Lexical Summary
shamem: To be desolate, to be appalled, to be astonished, to be devastated
Original Word:שָׁמֵם
Part of Speech:Verb
Transliteration:shamem
Pronunciation:shah-MEM
Phonetic Spelling:(shaw-mame')
KJV: make amazed, be astonished, (be an) astonish(-ment), (be, bring into, unto, lay, lie, make) desolate(-ion, places), be destitute, destroy (self), (lay, lie, make) waste, wonder
NASB:desolate, appalled, astonished, desolation, desolated, laid waste, desolations
Word Origin:[a primitive root]
1. to stun (or intransitively, grow numb), i.e. devastate or (figuratively) stupefy (both usually in a passive sense)
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
make amazed, be astonished, be an astonishment, be, bring into, unto, lay, lie,
A primitive root; to stun (or intransitively, grow numb), i.e. Devastate or (figuratively) stupefy (both usually in a passive sense) -- make amazed, be astonied, (be an) astonish(-ment), (be, bring into, unto, lay, lie, make) desolate(-ion, places), be destitute, destroy (self), (lay, lie, make) waste, wonder.
NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origina prim. root
Definitionto be desolated or appalled
NASB Translationappalled (13), astonished (8), astounded (1), become desolate (1), causes horror (1), causing consternation (1), desolate (22), desolated (4), desolating (1), desolation (5), desolations (3), destitute (1), destroy (1), devastations (1), horrified (2), laid desolate (1), laid waste (4), lie deserted (1), lies desolate (1), made me desolate (1), made you desolate (1), made desolate (3), make the desolate (2), make their desolate (2), make them desolate (1), make your desolate (1), make...appalled (1), make...desolate (1), makes desolate (2), ravaged (1), ruin (1), ruined (1), ruins (1).
Brown-Driver-Briggs
[] (connection of meanings not clear) (Late Hebrew
id.; Jewish-Aramaic Ithpe`el
be dazed); —
Perfect3feminine singularEzekiel 35:15, etc.;Imperfect3masculine singular ;1 Kings 9:8 +, 3 masculine pluralJob 17:8;Psalm 40:16, etc.;Imperative masculine pluralJeremiah 2:19;Infinitive construct (?) metaplasticEzekiel 36:3 (Ges§ 67r, but see infra); — , etc. (see []) are placed here by most;Ezekiel 6:6 reads , see Ges § 67 p dd; —ParticipleLamentations 3:11 (see also
.); feminine (Ges§ 84a s)2 Samuel 13:20 +; pluralLamentations 1:14, etc.; —
be desolated, of Tamar2 Samuel 13:20 (i.e. deflowered, or deserted; othersappalled), of person elsewhere lateLamentations 1:16;Lamentations 1:13,Lamentations 3:11; participle as feminine nounIsaiah 54:1 (opposed to ) [Daniel 8:13 #NAME?
.]; (sometimes=deserted),Isaiah 49:8;Ezekiel 33:28 (),Ezekiel 35:12 (read Qr Co Toy Krae; >Kt ),Ezekiel 35:15;Ezekiel 36:4 ("" )Ezekiel 36:3 is probably corrupt, Co asEzekiel 36:5, Hi-Sm from = , Toy reads , Krae ; — participle feminine plural as noun =desolate placesIsaiah 49:19;Isaiah 61:4 (both "" ),Isaiah 61:4 (compareIsaiah 62:4); =desolationsDaniel 9:18,26.
be appalled, awestruck, usually at () judgments on others,Leviticus 26:32 (H),Jeremiah 2:12 (see II. [ ]),Ezekiel 26:16;Ezekiel 27:35;Ezekiel 28:19;Isaiah 52:14;Job 17:8, compare1 Kings 9:8 2Chronicles 7:12;Jeremiah 18:16;Jeremiah 19:8;Jeremiah 49:17;Jeremiah 50:13; on oneselfPsalm 40:16 (). —Isaiah 42:14 see [].
