---
title: שׁוֹאָה — devastation · The Tanakh dictionary
description: שׁוֹאָה (lemma:שׁוֹאָה), a word of Biblical Hebrew, used 12 times: devastation. BDB 1906: n.f. devastation, ruin, waste. With 2 verses in Hebrew, word for word and JPS 1917.
---

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# שׁוֹאָה

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«שׁוֹאָה» in the Tanakh dictionary: **devastation** — 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:** 12 times · **Key:** lemma:שׁוֹאָה · **BDB:** שׁוֹאָה

### Glosses

devastation (9); a.storm (1); of.devastation (1)

### Meaning (OSHB)

devastation [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1513/lemma_3a_5e9_5c1_5d5_5b9_5d0_5b8_5d4/#m1)

### Meaning (BDB 1906)

n.f. devastation, ruin, waste [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1513/lemma_3a_5e9_5c1_5d5_5b9_5d0_5b8_5d4/#m2)

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**The whole BDB entry:** n.f. devastation, ruin, waste;—abs. שׁו׳ Is 10:3 +, שֹׁאָה 47:11; Zp 1:15; Jb 30:14 (+ 38:27 van d. H. Gi, but v. Baer’s n.); cstr. שֹׁאַת Pr 3:25;— devastation, ruin, as coming on pers., Is 10:3; 47:11 (Babylon personif.), ψ 35:8a; 63:10; שֹׁאַת רְשָׁעִים Pr 3:25 (obj. genit.; ‖ פַּחַד); (יוֹם) שׁ׳ וּמְשׁוֹאָה Zp 1:15; prob. = devastating storm, in sim. Ez 38:9 (‖ עָנָן), Pr 1:27 (Qr; Kt שׁאוה; ‖ סוּפָה).—ψ 35:8b read prob. שַׁחְתֹּה his pit, 𝔖 We (cf. v 7). concretely, ruin, waste, of the desert, Jb 30:3 (reading אֶרֶץ for אֶמֶשׁ Ol; otherwise sub 1), שׁ׳ וּמְשׁוֹאָה 38:27 (‖ מִדְבָּר v 26); = ruins Jb 30:14.

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Why these entries: BDB: headword, part of speech agrees, 11 of its verses cited, 1 words shared with the glosses (7 candidates); OSHB: headword, part of speech agrees, 1 words shared with the BDB entry, 1 with the glosses (5 candidates)

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every English meaning of «שׁוֹאָה» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/tanakh/1513/lemma_3a_5e9_5c1_5d5_5b9_5d0_5b8_5d4/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.

### In the verses

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[Job 30:14](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.30.14/)

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כְּפֶ֣רֶץ רָחָ֣ב יֶאֱתָ֑יוּ תַּ֥חַת שֹׁ֝אָ֗ה הִתְגַּלְגָּֽלוּ׃

*Word for word:* like a.breach wide they.come under devastation they.have.rolled.themselves

*JPS 1917:* As through a wide breach they come; in the midst of the ruin they roll themselves upon me.

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[Job 38:27](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/ketuvim/JOB.38.27/)

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לְהַשְׂבִּ֣יעַ שֹׁ֭אָהוּמְשֹׁאָ֑ה וּ֝לְהַצְמִ֗יחַ מֹ֣צָא דֶֽשֶׁא׃

*Word for word:* to satisfy devastation and desolation and to cause.to.sprout a.going.forth of.fresh.grass

*JPS 1917:* To satisfy the desolate and waste ground, and to cause the bud of the tender herb to spring forth?

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