שָׁמֵם
to be desolate
also: be appalled, stun, stupefy fuller range ↓
Full lexicon entry — Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
From Brown-Driver-Briggs (BDB)
Where this word appears
See every Qal verb in the Hebrew Bible →
Grammar key — what these labels mean
Part of speech
- Verb
- An action or state-of-being word.
Stem
- Niphal
- Usually the simple passive or reflexive of the Qal (“he was written”). Here: ‘be desolated’
- Hiphil
- The causative active stem (“he caused / brought about”). Here: ‘devastate’
- Qal
- The basic, simple active stem — the plain form of the verb (“he wrote”). Here: ‘be desolated’
- Hophal
- The passive counterpart of the Hiphil (“he was caused to…”).
- Hithpolel
- The reflexive counterpart of the Polel.
Form
- Sequential Perfect
- A perfect with prefixed waw continuing a preceding imperfect or command (waw-consecutive perfect).
- Imperfect
- An incomplete, ongoing, or future action (“he will / would write”).
- Perfect
- A completed action or state — Hebrew marks aspect (completeness) more than strict tense (“he wrote”).
- Participle Active
- A verbal adjective expressing ongoing or characteristic action (“writing / one who writes”).
- Participle Passive
- A verbal adjective expressing action received (“written”).
- Infinitive Construct
- A bound verbal noun, frequently with prepositions (“to write / in writing”).
- Imperative
- A direct command (“write!”).
- Sequential Imperfect
- An imperfect with prefixed waw — the standard past-narrative form (waw-consecutive imperfect).
- Infinitive Absolute
- An unbound verbal noun, often intensifying or standing in for a finite verb.
State
- Absolute
- The independent form of a noun, not bound to a following word.
- Construct
- A noun bound to a following noun in a possessive / “of” relationship (the construct chain).
Person
- 3rd Person
- The one spoken about (“he / she / it / they”).
- 1st Person
- The speaker (“I / we”).
- 2nd Person
- The one addressed (“you”).
Gender
- Common
- Either gender — not distinguished for this form.
- Masculine
- Grammatically masculine.
- Feminine
- Grammatically feminine.
Number
- Plural
- More than one (in Hebrew, generally three or more).
- Singular
- One.
Grammatical forms 38 distinct
- Verb, Hiphil, Sequential Perfect, 1st Person, Common, Singular 7 times (8%)
- Verb, Niphal, Sequential Perfect, 3rd Person, Common, Plural 6 times (7%)
- Verb, Qal, Imperfect, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular 6 times (7%)
- Verb, Niphal, Perfect, 3rd Person, Common, Plural 5 times (6%)
- Verb, Niphal, Participle Active, Feminine, Plural, Absolute 5 times (6%)
- Verb, Qal, Perfect, 3rd Person, Common, Plural 4 times (5%)
- Verb, Niphal, Participle Passive, Feminine, Singular, Absolute 4 times (5%)
- Verb, Hophal, Infinitive Construct 4 times (5%)
+30 more forms (45 occurrences)
Parsed forms decoded from the imported morphology (morphhb / Westminster Leningrad Codex — WLC text public domain, morphhb tagging CC BY 4.0), counted across 86 parsed occurrences — not distinct verses.
Every verse where H8074 appears — 80 distinct verses across 19 books. Click any verse to open its interlinear word-by-word view. Verse text shown in the World English Bible for context — . Each verse’s Hebrew form is shown with its reference; the English is not keyword-highlighted, since the data carries no word-level English alignment. Use “Compare translations” on any verse to read it across multiple English versions. This concordance covers the Hebrew Bible; Septuagint (Greek Old Testament) occurrences are not indexed here.
Leviticus 6 verses
- Leviticus 26:22 וְ/נָשַׁ֖מּוּ conj + Niphal wpf 3cp I will send the wild animals among you, which will rob you of your children, destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your roads will become desolate.
- Leviticus 26:31 וַ/הֲשִׁמּוֹתִ֖י conj + Hiphil wpf 1cs I will lay your cities waste, and will bring your sanctuaries to desolation, and I will not take delight in the sweet fragrence of your offerings.
- Leviticus 26:32 וַ/הֲשִׁמֹּתִ֥י וְ/שָֽׁמְמ֤וּ conj + Hiphil wpf 1cs conj + Qal wpf 3cp I will bring the land into desolation; and your enemies that dwell therein will be astonished at it.
- Leviticus 26:34 הֳשַׁמָּ֔/ה Hophal inf.cs + sfx pers 3fs Then the land will enjoy its sabbaths as long as it lies desolate and you are in your enemies' land. Even then the land will rest and enjoy its sabbaths.
- Leviticus 26:35 הָשַּׁמָּ֖/ה Hophal inf.cs + sfx pers 3fs As long as it lies desolate it shall have rest, even the rest which it didn't have in your sabbaths, when you lived on it.
