What does שָׁמַד (shāmad) mean in the Bible?
שָׁמַד (shāmad): Complete annihilation or extermination; often divine judgment producing total destruction and obliteration
Hebrew · H8045
שָׁמַד
To desolate
Reading a lexicon entry
What this page is: Each lexicon entry shows the original Hebrew or Greek word behind the English translation: its meaning, its range of use, and where it appears in Scripture.
Strong's number: The Strong's code (H- or G-) is the standard reference number for this word. It connects this entry to chapter and passage language tabs.
Where it appears: The witness passages show where this word is used in context. Click any to open the study page for that passage.
This lexicon entry is part of our ongoing editorial review. If you notice missing content, unclear wording, or a possible correction, please send us a note through the Connect page. Screenshots are helpful.
שָׁמַד H8045
Pronunciation shāmad
What does שָׁמַד (shāmad) mean in the Bible?
שָׁמַד (shāmad): Complete annihilation or extermination; often divine judgment producing total destruction and obliteration
Full entry for שָׁמַד (H8045) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render H8045?
The BSB source-word alignment has 90 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include to destroy (6), will be destroyed (6), you are destroyed (5), be destroyed (3), destroyed (3).
Where does שָׁמַד (shāmad) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Genesis 34:30. Its strongest book concentrations include Deuteronomy (29), Isaiah (6), Joshua (6), Psalms (6).
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It to destroy 6× Deuteronomy 9:8, Esther 3:6, Esther 8:11, Isaiah 10:7
will be destroyed 6× Genesis 34:30, Proverbs 14:11, Jeremiah 48:8, Jeremiah 48:42
you are destroyed 5× Deuteronomy 28:20, Deuteronomy 28:24, Deuteronomy 28:45, Deuteronomy 28:51
be destroyed 3× 2 Samuel 14:11, Psalms 37:38, Isaiah 23:11
destroyed 3× Deuteronomy 4:3, 1 Kings 16:12, Psalms 92:7
had destroyed 3× 2 Kings 21:9, 1 Chronicles 5:25, 2 Chronicles 33:9
. . . 2× Deuteronomy 4:26, Amos 9:8
and destroy 2× Deuteronomy 28:63, Haggai 2:22
and destroyed them 2× 2 Samuel 22:38, Isaiah 26:14
He destroyed 2× Deuteronomy 2:22, Deuteronomy 31:4
He has destroyed 2× Deuteronomy 28:48, Joshua 23:15
I will destroy 2× Leviticus 26:30, Ezekiel 34:16
to destruction 2× 2 Chronicles 20:23, Esther 7:4
[who would] cut off 1× 2 Samuel 14:16
and demolish 1× Micah 5:14
and destroy him 1× Ezekiel 14:9
and destruction 1× 1 Kings 13:34
and exterminate them 1× Lamentations 3:66
and He will wipe you 1× Deuteronomy 6:15
and I will destroy 1× Amos 9:8
and to destroy 1× Isaiah 13:9
and wipe out 1× Joshua 9:24
being annihilated 1× Joshua 11:20
but destroyed them all 1× 1 Kings 15:29
demolish 1× Numbers 33:52
destroy 1× Psalms 106:34
Destroy [him] 1× Deuteronomy 33:27
destroy them 1× 2 Chronicles 20:10
destroy you 1× Deuteronomy 7:4
destroyed them 1× Deuteronomy 2:21
enough to destroy you 1× Deuteronomy 9:19
eradicated 1× 2 Kings 10:28
for the destruction [of the Jews] 1× Esther 4:8
have been destroyed 1× Judges 21:16
he had destroyed them 1× 2 Kings 10:17
He will destroy 1× Psalms 145:20
He will destroy them 1× Deuteronomy 9:3
He would destroy 1× Deuteronomy 9:25
He would destroy them 1× Psalms 106:23
I will destroy you 1× Ezekiel 25:7
of destruction 1× Isaiah 14:23
or eliminated 1× Isaiah 48:19
or wipe out 1× 1 Samuel 24:21
so that I may destroy them 1× Deuteronomy 9:14
Then we will cut off 1× 2 Samuel 14:7
they are destroyed 1× Deuteronomy 7:23
They destroyed [the Horites] 1× Deuteronomy 2:12
they had completely destroyed them 1× Joshua 11:14
they have been destroyed 1× Deuteronomy 12:30
to be annihilated 1× Deuteronomy 1:27
to destroy him 1× Deuteronomy 9:20
to exterminate us 1× 2 Samuel 21:5
utterly destroy 1× Amos 9:8
were destroyed by 1× Deuteronomy 2:23
when I destroyed them 1× Joshua 24:8
who destroyed 1× Amos 2:9
who perished 1× Psalms 83:10
will be utterly destroyed 1× Deuteronomy 4:26
will destroy 1× Deuteronomy 31:3
with the order to destroy 1× Esther 3:13
Yet I destroyed 1× Amos 2:9
you remove 1× Joshua 7:12
you will annihilate them 1× Deuteronomy 7:24
Show sample aligned rows
