֵ֔ד שׁוֹדֵ֗ד שׁוֹדֵ֥ד שׁוֹדֵד֙ שדד שדדה שדדה־ שדדו שדדים שדדנו שדדנו׃ שדוד שדוד׃ שדוני שודד שודדי תְּשַׁדֵּ֥ד תּוּשַּׁ֔ד תושד תשדד haš·šə·ḏū·ḏāh haš·šō·ḏêḏ haš·šō·wḏ·ḏîm hashsheDuDah hashshodDim hashshoDed haššəḏūḏāh haššōḏêḏ haššōwḏḏîm lə·šō·ḏə·ḏîm leShodeDim ləšōḏəḏîm liš·ḏō·wḏ lišḏōwḏ lishDod mə·šad·deḏ- məšaddeḏ- meshadded nə·šad·du·nū nəšaddunū neshadDunu šā·ḏō·wḏ šā·ḏūḏ šād·də·ḏāh šad·dū·nî šāddəḏāh šaddūnî šāḏōwḏ šāḏūḏ shaddeDah shadDuni shaDod shaDud Shoddei shoDed shodeDim shudDad shudDadah shudDadenu shudDadu shuddeDah shuddeDu šō·ḏə·ḏîm šō·ḏêḏ šō·w·ḏêḏ šō·wḏ·ḏê šōḏêḏ šōḏəḏîm šōwḏḏê šōwḏêḏ šud·dā·ḏāh šud·dā·ḏə·nū šud·dā·ḏū šud·daḏ šud·dāḏ šud·də·ḏāh šud·də·ḏāh- šud·də·ḏū šuddaḏ šuddāḏ šuddāḏāh šuddāḏənū šuddāḏū šuddəḏāh šuddəḏāh- šuddəḏū tə·šad·dêḏ təšaddêḏ teshadDed tūš·šaḏ tushShad tūššaḏ vehashshoDed veshadeDu wə·haš·šō·w·ḏêḏ wə·šā·ḏə·ḏū wəhaššōwḏêḏ wəšāḏəḏū yə·šā·ḏə·ḏêm yə·šād·dêm yə·šō·ḏêḏ yəšāddêm yəšāḏəḏêm yeshadDem yeshadeDem yeshoDed yəšōḏêḏ yūš·šaḏ yushShad yūššaḏ
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