---
title: שָׁחַת — go to ruin · The Tanakh dictionary
description: שָׁחַת (7843), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 142 times: go to ruin. BDB 1906: vb. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# שָׁחַת

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«שָׁחַת» in the Tanakh dictionary: **go to ruin** — how often it is used, MACULA's glosses, its meanings in the printed dictionaries and why they were chosen, and 2 verses in layers.

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**Used:** 142 times · **Key:** 7843 · **BDB:** שָׁחַת

### Glosses

destroy (33); they.destroyed (9); destroying (6)

### Meaning (OSHB)

go to ruin [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1513/7843/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

vb. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1513/7843/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** vb. go to ruin (?), only der. spec. (NH Hiph. = BH, Ecclus. שחיתה 30:11 corrupt act; Arabic سَحَتَ extirpate; Ethiopic ሰሐጠ: injure, violate; TelAm. šaḫâtu is fall (especially of city), be prostrate (? of land), perhaps Canaanism (v. WklTelAm. Vocab.), Assyrian poss. šêtu, flee, escape (cf. אבד); Old Aramaic (Zinj.) שחת destroy Lzb374, Aramaic שְׁחַת, ܫܰܚܶܛ (assim. of ܬ), mutilate;—very improb. Gerber179 denom. from שַׁחַת);— be marred, spoiled, Pf. 3 ms. נִשְׁחַת, of waistcloth Je 13:7, vessel 18:4; be injured, or even (hyperb.) ruined, Impf. 3 fs. תִּשָּׁחֵת Ex 8:20 (J) of land (מִפְּנֵי הֶעָרֹב); be corrupted, corrupt, in morals and rel., of earth, Pf. 3 fs. נִשְׁחָ֑תָה Gn 6:12 (P), Impf. 3 fs. וַתִּשּׁ׳ לִפְנֵי הָא׳ v 11 (P); so Pt. fpl. as adj. נִשְׁחָתוֹת Ez 20:44. Pf. 3 ms. שִׁחֵת Ex 32:7 +, sf. שִׁחֶתְךָ Ho 13:9; 2 ms. שִׁחַתָּ Is 14:20 +, etc.; Imv. mpl. שַׁחֵ֑תוּ Je 5:10; Inf. cstr. שַׁחֵת Gn 13:10 +, etc.;— spoil, ruin, acc. of eye Ex 21:26 (E), vineyard Je 12:10 (fig.), branches Na 2:3 (fig.), also = destroy, acc. pers. 2 S 1:14; 14:11 (acc. om.), Ez 5:16; 20:17, כָּל־בָּשָׂר Gn 6:17; 9:15 (P), city, fortress, etc., Gn 13:10; 19:13, 29 (all J); 2 S 24:16; Je 5:10 (acc. om.) 48:18; Ez 26:4; 43:3; La 2:5, ruin temple v 6, nation Ho 11:9; 13:9 (read perhaps שִׁחַתִּךָ Oort Now), land 2 K 19:12 (Hiph. in ‖ Is 37:12), Ju 6:5 Jos 22:33 (P), Ez 22:30; 30:11, earth Gn 9:11 (P); c. ל obj. (ל 3 b), city 1 S 23:11, pers. Nu 32:15 (P); c. acc. רַחֲמָיו Am 1:11, destroyed (stifled) his compassion (or, RSK 28 al., the bonds of kinship, v. רַחֲמִים), בְּרִית Mal 2:8, i.e. violate it, v. especially וְשׁ׳ אַרְצָה (sc. semen) Gn 38:9 (J) he spoiled (it) upon the ground, made it ineffective, = waste words Pr 23:8. pervert, corrupt, acc. wisdom Ez 28:17, abs. = deal corruptly, חֶעֱמִיקוּ שִׁחֵתוּ Ho 9:9 (cf. \[עָמֹק\], p. 770b; but We Now read שַׁחְתּוֹ, √ שׁוח), Ex 32:7 (JE), Dt 9:12, so שׁ׳ לוֹ 32:5. Pf. 3 ms. הִשְׁחִית Gn 6:12 +; 1 s. וְהִשְׁחַתִּ֫י Je 51:20, etc.; Impf. 3 ms. יַשְׁחִית Dn 8:24 +, יַשְׁחִת Mal 3:11 +, וַיַּשְׁחֵת 1 Ch 20:1; 2 fs. וַתַּשְׁחִתִי Ez 16:47, 2 mpl. תַּשְׁחִתוּן Dt 4:16; 31:29; Imv. ms. sf. הַשְׁחִיתָהּ 2 K 18:25 = Is 36:10; Inf. abs. הַשְׁחֵת