- Leviticus 26:43 בָּ/הְשַׁמָּ/ה֙ prep det + Hophal inf.cs + sfx pers 3fs The land also will be left by them, and will enjoy its sabbaths while it lies desolate without them: and they will accept the punishment of their iniquity; because, even because they rejected my ordinances, and their soul abhorred my statutes.
Numbers 1 verse
1 Samuel 1 verse
1 Kings 1 verse
2 Chronicles 2 verses
- 2 Chronicles 7:21 יִשֹּׁ֑ם Qal impf 3ms This house, which is so high, everyone who passes by it shall be astonished, and shall say, Why has Yahweh done thus to this land, and to this house?
- 2 Chronicles 36:21 הָשַּׁמָּ/ה֙ Hophal inf.cs + sfx pers 3fs to fulfill the word of Yahweh by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its Sabbaths: [for] as long as it lay desolate it kept Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.
Ezra 2 verses
- Ezra 9:3 מְשׁוֹמֵֽם Poel ptcp.pass ms When I heard this thing, I tore my garment and my robe, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down confounded.
- Ezra 9:4 מְשׁוֹמֵ֔ם Poel ptcp.pass ms Then were assembled to me everyone who trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the trespass of them of the captivity; and I sat confounded until the evening offering.
Job 4 verses
- Job 16:7 הֲ֝שִׁמּ֗וֹתָ Hiphil pf 2ms But now, God, you have surely worn me out. You have made desolate all my company.
- Job 17:8 יָשֹׁ֣מּוּ Qal impf 3mp Upright men shall be astonished at this. The innocent shall stir up himself against the godless.
- Job 18:20 נָשַׁ֣מּוּ Niphal pf 3cp Those who come after shall be astonished at his day, As those who went before were frightened.
- Job 21:5 וְ/הָשַׁ֑מּוּ conj + Hiphil impv 2mp Look at me, and be astonished. Lay your hand on your mouth.
Psalms 4 verses
- Psalms 40:15 יָ֭שֹׁמּוּ Qal impf 3mp Let them be desolate by reason of their shame that tell me, "Aha! Aha!"
- Psalms 69:25 נְשַׁמָּ֑ה Niphal ptcp.act fs Let their habitation be desolate. Let no one dwell in their tents.
- Psalms 79:7 הֵשַֽׁמּוּ Hiphil pf 3cp For they have devoured Jacob, And destroyed his homeland.
- Psalms 143:4 יִשְׁתּוֹמֵ֥ם Hithpolel impf 3ms Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me. My heart within me is desolate.
Ecclesiastes 1 verse
Isaiah 9 verses
- Isaiah 33:8 נָשַׁ֣מּוּ Niphal pf 3cp The highways lie waste, the wayfaring man ceases: [the enemy] has broken the covenant, he has despised the cities, he doesn't regard man.
- Isaiah 49:8 שֹׁמֵמֽוֹת Qal ptcp.act fp Thus says Yahweh, In an acceptable time have I answered you, and in a day of salvation have I helped you; and I will preserve you, and give you for a covenant of the people, to raise up the land, to make them inherit the desolate heritage:
- Isaiah 49:19 וְ/שֹׁ֣מְמֹתַ֔יִ/ךְ conj + Qal ptcp.act fp cs + sfx pers 2fs For, as for your waste and your desolate places, and your land that has been destroyed, surely now shall you be too small for the inhabitants, and those who swallowed you up shall be far away.
- Isaiah 52:14 שָׁמְמ֤וּ Qal pf 3cp Like as many were astonished at you (his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men),
- Isaiah 54:1 שׁוֹמֵמָ֛ה Qal ptcp.act fs Sing, barren, you who didn't bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, you who did not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, says Yahweh.
- Isaiah 54:3 נְשַׁמּ֖וֹת Niphal ptcp.act fp For you shall spread aboard on the right hand and on the left; and your seed shall possess the nations, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited.
- Isaiah 59:16 וַ/יִּשְׁתּוֹמֵ֖ם conj + Hithpolel wimpf 3ms He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his own arm brought salvation to him; and his righteousness, it upheld him.
- Isaiah 61:4 שֹׁמְמ֥וֹת שֹׁמְמ֖וֹת Qal ptcp.act fp cs Qal ptcp.act fp cs They shall build the old wastes, they shall raise up the former desolations, and they shall repair the waste cities, the desolations of many generations.
- Isaiah 63:5 וְ/אֶשְׁתּוֹמֵ֖ם conj + Hithpolel impf 1cs I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold: therefore my own arm brought salvation to me; and my wrath, it upheld me.
Jeremiah 11 verses
- Jeremiah 2:12 שֹׁ֥מּוּ Qal impv 2mp Be astonished, you heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be you very desolate, says Yahweh.
- Jeremiah 4:9 וְ/נָשַׁ֨מּוּ֙ conj + Niphal wpf 3cp It shall happen at that day, says Yahweh, that the heart of the king shall perish, and the heart of the princes; and the priests shall be astonished, and the prophets shall wonder.