Genesis 34:30 וְנִשְׁמַדְתִּ֖י to will be destroyed Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singular Leviticus 26:30 וְהִשְׁמַדְתִּ֞י to I will destroy Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singular Numbers 33:52 תַּשְׁמִֽידוּ׃ to demolish Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine plural Deuteronomy 1:27 לְהַשְׁמִידֵֽנוּ׃ to to be annihilated Preposition-l | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct | first person common plural Deuteronomy 2:12 וַיַּשְׁמִידוּם֙ to They destroyed [the Horites] Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine plural | third person masculine plural Deuteronomy 2:21 וַיַּשְׁמִידֵ֤ם to destroyed them Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Consecutive imperfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine plural Deuteronomy 2:22 הִשְׁמִ֤יד to He destroyed Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person masculine singular Deuteronomy 2:23 הִשְׁמִידֻ֖ם to were destroyed by Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person common plural | third person masculine plural Deuteronomy 4:3 הִשְׁמִיד֛וֹ to destroyed Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine singular Deuteronomy 4:26 הִשָּׁמֵ֖ד to will be utterly destroyed Verb - Nifal - Infinitive absolute
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Genesis 34:30
Aligned rows 90
Books represented 25
Genesis 1 Leviticus 1 Numbers 1 Deuteronomy 29 Joshua 6 Judges 1 1 Samuel 1 2 Samuel 5 1 Kings 3 2 Kings 3 1 Chronicles 1 2 Chronicles 3 Esther 5 Psalms 6 Proverbs 1 Isaiah 6 Jeremiah 2 Lamentations 1 Ezekiel 4 Daniel 1 Hosea 1 Amos 5 Micah 1 Haggai 1 Zechariah 1
Source forms
לְהַשְׁמִ֥יד 3x lə·haš·mîḏ Deuteronomy 9:8, Deuteronomy 9:25, Daniel 11:44
הִשָּׁמְדָֽךְ׃ 2x hiš·šā·mə·ḏāḵ Deuteronomy 28:24, Deuteronomy 28:61
הִשְׁמִ֣יד 2x hiš·mîḏ 2 Kings 21:9, 2 Chronicles 33:9
לְהַשְׁמִ֣יד 2x lə·haš·mîḏ Deuteronomy 9:19, Isaiah 10:7
אַשְׁמִ֖יד 1x ’aš·mîḏ Ezekiel 34:16
אַשְׁמִ֛יד 1x ’aš·mîḏ Amos 9:8
אַשְׁמִ֣ידְךָ֔ 1x ’aš·mî·ḏə·ḵā Ezekiel 25:7
הִשָּׁמֵ֖ד 1x hiš·šā·mêḏ Deuteronomy 4:26
Parsing patterns
Preposition-l | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct 12x Deuteronomy 9:8, Deuteronomy 9:19, Deuteronomy 9:25, 2 Samuel 14:16
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person masculine singular 5x Deuteronomy 2:22, Deuteronomy 31:4, 2 Kings 21:9, 1 Chronicles 5:25
Verb - Nifal - Infinitive construct | second person masculine singular 5x Deuteronomy 28:20, Deuteronomy 28:24, Deuteronomy 28:45, Deuteronomy 28:51
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Hifil - Conjunctive perfect - first person common singular 4x Leviticus 26:30, Amos 9:8, Micah 5:14, Haggai 2:22
Conjunctive waw, Preposition-l | Verb - Hifil - Infinitive construct 4x Deuteronomy 28:63, Joshua 9:24, 1 Kings 13:34, 2 Chronicles 20:23
Conjunctive waw | Verb - Nifal - Conjunctive perfect - third person masculine singular 3x Jeremiah 48:8, Jeremiah 48:42, Ezekiel 32:12
Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - third person masculine singular 3x Deuteronomy 31:3, Psalms 145:20, Isaiah 13:9
Verb - Hifil - Perfect - third person masculine singular | third person masculine singular 3x Deuteronomy 4:3, 1 Kings 15:29, 2 Kings 10:17
Evidence Summary
Hebrew word. Complete annihilation or extermination; often divine judgment producing total destruction and obliteration
Strong's H8045
Lexical occurrences 90 verses Word forms 2 forms 26 references Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Isaiah 14:16-23 Source Gloss
to desolate
Extended definition Source: Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon + Brown-Driver-Briggs
Complete annihilation or extermination; often divine judgment producing total destruction and obliteration
to desolate BDB: be exterminated Usage: destory(-uction), bring to nought, overthrow, perish, pluck down, × utterly.
Grammatical Forms
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
This verb appears through different tense, voice, mood, or stem patterns. Those forms help readers see how the action is presented in context.
Form groups 2 Aligned forms 26
Hiphil causative active — the subject causes someone else to perform the action 19×
Imperfect Deut 31:3 · Isa 13:9 · Ps 145:20 · Amos 9:8 · Ezek 34:16 · Josh 7:12 · Num 33:52 · 1Sam 24:22 · 2Sam 14:11 9×
Perfect 1Chr 5:25 · 2Chr 33:9 · 2Kgs 21:9 · Deut 2:22 · Deut 31:4 · Amos 2:9 · Ps 106:34 7×
Infinitive absolute Amos 9:8 · Isa 14:23 2×
Sequential imperfect Deut 33:27 1×
Niphal passive or reflexive — the subject receives or experiences the action 7×
Perfect Ps 37:38 · Ps 83:11 · 2Sam 21:5 · Judg 21:16 4×
Imperfect Isa 48:19 · Prov 14:11 2×
Infinitive absolute Deut 4:26 1×
Selected Scripture Witness
Selected passage-level study witnesses for this word. This section is not the full occurrence list.
Old Testament Witnesses
To annihilate or destroy completely.
Showing 1 selected witness from 90 lexical occurrence verses.
Word Origins
שָׁמַד is a primitive root - no further derivation.
Why This Word Matters
The term reinforces the thorough and decisive nature of divine judgment. Isaiah 14:16-23
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain