Shemamah שְׁמָמָה

Shemamah (Hebrew שְׁמָמָה, Strong's H8077) is a Hebrew feminine noun meaning “devastation”. It occurs 57 times in 53 verses of the Old Testament.

Definition

H8077A: devastation

H8077B: desolation

H8077G: Desolate

From the STEPBible Brief Lexicon of Hebrew (based on the abridged Brown-Driver-Briggs), STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0.

Translated as

Verses

Every verse with Shemamah, with the English words that translate it highlighted (KJV or BSB; other translations show the KJV here).

Exodus

• Exodus 23:29
  I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee.I will not drive them out before you in a single year; otherwise the land would become desolate and wild animals would multiply against you.

Leviticus

• Leviticus 26:33
  And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.But I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out a sword after you as your land becomes desolate and your cities are laid waste.

Joshua

• Joshua 8:28
  And Joshua burnt Ai, and made it an heap for ever, even a desolation unto this day.So Joshua burned Ai and made it a permanent heap of ruins, a desolation to this day.

Isaiah

• Isaiah 1:7
  Your country is desolate, your cities are burned with fire: your land, strangers devour it in your presence, and it is desolate, as overthrown by strangers.Your land is desolate; your cities are burned with fire. Foreigners devour your fields before you— a desolation demolished by strangers.
• Isaiah 6:11
  Then said I, Lord, how long? And he answered, Until the cities be wasted without inhabitant, and the houses without man, and the land be utterly desolate,Then I asked: “How long, O Lord?” And He replied: “Until the cities lie ruined and without inhabitant, until the houses are left unoccupied and the land is desolate and ravaged,
• Isaiah 17:9
  In that day shall his strong cities be as a forsaken bough, and an uppermost branch, which they left because of the children of Israel: and there shall be desolation.In that day their strong cities will be like forsaken thickets and summits, abandoned to the Israelites and to utter desolation.
• Isaiah 62:4
  Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzi–bah, and thy land Beulah: for the Lord delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.No longer will you be called Forsaken, nor your land named Desolate; but you will be called Hephzibah, and your land Beulah; for the LORD will take delight in you, and your land will be His bride.
• Isaiah 64:10
  Thy holy cities are a wilderness, Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation.Your holy cities have become a wilderness. Zion has become a wasteland and Jerusalem a desolation.

Jeremiah

• Jeremiah 4:27
  For thus hath the Lord said, The whole land shall be desolate; yet will I not make a full end.For this is what the LORD says: “The whole land will be desolate, but I will not finish its destruction.
• Jeremiah 6:8
  Be thou instructed, O Jerusalem, lest my soul depart from thee; lest I make thee desolate, a land not inhabited.Be forewarned, O Jerusalem, or I will turn away from you; I will make you a desolation, a land without inhabitant.”
• Jeremiah 9:11
  And I will make Jerusalem heaps, and a den of dragons; and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant.“And I will make Jerusalem a heap of rubble, a haunt for jackals; and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.”
• Jeremiah 10:22
  Behold, the noise of the bruit is come, and a great commotion out of the north country, to make the cities of Judah desolate, and a den of dragons.Listen! The sound of a report is coming— a great commotion from the land to the north. The cities of Judah will be made a desolation, a haunt for jackals.
• Jeremiah 12:10
  Many pastors have destroyed my vineyard, they have trodden my portion under foot, they have made my pleasant portion a desolate wilderness.Many shepherds have destroyed My vineyard; they have trampled My plot of ground. They have turned My pleasant field into a desolate wasteland.
• Jeremiah 12:11
  They have made it desolate, and being desolate it mourneth unto me; the whole land is made desolate, because no man layeth it to heart.They have made it a desolation; desolate before Me, it mourns. All the land is laid waste, but no man takes it to heart.
• Jeremiah 25:12
  And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the Lord, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations.But when seventy years are complete, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their guilt, declares the LORD, and I will make it an everlasting desolation.
• Jeremiah 32:43
  And fields shall be bought in this land, whereof ye say, It is desolate without man or beast; it is given into the hand of the Chaldeans.And fields will be bought in this land about which you are saying, ‘It is a desolation, without man or beast; it has been delivered into the hands of the Chaldeans.’
• Jeremiah 34:22
  Behold, I will command, saith the Lord, and cause them to return to this city; and they shall fight against it, and take it, and burn it with fire: and I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without an inhabitant.Behold, I am going to give the command, declares the LORD, and I will bring them back to this city. They will fight against it, capture it, and burn it down. And I will make the cities of Judah a desolation, without inhabitant.”
• Jeremiah 44:6
  Wherefore my fury and mine anger was poured forth, and was kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem; and they are wasted and desolate, as at this day.Therefore My wrath and anger poured out and burned in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, so that they have become the desolate ruin they are today.
• Jeremiah 49:2
  Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will cause an alarm of war to be heard in Rabbah of the Ammonites; and it shall be a desolate heap, and her daughters shall be burned with fire: then shall Israel be heir unto them that were his heirs, saith the Lord.Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will sound the battle cry against Rabbah of the Ammonites. It will become a heap of ruins, and its villages will be burned. Then Israel will drive out their dispossessors, says the LORD.
• Jeremiah 49:33
  And Hazor shall be a dwelling for dragons, and a desolation for ever: there shall no man abide there, nor any son of man dwell in it.“Hazor will become a haunt for jackals, a desolation forever. No one will dwell there; no man will abide there.”
• Jeremiah 50:13
  Because of the wrath of the Lord it shall not be inhabited, but it shall be wholly desolate: every one that goeth by Babylon shall be astonished, and hiss at all her plagues.Because of the wrath of the LORD, she will not be inhabited; she will become completely desolate. All who pass through Babylon will be horrified and will hiss at all her wounds.
• Jeremiah 51:26
  And they shall not take of thee a stone for a corner, nor a stone for foundations; but thou shalt be desolate for ever, saith the Lord.No one shall retrieve from you a cornerstone or a foundation stone, because you will become desolate forever,” declares the LORD.
• Jeremiah 51:62
  Then shalt thou say, O Lord, thou hast spoken against this place, to cut it off, that none shall remain in it, neither man nor beast, but that it shall be desolate for ever.and say, ‘O LORD, You have promised to cut off this place so that no one will remain—neither man nor beast. Indeed, it will be desolate forever.’