- Jeremiah 10:25 הֵשַֽׁמּוּ Hiphil pf 3cp Pour out your wrath on the nations that don't know you, and on the families that don't call on your name: for they have devoured Jacob, yes, they have devoured him and consumed him, and have laid waste his habitation.
- Jeremiah 12:11 נָשַׁ֨מָּה֙ Niphal pf 3fs They have made it a desolation; it mourns to me, being desolate; the whole land is made desolate, because no man lays it to heart.
- Jeremiah 18:16 יִשֹּׁ֖ם Qal impf 3ms to make their land an astonishment, and a perpetual hissing; everyone who passes thereby shall be astonished, and shake his head.
- Jeremiah 19:8 יִשֹּׁ֥ם Qal impf 3ms I will make this city an astonishment, and a hissing; everyone who passes thereby shall be astonished and hiss because of all the plagues of it.
- Jeremiah 33:10 הַֽ/נְשַׁמּ֗וֹת ptcl def.art + Niphal ptcp.act fp Thus says Yahweh: Yet again there shall be heard in this place, about which you say, It is waste, without man and without animal, even in the cities of Judah, and in the streets of Jerusalem, that are desolate, without man and without inhabitant and without animal,
- Jeremiah 49:17 יִשֹּׁ֥ם Qal impf 3ms Edom shall become an astonishment: everyone who passes by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss at all the plagues of it.
- Jeremiah 49:20 יַשִּׁ֛ים Hiphil impf 3ms Therefore hear the counsel of Yahweh, that he has taken against Edom; and his purposes, that he has purposed against the inhabitants of Teman: Surely they shall drag them away, [even] the little ones of the flock; surely he shall make their habitation desolate over them.
- Jeremiah 50:13 יִשֹּׁ֥ם Qal impf 3ms Because of the wrath of Yahweh she shall not be inhabited, but she shall be wholly desolate: everyone who goes by Babylon shall be astonished, and hiss at all her plagues.
- Jeremiah 50:45 יַשִּׁ֛ים Hiphil impf 3ms Therefore hear the counsel of Yahweh, that he has taken against Babylon; and his purposes, that he has purposed against the land of the Chaldeans: Surely they shall drag them away, [even] the little ones of the flock; surely he shall make their habitation desolate over them.
Lamentations 4 verses
- Lamentations 1:4 שֽׁוֹמֵמִ֔ין Qal ptcp.act mp The ways of Zion do mourn, because none come to the solemn assembly; All her gates are desolate, her priests do sigh: Her virgins are afflicted, and she herself is in bitterness.
- Lamentations 1:16 שֽׁוֹמֵמִ֔ים Qal ptcp.act mp For these things I weep; my eye, my eye runs down with water; Because the comforter who should refresh my soul is far from me: My children are desolate, because the enemy has prevailed.
- Lamentations 4:5 נָשַׁ֖מּוּ Niphal pf 3cp Those who did feed delicately are desolate in the streets: Those who were brought up in scarlet embrace dunghills.
- Lamentations 5:18 שֶׁ/שָּׁמֵ֔ם ptcl rel + Qal pf 3ms For the mountain of Zion, which is desolate: The foxes walk on it.
Ezekiel 22 verses
- Ezekiel 3:15 מַשְׁמִ֥ים Hiphil ptcp.act ms Then I came to them of the captivity at Tel Aviv, that lived by the river Chebar, and to where they lived; and I sat there overwhelmed among them seven days.
- Ezekiel 4:17 וְ/נָשַׁ֨מּוּ֙ conj + Niphal wpf 3cp that they may want bread and water, and be dismayed one with another, and pine away in their iniquity.
- Ezekiel 6:4 וְ/נָשַׁ֨מּוּ֙ conj + Niphal wpf 3cp Your altars shall become desolate, and your sun-images shall be broken; and I will cast down your slain men before your idols.
- Ezekiel 14:8 וַ/הֲשִֽׂמֹתִ֨י/הוּ֙ conj + Hiphil wpf 1cs + sfx pers 3ms and I will set my face against that man, and will make him an astonishment, for a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and you shall know that I am Yahweh.
- Ezekiel 20:26 אֲשִׁמֵּ֔/ם Hiphil impf 1cs + sfx pers 3mp and I polluted them in their own gifts, in that they caused to pass through [the fire] all that opens the womb, that I might make them desolate, to the end that they might know that I am Yahweh.
- Ezekiel 25:3 נָשַׁ֔מָּה Niphal pf 3fs and tell the children of Ammon, Hear the word of the Lord Yahweh: Thus says the Lord Yahweh, Because you said, Aha, against my sanctuary, when it was profaned; and against the land of Israel, when it was made desolate; and against the house of Judah, when they went into captivity:
- Ezekiel 26:16 וְ/שָׁמְמ֖וּ conj + Qal wpf 3cp Then all the princes of the sea shall come down from their thrones, and lay aside their robes, and strip off their embroidered garments: they shall clothe themselves with trembling; they shall sit on the ground, and shall tremble every moment, and be astonished at you.