Perfect3feminine singularJeremiah 12:11 +, 3 pluralZephaniah 3:6 +;Participle feminineEzekiel 36:34 +, etc.; — =
be desolated, of roadsLeviticus 26:22 (H),Isaiah 33:8, bamothAmos 7:9 ("" ), altarsEzekiel 6:4; compareEzekiel 25:3;Ezekiel 32:15;Zephaniah 3:6;Zechariah 7:14;Joel 1:17;Psalm 69:26; of landsEzekiel 29:12;Ezekiel 30:7;Ezekiel 36:34,35, citiesIsaiah 54:3 (opposed to ), compareEzekiel 36:35;Amos 9:14;Jeremiah 33:10;Ezekiel 36:36the desolated (that is, land, in figure).
be appalledJeremiah 4:9;Lamentations 4:5;Ezekiel 4:17;Ezekiel 30:7, with of thingJob 18:20.
Participle
Ezra 9:3I sat appalled, compareEzra 9:4
transitiveappalling, causing horror (DrDan 150 f.):Daniel 11:31, + perhapsDaniel 9:27 a (see ); so alsoDaniel 12:11 (on v, Ges§ 52s),Daniel 8:13the crime causing horror, and as nounhorror-causer, appaller,Daniel 9:27b.
Perfect2masculine singularJob 16:7, etc.;Imperfect3masculine singular (Ges§ 67y)Jeremiah 49:20;Jeremiah 50:45, 3masculine plural suffix1 Samuel 5:6, 1pluralNumbers 21:30, etc.;Imperative masculine plural (Ges§ 67v)Job 21:5;Infinitive absoluteMicah 6:13;ParticipleEzekiel 3:15; —
devastate, ravage, accusative of person1 Samuel 5:6;Ezekiel 20:26;Hosea 2:14 (figurative of vine),Job 16:7; accusative of locationLeviticus 26:31,32 (H)Jeremiah 10:25;Ezekiel 30:12,14;Psalm 79:7, so (accusative omitted)Numbers 21:30 (poem in J E),Micah 6:13; —Ezekiel 14:8 see
appal, accusative of person, withat,Jeremiah 49:20;Jeremiah 50:45;Ezekiel 32:10.
,Ezekiel 3:15shewing horror,Job 21:5 (Bu Niph`al ).
Infinitive construct (that is )Leviticus 26:34 (H)all the days of (its)being desolate, soLeviticus 26:35; 2Chronicles 36:21; Aramaizing, (Ges§ 67y)Leviticus 26:43.
Imperfect3masculine singularPsalm 143:4, etc.; —
be appalled, astounded,that, because,Isaiah 59:16;Isaiah 63:5; of thingDaniel 8:27;Psalm 143:4 (compare 1 plural Ecclus. 43:24).
cause oneself desolation, ruin,Ecclesiastes 7:16.
Topical Lexicon
Definition and Overviewשָׁמֵם (shamem) conveys the idea of being laid waste, astonished, or appalled. It describes both the outward ruin of places and the inward stupefaction of people confronted with divine judgment or overwhelming calamity. Its eighty-six Old Testament occurrences span the Pentateuch, Historical Books, Wisdom Literature, and, most densely, the Prophets.
Distribution of Usage
• Covenant Law:Leviticus 26;Deuteronomy 28–32
• Historical Narrative:2 Kings 22;2 Chronicles 36
• Wisdom and Poetry:Job 16; Psalms 46; 143
• Major Prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel
• Minor Prophets: Hosea, Joel, Amos, Micah, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Zechariah
Desolation as Covenant Curse
From the start, shamem is woven into covenant warning.Leviticus 26:31–33 records, “I will make your cities a ruin and your sanctuaries desolate… your land will become a desolation and your cities a waste.” The vocabulary of ruin underlines the gravity of breaking covenant stipulations.Deuteronomy 29:23 likewise pictures the land as “a burning waste, un-sown and unproductive,” confirming that moral defection turns the promised blessing into barrenness.
National Judgment and Historical Fulfillment
Prophetic literature narrates shamem as realized history.
• Northern Kingdom: “Samaria shall be a heap in the countryside” (Micah 1:6).
• Judah and Jerusalem: “Therefore Zion will be plowed like a field, Jerusalem will become a heap of rubble” (Micah 3:12; cf.2 Chronicles 36:19).
• Surrounding Nations:Isaiah 13–23 foretells the desolation of Babylon, Moab, Philistia, Egypt, and Tyre, showing that Yahweh’s sovereignty extends beyond Israel.
Psychological Appallment
The root also depicts inward shock. Ezekiel “sat there overwhelmed among them seven days” (Ezekiel 3:15). Job cries, “My face is red with weeping… men are appalled at this” (Job 16:8; 17:8).Psalm 143:4 confesses, “My spirit grows faint within me; my heart within me is dismayed.” These texts reveal that sin and suffering leave souls as desolate as razed cities.