Ezekiel

• Ezekiel 6:14
  So will I stretch out my hand upon them, and make the land desolate, yea, more desolate than the wilderness toward Diblath, in all their habitations: and they shall know that I am the Lord.I will stretch out My hand against them, and wherever they live I will make the land a desolate waste, from the wilderness to Diblah. Then they will know that I am the LORD.’”
• Ezekiel 7:27
  The king shall mourn, and the prince shall be clothed with desolation, and the hands of the people of the land shall be troubled: I will do unto them after their way, and according to their deserts will I judge them; and they shall know that I am the Lord.The king will mourn, the prince will be clothed with despair, and the hands of the people of the land will tremble. I will deal with them according to their conduct, and I will judge them by their own standards. Then they will know that I am the LORD.’”
• Ezekiel 12:20
  And the cities that are inhabited shall be laid waste, and the land shall be desolate; and ye shall know that I am the Lord.The inhabited cities will be laid waste, and the land will become desolate. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’”
• Ezekiel 14:15
  If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land, and they spoil it, so that it be desolate, that no man may pass through because of the beasts:Or if I send wild beasts through the land to leave it childless and desolate, with no man passing through it for fear of the beasts,
• Ezekiel 14:16
  Though these three men were in it, as I live, saith the Lord God, they shall deliver neither sons nor daughters; they only shall be delivered, but the land shall be desolate.then as surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, even if these three men were in it, they could not deliver their own sons or daughters. They alone would be delivered, but the land would be desolate.
• Ezekiel 15:8
  And I will make the land desolate, because they have committed a trespass, saith the Lord God.Thus I will make the land desolate, because they have acted unfaithfully,’ declares the Lord GOD.”
• Ezekiel 23:33
  Thou shalt be filled with drunkenness and sorrow, with the cup of astonishment and desolation, with the cup of thy sister Samaria.You will be filled with drunkenness and grief, with a cup of devastation and desolation, the cup of your sister Samaria.
• Ezekiel 29:9
  And the land of Egypt shall be desolate and waste; and they shall know that I am the Lord: because he hath said, The river is mine, and I have made it.The land of Egypt will become a desolate wasteland. Then they will know that I am the LORD. Because you said, ‘The Nile is mine; I made it,’
• Ezekiel 29:10
  Behold, therefore I am against thee, and against thy rivers, and I will make the land of Egypt utterly waste and desolate, from the tower of Syene even unto the border of Ethiopia.therefore I am against you and against your rivers. I will turn the land of Egypt into a ruin, a desolate wasteland from Migdol to Syene, and as far as the border of Cush.
• Ezekiel 29:12
  And I will make the land of Egypt desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate, and her cities among the cities that are laid waste shall be desolate forty years: and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries.I will make the land of Egypt a desolation among desolate lands, and her cities will lie desolate for forty years among the ruined cities. And I will disperse the Egyptians among the nations and scatter them throughout the countries.
• Ezekiel 32:15
  When I shall make the land of Egypt desolate, and the country shall be destitute of that whereof it was full, when I shall smite all them that dwell therein, then shall they know that I am the Lord.‘When I make the land of Egypt a desolation and empty it of all that filled it, when I strike down all who live there, then they will know that I am the LORD.’
• Ezekiel 33:28
  For I will lay the land most desolate, and the pomp of her strength shall cease; and the mountains of Israel shall be desolate, that none shall pass through.I will make the land a desolate waste, and the pride of her strength will come to an end. The mountains of Israel will become desolate, so that no one will pass through.
• Ezekiel 33:29
  Then shall they know that I am the Lord, when I have laid the land most desolate because of all their abominations which they have committed.Then they will know that I am the LORD, when I have made the land a desolate waste because of all the abominations they have committed.’
• Ezekiel 35:3
  And say unto it, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, O mount Seir, I am against thee, and I will stretch out mine hand against thee, and I will make thee most desolate.and declare that this is what the Lord GOD says: Behold, I am against you, O Mount Seir. I will stretch out My hand against you and make you a desolate waste.
• Ezekiel 35:4
  I will lay thy cities waste, and thou shalt be desolate, and thou shalt know that I am the Lord.I will turn your cities into ruins, and you will become a desolation. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
• Ezekiel 35:7
  Thus will I make mount Seir most desolate, and cut off from it him that passeth out and him that returneth.I will make Mount Seir a desolate waste and will cut off from it those who come and go.
• Ezekiel 35:9
  I will make thee perpetual desolations, and thy cities shall not return: and ye shall know that I am the Lord.I will make you a perpetual desolation, and your cities will not be inhabited. Then you will know that I am the LORD.
• Ezekiel 35:14
  Thus saith the Lord God; When the whole earth rejoiceth, I will make thee desolate.This is what the Lord GOD says: While the whole earth rejoices, I will make you desolate.
• Ezekiel 35:15
  As thou didst rejoice at the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was desolate, so will I do unto thee: thou shalt be desolate, O mount Seir, and all Idumea, even all of it: and they shall know that I am the Lord.As you rejoiced when the inheritance of the house of Israel became desolate, so will I do to you. You will become a desolation, O Mount Seir, and so will all of Edom. Then they will know that I am the LORD.
• Ezekiel 36:34
  And the desolate land shall be tilled, whereas it lay desolate in the sight of all that passed by.The desolate land will be cultivated instead of lying desolate in the sight of all who pass through.