- Ezekiel 27:35 שָׁמְמ֖וּ Qal pf 3cp All the inhabitants of the isles are astonished at you, and their kings are horribly afraid; they are troubled in their face.
- Ezekiel 28:19 שָׁמְמ֖וּ Qal pf 3cp All those who know you among the peoples shall be astonished at you: you are become a terror, and you shall nevermore have any being.
- Ezekiel 29:12 נְשַׁמּ֗וֹת Niphal ptcp.act fp I will make the land of Egypt a desolation in the midst of the countries that are desolate; and her cities among the cities that are laid waste shall be a desolation forty years; and I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and will disperse them through the countries.
- Ezekiel 30:7 וְ/נָשַׁ֕מּוּ נְשַׁמּ֑וֹת conj + Niphal wpf 3cp Niphal ptcp.act fp They shall be desolate in the midst of the countries that are desolate; and her cities shall be in the midst of the cities that are wasted.
- Ezekiel 30:12 וַ/הֲשִׁמֹּתִ֞י conj + Hiphil wpf 1cs I will make the rivers dry, and will sell the land into the hand of evil men; and I will make the land desolate, and all that is therein, by the hand of strangers: I, Yahweh, have spoken it.
- Ezekiel 30:14 וַ/הֲשִׁמֹּתִי֙ conj + Hiphil wpf 1cs I will make Pathros desolate, and will set a fire in Zoan, and will execute judgments on No.
- Ezekiel 32:10 וַ/הֲשִׁמּוֹתִ֨י conj + Hiphil wpf 1cs Yes, I will make many peoples amazed at you, and their kings shall be horribly afraid for you, when I shall brandish my sword before them; and they shall tremble at every moment, every man for his own life, in the day of your fall.
- Ezekiel 32:15 וּ/נְשַׁמָּ֗ה conj + Niphal ptcp.pass fs When I shall make the land of Egypt desolate and waste, a land destitute of that of which it was full, when I shall strike all those who dwell therein, then shall they know that I am Yahweh.
- Ezekiel 33:28 וְ/שָֽׁמְמ֛וּ conj + Qal wpf 3cp I will make the land a desolation and an astonishment; and the pride of her power shall cease; and the mountains of Israel shall be desolate, so that none shall pass through.
- Ezekiel 35:12 שממה שָׁמֵ֑מוּ Qal pf 3fs Qal pf 3cp You shall know that I, Yahweh, have heard all your insults which you have spoken against the mountains of Israel, saying, They are laid desolate, they are given us to devour.
- Ezekiel 35:15 שָׁמֵ֖מָה Qal pf 3fs As you did rejoice over the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was desolate, so will I do to you: you shall be desolate, Mount Seir, and all Edom, even all of it; and they shall know that I am Yahweh.
- Ezekiel 36:3 שַׁמּוֹת֩ Qal inf.cs therefore prophesy, and say, Thus says the Lord Yahweh: Because, even because they have made you desolate, and swallowed you up on every side, that you might be a possession to the residue of the nations, and you are taken up in the lips of talkers, and the evil report of the people;
- Ezekiel 36:34 הַ/נְּשַׁמָּ֖ה ptcl def.art + Niphal ptcp.pass fs The land that was desolate shall be tilled, whereas it was a desolation in the sight of all who passed by.
- Ezekiel 36:35 הַ/נְּשַׁמָּ֔ה וְ/הַֽ/נְשַׁמּ֥וֹת ptcl def.art + Niphal ptcp.pass fs conj + ptcl def.art + Niphal ptcp.pass fp They shall say, This land that was desolate is become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are fortified and inhabited.
- Ezekiel 36:36 הַ/נְּשַׁמָּ֑ה ptcl def.art + Niphal ptcp.pass fs Then the nations that are left round about you shall know that I, Yahweh, have built the ruined places, and planted that which was desolate: I, Yahweh, have spoken it, and I will do it.
Daniel 6 verses
- Daniel 8:13 שֹׁמֵ֔ם Qal ptcp.act ms Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to that certain one who spoke, How long shall be the vision [concerning] the continual [burnt-offering], and the disobedience that makes desolate, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot?
- Daniel 8:27 וָ/אֶשְׁתּוֹמֵ֥ם conj + Hithpolel wimpf 1cs I, Daniel, fainted, and was sick certain days; then I rose up, and did the king's business: and I wondered at the vision, but none understood it.
- Daniel 9:26 שֹׁמֵמֽוֹת Qal ptcp.act fp After the sixty-two weeks the Anointed One shall be cut off, and shall have nothing: and the people of the prince who shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end of it shall be with a flood, and even to the end shall be war; desolations are determined.
