שַׁמָּה
Ruin ; by implication, consternation
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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.
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What does שַׁמָּה (shammah) mean in the Bible?
שַׁמָּה (shammah) is a Hebrew word meaning "ruin ; by implication, consternation". ruin; by implication, consternation BDB: waste Usage: astonishment, desolate(-ion), waste, wonderful thing. It underscores the visible and humiliating consequences of covenant infidelity. This term runs through the canonical themes of Covenant.
Full entry for שַׁמָּה (H8047) · Browse the biblical lexicon
Meaning
Desolation as both physical ruin and the psychological terror it inspires in observers
ruin; by implication, consternation BDB: waste Usage: astonishment, desolate(-ion), waste, wonderful thing.
Why This Word Matters
It underscores the visible and humiliating consequences of covenant infidelity. Hosea 5:8-15
It underscores that restoration does not erase the moral seriousness of sin. Micah 6:9-16
Outcome of covenant breach. Micah 7:11-13
Grammatical Forms
How the stem changes the meaning of this verb across the biblical text.
Niphal passive or reflexive — the subject receives or experiences the action 1×
Canonical Themes
Biblical Occurrences
Each occurrence shows the passage reference, the original language term as it appears in that context, its transliteration, and the contextual sense.
Showing 8 of 40 occurrences in the biblical text.