The ‘Abomination of Desolation’
In Daniel the participle form (shomem) becomes programmatic: “On the wing of abominations will come the desolator, until the decreed destruction is poured out on him” (Daniel 9:27; cf. 11:31; 12:11). Jesus cites this prophecy: “When you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination of desolation’ spoken of by the prophet Daniel” (Matthew 24:15), showing the term’s eschatological endurance. Whether one views the reference as fulfilled in Antiochus IV, the Roman destruction in 70 A.D., or a final tribulation, the lexical thread binds past judgments to future consummation.
Promise of Reversal and Restoration
Shamem never has the last word.Isaiah 54:3 announces that the barren will “inhabit the desolate cities.”Ezekiel 36:33–36 promises, “The waste cities will be rebuilt and fortified… the nations will know that I, the LORD, have rebuilt what was demolished.”Zechariah 7:14 forecasts scattering, but chapters 8–10 promise renewed prosperity where desolation once reigned. Divine mercy outstrips judgment, displaying the twin themes of justice and restoration.
Practical and Pastoral Implications
1. Gravity of Sin: Shamem underscores that rebellion produces real and severe consequences.
2. Call to Repentance: The term’s recurring prophetic usage urges timely return to covenant faithfulness.
3. Hope of Renewal: Believers facing personal or communal ruin can look to God’s ability to transform desolation into fruitfulness (Isaiah 35:1).
4. Vigilance in Worship: Daniel’s warning about a profaned sanctuary instructs the church to guard the purity of corporate worship.
5. Eschatological Watchfulness: Jesus’ reference in the Olivet Discourse calls every generation to readiness.
Intertextual Echoes
Though the Hebrew root itself does not appear in the Greek New Testament, its theological freight informs passages such asLuke 21:20 (“Jerusalem surrounded by armies”) and Revelation’s visions of ruined Babylon and the new earth where “there will be no more curse” (Revelation 22:3). The final reversal of shamem moves from desolation to consummated restoration.
Conclusion
שָׁמֵם functions as a sobering reminder that the God who judges also rebuilds. It is a vocabulary of ruin that simultaneously points to the Lord’s power to renew. Recognizing its movement from devastation to hope equips readers and ministers to confront sin realistically, lament brokenness honestly, and anticipate redemption confidently.
Forms and Transliterations