- Daniel 9:27 מְשֹׁמֵ֔ם שֹׁמֵֽם Poel ptcp.act ms Qal ptcp.act ms He shall make a firm covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the offering to cease; and on the wing of abominations [shall come] one who makes desolate; and even to the full end, and that determined, shall [wrath] be poured out on the desolate.
- Daniel 11:31 מְשׁוֹמֵֽם Poel ptcp.act ms Forces shall stand on his part, and they shall profane the sanctuary, even the fortress, and shall take away the continual [burnt offering], and they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate.
- Daniel 12:11 שֹׁמֵ֑ם Qal ptcp.act ms From the time that the continual [burnt offering] shall be taken away, and the abomination that makes desolate set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred ninety days.
Hosea 1 verse
Joel 1 verse
Amos 2 verses
- Amos 7:9 וְ/נָשַׁ֨מּוּ֙ conj + Niphal wpf 3cp The high places of Isaac will be desolate, the sanctuaries of Israel will be laid waste; and I will rise against the house of Jeroboam with the sword."
- Amos 9:14 נְשַׁמּוֹת֙ Niphal ptcp.act fp I will bring back the captivity of my people Israel, And they will rebuild the ruined cities, and inhabit them; and they will plant vineyards, and drink wine from them. They shall also make gardens, And eat the fruit of them.
Micah 1 verse
Zephaniah 1 verse
About this entry
At a glance — auto-summarized from this page’s data, not written by a person. Every figure links to its source below. This summary describes the numbers; it doesn’t interpret them.
At its core, שמם (shâmêm) means “to be desolate.” Different stems carry different senses — BDB groups them under 6 stems, among them Qal and Niphal. It appears 80 verses across 19 books of the Hebrew Bible, among its moderately common vocabulary. The word gravitates to Ezekiel (28%), then Jeremiah and Isaiah. First canonically at Leviticus 26:22, it enters the text early. Dig into 80-verse concordance and the renderings breakdown below.
Gloss history
Strong's 1890 vs modern scholarship
About this word
Strong's H8074 catalogs a Hebrew word from the Hebrew Old Testament.
These counts are not copied from any lexicon or concordance. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged Hebrew Old Testament. What Lemma adds →
- 80
- distinct verses
- The word appears in 80 distinct verses.
- 19 / 39
- OT books
- The word appears in 19 of 39 Old Testament books.
- #475
- by frequency
- Top 500 most frequent Hebrew words (rank 475 of 8,640 Hebrew words by occurrence).
View all 80 occurrences in the concordance →
By section of the Old Testament
By traditional corpus
Conventional, traditional groupings — biblical authorship is debated, so this is a traditional corpus grouping, not an authorship claim. Each share is this word’s portion of its verses in that division of the Hebrew canon. Each figure is a share of the word’s 80 distinct verses.
- Prophets (Nevi'im) 50 verses · 63%
- Writings (Ketuvim) 23 verses · 29%
- Torah (Pentateuch) 7 verses · 9%
How translations render this word
Counts come from each version’s own published word-to-Strong’s tagging or interlinear alignment — an approximate guide to how each version renders this word, not a word-level alignment the data otherwise carries. Because each total is that version’s own tagged count, the per-version totals vary from one another and need not match the appearance or distinct-verse counts above. These counts may also differ from a printed concordance because Lemma counts each distinctly tagged rendering and does not collapse phrase taggings into a single head-word total. This is a fixed set of word-tagged versions (KJV, ASV, BSB, ULT) and does not change with the reading translation you choose elsewhere. Each version’s license is shown beside its name below (and on Sources).
BDB lists this Strong’s number as 2 distinct words (homographs). Each count above pools all of them and is not split by sense — see the Senses section below. A low-frequency rendering may belong to a different one of those words, not the primary meaning.
- King James Version†: Desolate 13×, Are desolate 7×, Shall be astonished 6×
- American Standard Version†: Desolate 9×, Are desolate 6×, Shall be astonished 6×
- Berean Standard Bible†: Desolate 6×, Will be appalled 6×, Are appalled 4×
- unfoldingWord Literal Text†: Desolate 5×, Desolation 5×, And 4×
King James Version Public Domain
Renders H8074 across 93† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 36 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 1 further occurrence.
American Standard Version Public Domain
Renders H8074 across 93† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 41 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
Renders H8074 across 85† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 44 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings. Not rendered by a distinct English word in 1 further occurrence.
unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Renders H8074 across 86† tagged occurrences — most commonly:
Plus other, less common renderings. Plus 41 renderings that appear only once — usually multi-word phrases or single function words the recovered tagging swept in, not distinct renderings.
17 senses and sub-senses in the full BDB
Hebrew verbs can shift meaning by stem (binyan): Qal is the basic action, Niphal is often passive or reflexive, Piel often intensifies or makes it factitive, and Hiphil is typically causative. The senses below are grouped under the stem BDB assigns to each. This entry also uses Hophal (the passive of Hiphil) and one or more reduplicated stems (the Pōlēl/Pilpēl type), which for hollow or geminate roots behave much like Piel — often intensive or iterative.