Joel

• Joel 2:3
  A fire devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and nothing shall escape them.Before them a fire devours, and behind them a flame scorches. The land before them is like the Garden of Eden, but behind them, it is like a desert wasteland— surely nothing will escape them.
• Joel 2:20
  But I will remove far off from you the northern army, and will drive him into a land barren and desolate, with his face toward the east sea, and his hinder part toward the utmost sea, and his stink shall come up, and his ill savour shall come up, because he hath done great things.The northern army I will drive away from you, banishing it to a barren and desolate land, its front ranks into the Eastern Sea, and its rear guard into the Western Sea. And its stench will rise; its foul odor will ascend. For He has done great things.
• Joel 3:19
  Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom shall be a desolate wilderness, for the violence against the children of Judah, because they have shed innocent blood in their land.Egypt will become desolate, and Edom a desert wasteland, because of the violence done to the people of Judah, in whose land they shed innocent blood.

Micah

• Micah 1:7
  And all the graven images thereof shall be beaten to pieces, and all the hires thereof shall be burned with the fire, and all the idols thereof will I lay desolate: for she gathered it of the hire of an harlot, and they shall return to the hire of an harlot.All her carved images will be smashed to pieces; all her wages will be burned in the fire, and I will destroy all her idols. Since she collected the wages of a prostitute, they will be used again on a prostitute.
• Micah 7:13
  Notwithstanding the land shall be desolate because of them that dwell therein, for the fruit of their doings.Then the earth will become desolate because of its inhabitants, as the fruit of their deeds.

Zephaniah

• Zephaniah 1:13
  Therefore their goods shall become a booty, and their houses a desolation: they shall also build houses, but not inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, but not drink the wine thereof.Their wealth will be plundered and their houses laid waste. They will build houses but not inhabit them, and plant vineyards but never drink their wine.
• Zephaniah 2:4
  For Gaza shall be forsaken, and Ashkelon a desolation: they shall drive out Ashdod at the noon day, and Ekron shall be rooted up.For Gaza will be abandoned, and Ashkelon left in ruins. Ashdod will be driven out at noon, and Ekron will be uprooted.
• Zephaniah 2:9
  Therefore as I live, saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Surely Moab shall be as Sodom, and the children of Ammon as Gomorrah, even the breeding of nettles, and saltpits, and a perpetual desolation: the residue of my people shall spoil them, and the remnant of my people shall possess them.Therefore, as surely as I live,” declares the LORD of Hosts, the God of Israel, “surely Moab will be like Sodom and the Ammonites like Gomorrah— a place of weeds and salt pits, a perpetual wasteland. The remnant of My people will plunder them; the remainder of My nation will dispossess them.”
• Zephaniah 2:13
  And he will stretch out his hand against the north, and destroy Assyria; and will make Nineveh a desolation, and dry like a wilderness.And He will stretch out His hand against the north and destroy Assyria; He will make Nineveh a desolation, as dry as a desert.

Malachi

• Malachi 1:3
  And I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.but Esau I have hated, and I have made his mountains a wasteland and left his inheritance to the desert jackals.”

Notes

1. Definition and verse list from STEPBible's tagged Hebrew Old Testament (TAHOT) and Greek New Testament (TAGNT) and Brief Lexicons, STEPBible.org, CC BY 4.0.
2. English renderings from the public-domain KJV with Strong's numbers (eBible.org) and the Berean Standard Bible interlinear (public domain).