Dt 31:29; cstr. הַשְׁחִית 1 S 26:15 +, etc.; Pt. מַשְׁחִית Gn 19:14 +, etc.;— spoil, ruin, acc. crop Ju 6:4; Mal 3:11, trees Dt 20:19, 20; Je 11:19 (fig.), vessels 2 Ch 36:19, houses 34:11, palaces Je 6:5, cf. Is 65:8; Lv 19:27 (H), Ru 4:6; הִשׁ׳ דַּיָּם Je 49:9 thieves damage as much as they want; acc. pers. = ruin, destroy, 1 S 26:9, 15 Ju 20:21, 25 (+ אַ֫רְצָה), v 35, 42; 2 K 13:23; 2 Ch 24:23 (+ מִן separ.), + 12 times, + (acc. pers. om.) Is 51:13 + 4 times, acc. בֵּית דָּוִד 2 Ch 21:7, abs. Is 11:9 = 65:25; also ruin one (by words) Pr 11:9; acc. עַם 2 S 24:16; Dt 9:26; land 1 S 6:5; Je 36:29; Dn 11:17 (v. Dr); city wall 2 S 20:15 (Ew Th here denom. from שַׁחַת they were making a pit; מְהַשְּׁבִים were devising), La 2:8, cities and nations Gn 18:28(×2) (J, acc. om.), 19:13, 14 (J), Is 37:12 (Pi. in ‖ 2 K 19:12), 36:10(×2) = 2 K 18:25(×2) + 11 times + (Israel personif.) Dt 4:31; 10:10; 2 K 8:19, pride of Judah Je 13:9, earth Je 51:1; abs. c. adv. acc. Dn 8:24 (v. Dr; Bev conj. יְשׂחֵחַ or יָשִׂיחַ utter monstrous things), cf. 1 Ch 21:12; Pt. as adj., of lion Je 2:30, angel 1 Ch 21:15; = destroyer Ex 12:23 (J), Je 22:7; Is 54:16, מ׳ גּוֹיִם Je 4:7, רוּח מ׳ 51:1; sg. coll. (הַמּ׳ Ges§ 126 i; the destroying band, cf. Dr Bu Now) 1 S 13:17; 14:15 (spoilers, ravagers); fig. for snare, trap, Je 5:26. pervert, corrupt, morally, acc. דֶּרֶךְ Gn 6:12 (P; v. דֶּרֶךְ 6), נַפְשׁוֹ Pr 6:32, cf. Zp 3:7; Ez 23:11 (מִן comp.); הִשׁ׳ הִתְעִיבוּ עֲלִילָה ψ 14:1 = 53:2; הַשְׁהֵת תַּשְׁח׳ (+ vb. of particular act) Dt 4:16; 31:29; declar. = act corruptly, Is 1:4; Dt 4:25 (+ vb. of act), 2 Ch 27:2, + מִן comp. Ju 2:19; Ez 16:47; Pt. as subst. Je 6:28, אִישׁ מַשׁ׳ Pr 28:24 (18:9 v. infra).—אַל־תַּשְׁחֵת destroy not (catchword of old song or melody?) in ψ-titles: †57:1; 58:1; 59:1; 75:1. Pt. מָשְׁחָת spoiled, ruined, of a spring, מָקוֹר Pr 25:26 (‖ מַעְיָן נִרְפָּשׂ); as subst. Mal 1:14 sacrificing a spoiled thing.

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 110 of its verses cited, 0 words shared with the glosses, lists its Strong's number (5 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (4 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «שָׁחַת» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1513/7843/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Psalms 58:1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.58.1/)

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לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ אַל־תַּשְׁחֵ֗ת לְדָוִ֥ד מִכְתָּֽם׃

*Word for word:* to the choirmaster al- tashcheth of David a.miktam

*JPS 1917:* For the Leader; Al-tashheth. A Psalm of David; Michtam.

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[Psalms 75:1](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/PSA.75.1/)

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לַמְנַצֵּ֥חַ אַל־תַּשְׁחֵ֑ת מִזְמ֖וֹר לְאָסָ֣ף שִֽׁיר׃

*Word for word:* to the choirmaster al- tashcheth a.psalm of Asaph a.song

*JPS 1917:* For the Leader; Al-tashheth. A Psalm of Asaph, a Song.

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