What do BDB’s symbols mean?
BDB uses these scholarly abbreviations:
| Symbol | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 𝔊 | the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation, LXX) |
| 𝔙 | the Vulgate (the Latin translation) |
| 𝔖 | the Syriac version (the Peshitta) |
| 𝔗 | the Targum (the Aramaic translation) |
| ψ | the Psalms |
| √ | root (the underlying root or stem) |
| ‖ | parallel passage (a synonymous or contrasted parallel) |
| † | the dagger: every passage where the word occurs is cited |
The 17 senses and sub-senses the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon distinguishes for this word, in lexicon order (not ranked by frequency), with BDB’s own verbatim wording and sub-sense lettering. Shown in Hebrew script with BDB’s own scholarly abbreviations. The condensed entry is in the Lexicon Entry tab. See also the Forms in the corpus table below.
שמם I be desolated, appalled (connex. of meanings not clear) (NH id.
Qal
- Pf. 3 fs. שָׁמֵ֑מָה Ez 35:15, etc.; Impf. 3 ms. יִשֹּׁם 1 K 9:8 +, 3 mpl. יָשֹׁ֫מּוּ Jb 17:8 ψ 40:16, etc.; Imv. mpl. שֹׁ֫מּוּ Je 2:12; Inf. cstr. (?) metapl. שַׁמּוֹת Ez 36:3 (Ges§ 67r, but v. infra);—תֵּשַׁם, etc. (v. [יָשַׁם]) are placed here by most; Ez 6:6 reads תִּישָׁ֑מְנָה, v. Ges§ 67 p dd;—Pt. שׁוֹמֵם La 3:11 (v. also Pōʿ.); f. שֹׁמֵמָ֔ה (Ges§ 84 a s) 2 S 13:20 +; pl. שׁוֹמֵמִין La 1:4, etc.;— e.g. Ezekiel 35:15
- 1. be desolated, of Tamar 2 S 13:20 (i.e. deflowered, or deserted; others appalled), of pers. elsewhere late La 1:16; נְתָנַנִי שֹׁמֵמָה v 13, שָׂמַנִ֫י שׁ׳ 3:11; pt. as n.f. בְּנֵי שׁוֹמֵמָה Is 54:1 (opp. בְּעוּלָה) [Dn 8:13 + v. Pōʿ.]; usually of land, etc. (sometimes = deserted), Is 49:8; Ez 33:28 (מֵאֵין עוֹבֵר), 35:12 (read שָֽׁמְמוּ Qr Co Toy Krae; > Kt שׁממה), v 15; הֶחֳרָבוֹת הַשֹּׁמְמוֹת 36:4 (‖ הֶעָרִים הַנֶּעֱזָבוֹת); שַׁמּוֹת v 3 is prob. corrupt, Co שְׁאָט as v 5, Hi-Sm from שׁמה = נשׁם, Toy נָשֹׁם, Krae נְשֹׁם, La 1:4; 5:18; pt. fpl. as n. = desolate places Is 49:19; 61:4 (both ‖ חֳרָבוֹת), v 4 (cf. שְׁמָמָה 62:4); = desolations Dn 9:18, 26. e.g. 2 Samuel 13:20
- 2. be appalled, awestruck, usually at (עַל) judgments on others, Lv 26:32 (H), Je 2:12 (v. II. [חָרֵב]), Ez 26:16; 27:35; 28:19; Is 52:14; Jb 17:8, cf. 1 K 9:8 = 2 Ch 7:21, Je 18:16; 19:8; 49:17; 50:13; on oneself ψ 40:16 (עַל־עֵקֶב).—Is 42:14 v. [נשׁם]. e.g. Leviticus 26:32
Niphal
- Pf. 3 fs. נָשַׁ֫מָּה Je 12:11 +, 3 pl. נָשַׁ֫מּוּ Zp 3:6 +; Pt. f. נְשַׁמָּה Ez 36:34 +, etc.;—= Qal: e.g. Jeremiah 12:11
- 1. be desolated, of roads Lv 26:22 (H), Is 33:8, bamoth Am 7:9 (‖ יֶחֱרָ֑בוּ), altars Ez 6:4; cf. 25:3; 32:15 Zp 3:6; Zc 7:14; Jo 1:17 ψ 69:26; lands Je 12:11; Ez 29:12; 30:7; 36:34, 35, cities Is 54:3 (opp. יוֹשִׁיבוּ), cf. Ez 36:35; Am 9:14; Je 33:10; הַנְּשַׁמָּה Ez 36:36 the desolated (sc. land, in fig.). e.g. Leviticus 26:22
- 2. be appalled Je 4:9; La 4:5; Ez 4:17; 30:7, c. עַל rei Jb 18:20. e.g. Jeremiah 4:9
Pōʿ
- Pt.