אֲשִׁמֵּ֔ם אשמם בָּהְשַׁמָּה֙ בהשמה הֲ֝שִׁמּ֗וֹתָ הֳשַׁמָּ֔ה הֵשַֽׁמּוּ׃ הַֽנְשַׁמּ֗וֹת הַנְּשַׁמָּ֑ה הַנְּשַׁמָּ֔ה הַנְּשַׁמָּ֖ה הַשְׁמֵ֖ם הָשַּׁמָּ֖ה הָשַּׁמָּה֙ הנשמה הנשמות השמה השמו׃ השמות השמם וְאֶשְׁתּוֹמֵ֖ם וְהַֽנְשַׁמּ֥וֹת וְהָשַׁ֑מּוּ וְנָשַׁ֕מּוּ וְנָשַׁ֖מּוּ וְנָשַׁ֙מּוּ֙ וְשָֽׁמְמ֛וּ וְשָֽׁמְמ֤וּ וְשָׁמְמ֖וּ וְשֹׁ֣מְמֹתַ֔יִךְ וַהֲשִֽׂמֹתִ֙יהוּ֙ וַהֲשִׁמֹּתִ֗י וַהֲשִׁמֹּתִ֞י וַהֲשִׁמֹּתִ֥י וַהֲשִׁמֹּתִי֙ וַהֲשִׁמּוֹתִ֖י וַהֲשִׁמּוֹתִ֨י וַיְשִׁמֵּ֑ם וַיִּשְׁתּוֹמֵ֖ם וַנַּשִּׁ֣ים וָאֶשְׁתּוֹמֵ֥ם וּנְשַׁמָּ֗ה ואשתומם והנשמות והשמו והשמותי והשמתי והשמתיהו וישמם וישתומם ונשים ונשמה ונשמו ושממו ושממתיך יִשְׁתּוֹמֵ֥ם יִשֹּׁ֑ם יִשֹּׁ֖ם יִשֹּׁ֣ם יִשֹּׁ֥ם יַשִּׁ֛ים יָ֭שֹׁמּוּ יָשֹׁ֣מּוּ ישים ישם ישמו ישתומם לְשַׁמָּֽה׃ לשמה׃ מְשֹׁמֵ֔ם מְשׁוֹמֵ֔ם מְשׁוֹמֵֽם׃ מַשְׁמִ֥ים משומם משומם׃ משמים משמם נְשַׁמָּ֑ה נְשַׁמּ֑וֹת נְשַׁמּ֖וֹת נְשַׁמּ֗וֹת נְשַׁמּוֹת֙ נָשַׁ֔מָּה נָשַׁ֖מּוּ נָשַׁ֙מָּה֙ נָשַׁ֙מּוּ֙ נָשַׁ֣מּוּ נשמה נשמו נשמות שֶׁשָּׁמֵ֔ם שַׁמּוֹת֩ שָׁמְמ֖וּ שָׁמְמ֤וּ שָׁמֵ֖מָה שֹׁ֥מּוּ שֹׁמְמ֖וֹת שֹׁמְמ֥וֹת שֹׁמֵ֑ם שֹׁמֵ֔ם שֹׁמֵֽם׃ שֹׁמֵמֽוֹת׃ שֽׁוֹמֵמִ֔ים שֽׁוֹמֵמִ֔ין שָׁמֵ֑מוּ שׁוֹמֵמָ֛ה שוממה שוממים שוממין שמו שמות שמם שמם׃ שממה שממו שממות שממות׃ ששמם תִּשּׁוֹמֵֽם׃ תשומם׃ ’ă·šim·mêm ’ăšimmêm ashimMem bā·hə·šam·māh bāhəšammāh bahshamMah hă·šim·mō·w·ṯā han·nə·šam·māh han·šam·mō·wṯ hannəšammāh hanneshamMah hanšammōwṯ hanshamMot haš·mêm hāš·šam·māh hashimMota hashMem hashshamMah hăšimmōwṯā hašmêm hāššammāh hê·šam·mū hêšammū heShammu hoš·šam·māh hoshshamMah hoššammāh lə·šam·māh ləšammāh leshamMah maš·mîm mashMim mašmîm mə·šō·mêm mə·šō·w·mêm meshoMem məšōmêm məšōwmêm nā·šam·māh nā·šam·mū nāšammāh nāšammū naShammah naShammu nə·šam·māh nə·šam·mō·wṯ nəšammāh nəšammōwṯ neshamMah neshamMot šā·mê·māh šā·mê·mū šā·mə·mū šam·mō·wṯ šāmêmāh šāmêmū šāməmū šammōwṯ šeš·šā·mêm šeššāmêm shaMemah shameMu shammOt sheshshaMem shoMem shomeMah shomeMim shomeMin shomeMot Shommu šō·mê·mō·wṯ šō·mə·mō·wṯ šō·mêm šō·w·mê·māh šō·w·mê·mîm šō·w·mê·mîn šōm·mū šōmêm šōmêmōwṯ šōməmōwṯ šōmmū šōwmêmāh šōwmêmîm šōwmêmîn tiš·šō·w·mêm tishshoMem tiššōwmêm ū·nə·šam·māh ūnəšammāh uneshamMah vaeshtoMem vahashimmoTi vahasimoTihu vaiyishtoMem vannashShim vayshimMem veeshtoMem vehanshamMot vehaShammu venaShammu veshameMu veshamMu veShomemoTayich wā’eštōwmêm wā·’eš·tō·w·mêm wa·hă·śi·mō·ṯî·hū wa·hă·šim·mō·ṯî wa·hă·šim·mō·w·ṯî wahăšimmōṯî wahăšimmōwṯî wahăśimōṯîhū wan·naš·šîm wannaššîm way·šim·mêm way·yiš·tō·w·mêm wayšimmêm wayyištōwmêm wə’eštōwmêm wə·’eš·tō·w·mêm wə·hā·šam·mū wə·han·šam·mō·wṯ wə·nā·šam·mū wə·šā·mə·mū wə·šō·mə·mō·ṯa·yiḵ wəhanšammōwṯ wəhāšammū wənāšammū wəšāməmū wəšōməmōṯayiḵ yā·šōm·mū yaš·šîm yaShommu yashShim yāšōmmū yaššîm yiš·šōm yiš·tō·w·mêm yishShom yishtoMem yiššōm yištōwmêm
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