- 1. וָאֵֽשְׁבָה מְשׁוֹמֵם Ezr 9:3 I sat appalled, cf. v 4. e.g. Ezra 9:3
- 2. transit. appalling, causing horror (Dr Dn 150 f.): (הַ)שִּׁקּוּץ מְשֹׁמֵם Dn 11:31, + perhaps 9:27a (v. שִׁקּוּץ); so also שִׁקּ׳ שֹׁמֵם 12:11 (on שׁ׳ v. Ges§ 52s), הַפֶּשַׁע שֹׁמֵם 8:13 the crime causing horror, and שׁ׳ as n. Horror-causer, appaller, 9:27b. e.g. Daniel 11:31
Hiphil
- Pf. 2 ms. הֲשִׁמּ֫וֹתָ Jb 16:7, etc.; Impf. 3 ms. יַשִּׁים (Ges§ 67y) Je 49:20; 50:45, 3 mpl. sf. וַיְשִׁמֵּם 1 S 5:6, 1 pl. נַשִּׁים Nu 21:30, etc.; Imv. mpl. הָשַׁמּוּ (Ges§ 67v) Jb 21:5; Inf. abs. הַשְׁמֵם Mi 6:13; Pt. מַשְׁמִים Ez 3:15;— e.g. Job 16:7
- 1. devastate, ravage, acc. pers. 1 S 5:6; Ez 20:26; Ho 2:14 (fig. of vine), Jb 16:7; acc. loc. Lv 26:31, 32 (H), Je 10:25; Ez 30:12, 14 ψ 79:7, so (acc. om.) Nu 21:30 (poem in JE), Mi 6:13;—Ez 14:8 v. שִׂים Hiph. e.g. 1 Samuel 5:6
- 2.
- a. appall, acc. pers., c. עַל at, Je 49:20; 50:45; Ez 32:10. e.g. Jeremiah 49:20
- b. inwardly trans., וָאֵשֵׁב מַשׁ׳ 3:15 shewing horror, Jb 21:5 (Bu Niph. הִשַּׁמּוּ). e.g. Ezekiel 3:15
Hophal
- Inf. abs. כָּל־יְמֵי הָשַּׁמָּה (sc. הָאָרֶץ) Lv 26:34 (H) all the days of (its) being desolate, so v 35 2 Ch 36:21; Aramaizing, בָּהְשַׁמָּה (Ges§ 67y) Lv 26:43. e.g. Leviticus 26:34
Hithpōʿ
- Impf. 3 ms. יִשְׁתּוֹמֵם ψ 143:4, etc.;— e.g. Psalms 143:4
- 1. be appalled, astounded, כִּי that, because, Is 59:16; 63:5; עַל rei Dn 8:27; בְּתוֹכִי יִשְׁתּ׳ לְבִּי ψ 143:4 (cf. 1 pl. נשתומם Ecclus 43:24). e.g. Isaiah 59:16
- 2. cause oneself desolation, ruin, Ec 7:16 (תִּשּׁוֹמֵם, var. תִּשְׁתּוֹמֵם). e.g. Ecclesiastes 7:16
שמם II devastated
Senses from the full Brown-Driver-Briggs lexicon (Brown, Driver, Briggs; Oxford 1906 — public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). Full attribution on Sources.
Word origin
I. vb. be desolated, appalled (connex. of meanings not clear) (NH id.; J.Aram שְׁמַם Ithp. be dazed);—
II. adj. devastated;—שׁ׳ of sanctuary Dn 9:17; f. שְׁמֵמָה of land Je 12:11.
— Brown-Driver-Briggs (Oxford 1906, public domain), digitized via Sefaria, supplemented by the OpenScriptures HebrewLexicon (CC BY 4.0). See Sources.
Origin: a primitive root
Jastrow Dictionary
A second Hebrew/Aramaic lexicon for comparison, covering Aramaic and post-biblical (Talmudic, Targumic, Midrashic) usage that the biblical-Hebrew BDB does not. Matched by lemma rather than by Strong’s number, so a lemma may carry more than one Jastrow headword (shown separately below), and the entries cover usage well beyond the Bible.
שָׁמֵם
- (b. h.) [to stand still,] to be astonished; to be waste. Tosef. Sot. XV, 10 ונמצא ישראל ש׳ וזרע וכ׳ and as a consequence Israel will be laid waste, and the seed of Abraham cease. Y. Bets. II, 61ᶜ top פעם … ומצא אותה שׁוֹמֶמֶת once he entered the Temple court and found it deserted; יָשֹׁמּוּ בתיהם … שׁהֵשֵׁימּוּ וכ׳ (or יִשַּׁמּוּ) deserted be the homes of those who caused the house of our God to be laid waste; Y. Ḥag. II, 78ᵃ bot. שׁהֵישַׁמּוּ. Cant. R. to V, 5 ראה המדינה שוממת he (Cyrus) saw that the country was ruined. Y. Ber. IV, 8ᵃ ההרוסה והשׁוֹמֵמָה destroyed and deserted. Meg. III, 3 (ref. to Lev. XXVI, 31) קדושתן … שׁוֹמֵמִין (Y. ed. שׁוֹמֵימִין) they remain holy, even when they lie in ruins. Lam. R. introd. (R. Joḥ. 1) שָׁמְמָה עלי נפשי my soul within me is waste (mourns); a. fr. e.g. Leviticus 26:31
- to lay waste, ruin; to confound. Yalk. Prov. 959 אם זכה משמחו ואם לאו מְשַׁמְּמוֹ if a man is good, it (dreaming of wine) means joy to him, if not, it means confounding.—Part. pass. מְשׁוּמָּם; f. מְשׁוּמֶּמֶת. Tosef. Keth. VII, 10 מש׳ היא (ed. Zuck. שעמומית) she (my daughter) is confused in her mind; v. שִׁעֲמֵם, שַׁעֲמוּמִית.
- same. Gen. R. s. 26 (play on אנשי השם, Gen. IV, 4) שׁהֵשִׁימּוּ את העולם ושהוּשַׁמּוּ … שׁיִשּׁוֹם they confounded the world, and they were ruined (driven) out of the world, and caused the world to be laid waste. Y. Bets. l. c.; Y. Ḥag. l. c., v. supra. e.g. Genesis 4:4
- , Hof. הוּשַׁם to be laid waste, ruined. Gen. R. l. c., v. supra. Sot. IX, 15; Cant. R. to II, 13 והגבלן יִשּׁוֹם, v. גַּבְלָן. Y. Bets. l. c.; Y. Ḥag. l. c., v. supra.
- 1. to be astounded. Gen. R. s. 4, end (expl. ש̇מ̇י̇ם̇) שהבריות מִשְׁתּוֹמְמִים … של אש̇ הן של מ̇י̇ם̇ הן men wonder at them, (asking) are they of fire? are they of water?
- 2. to be waste, ruined. Kidd. 66ᵃ והיה העולם מִשְׁתּוֹמֵם וכ׳ and the (Jewish) world was ruined (demoralized), until Simon b. Sh. came and restored the Law &c. Sabb. 33ᵃ והדרכים מִשְׁתּוֹמְמִין and the roads are desolate; a. e.
שַׁמָּם
- (preced.) confounded, demented.—Pl. שַׁמָּמִין. Cant. R. to IV, 7.
A Dictionary of the Targumim, the Talmud Babli and Yerushalmi, and the Midrashic Literature (Marcus Jastrow; London, Luzac, 1903) — Public Domain. Digitized via Sefaria. Digitized via Sefaria. Full attribution on Sources.
Forms in the corpus
The 74 distinct written forms H8074 takes in the Hebrew Bible, most frequent first — each parse links to that stem’s occurrences in the concordance. Hebrew forms include their vowel points and cantillation, so a single lemma takes many written forms.
The 60 most common forms are shown; 14 rarer forms follow in the full concordance.
Same root — word family
Other BDB entries built from the same root as H8074, grouped by Strong’s listed origin. These share a root / origin per the lexicon — not necessarily a shared meaning. Each links to that word’s own entry.
Derived from this word
- משמה mᵉshammâh H4923 devastation
- שמה shammâh H8047 desolation
- שמועה shᵉmûwʻâh H8052 report
- שמם shᵉmam H8075 to be appalled
- שמם shâmêm H8076 desolate
- שממון shimmâmôwn H8078 horror
- שממית sᵉmâmîyth H8079 lizard
Proper names from this root
People and places named from this root — a name, not an additional meaning of the word.
Compare all same-root words → Showing 4 of 10 — not the complete family. 2 of the same-root words are proper names (people or places). They share a root, not necessarily a meaning.
Septuagint verse parallels
This word appears in 77 verses that also exist in the Greek Old Testament (Septuagint), out of the 80 Hebrew verses it occurs in. You can read those verses in Greek by switching the Old Testament edition to the Septuagint.
Read these verses in the Septuagint
- Leviticus 26:22
- Numbers 21:30
- 1 Samuel 5:6
- 1 Kings 9:8
- 2 Chronicles 7:21
- Ezra 9:3
- Job 16:7
- Psalms 79:7
- Ecclesiastes 7:16
- Isaiah 33:8
- Jeremiah 2:12
- Lamentations 1:4
This is a verse-level parallel only — the same verses exist in both the Hebrew and Greek Old Testaments. No word-level Hebrew↔Greek correspondence is claimed: the data carries no such alignment, so no Greek word is shown as this Hebrew word’s translation. Coverage is not total — the Septuagint omits the deuterocanon and renumbers the Psalms, so some Hebrew verses have no direct Greek parallel.
