Lexical Summary meshoah: Desolation, ruin, devastation Original Word: מְשׁוֹאָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance desolation, waste Or mshoah {mesh-o-aw'}; from the same as show'; (a) ruin, abstractly (the act) or concretely (the wreck) -- desolation, waste. see HEBREW show' NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom the same as sho Definition desolation NASB Translation desolate (1), desolation (2). Brown-Driver-Briggs מְשׁוֺאָה, מְשֹׁאָה noun feminine desolation; — 1 singular only in ׳שֹׁאָה וּמ Zephaniah 1:15; Job 30:3; Job 38:27, see foregoing; plural (מַשּׁוּאוֺת, read) מְשׁוֺאוֺת, so Klo Hup-Now CheComm. Bae Du Psalm 74:3 ruins (of temple) and Psalm 73:18 ruins (of one's life, figurative; but Du here derives from נשׁא: deceptions; yet compare synonym שַׁמָּה Psalm 73:19). Topical Lexicon Conceptual Range and Literary Setting Məšō’āh paints a verbal landscape marked by barrenness, collapse, and utter abandonment. The term is sparse in usage yet weighty in tone, surfacing only three times but spanning wisdom literature, divine discourse, and prophetic warning. Each appearance enlarges the portrait of a world recoiling under curse or judgment and longing for reversal. Occurrences and Immediate Contexts 1. Job 30:3 stakes the word in human misery: “Gaunt from want and hunger, they gnaw the dry land, the desolate wasteland in gloom and ruin”. The desolation is not merely environmental; it mirrors the social marginalization Job now identifies with. Interwoven Themes • Judgment and Curse: The term consistently signals the outworking of covenant sanctions—whether through famine, social collapse, or cosmic upheaval (compare Leviticus 26:31-32; Deuteronomy 28:49-52). Historical Backdrop Zephaniah prophesied during the reign of Josiah, prior to the Babylonian exile. The looming collapse of Judah foreshadowed national məšō’āh, fulfilled in 586 B.C. Job’s setting, although debated, reflects an earlier patriarchal milieu; nevertheless, his depiction of wasteland poverty echoes later exilic and post-exilic realities. Ministry Significance 1. Preaching: Məšō’āh warns congregations against complacency. The prophet ties desolation to idolatry and injustice; sermons may trace this thread to modern societal sins. Theological Reflection Məšō’āh exposes the depth of humanity’s fall and the breadth of divine sovereignty. It invites sober acknowledgment of sin’s ravages while steering faith toward the LORD who alone turns wastelands into watered gardens (Isaiah 58:11; Revelation 21:5). The term thus functions as both warning and invitation: flee the coming desolation by seeking the One who brings restoration through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Related Vocabulary While šō’āh (Strong’s 7722) also denotes “devastation,” məšō’āh intensifies the sense of an uninhabitable void. Other cognates like ḥōrĕb (“waste, dryness”) and tōhû (“formlessness”) share semantic territory yet lack the overt judgment nuance carried by məšō’āh. Key Pastoral Takeaway Every experience or vision of ruin—personal, communal, cosmic—should propel believers to Christ, the restorer. Where Scripture speaks of məšō’āh, it also whispers promise: “The LORD will comfort Zion; He will comfort all her waste places” (Isaiah 51:3). Forms and Transliterations וּמְשֹׁאָ֑ה וּמְשֹׁאָֽה׃ וּמְשׁוֹאָ֔ה ומשאה ומשאה׃ ומשואה ū·mə·šō·’āh ū·mə·šō·w·’āh umeshoAh ūməšō’āh ūməšōw’āhLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Job 30:3 HEB: אֶ֝֗מֶשׁ שׁוֹאָ֥ה וּמְשֹׁאָֽה׃ NAS: in waste and desolation, KJV: in former time desolate and waste. INT: night desolate and desolation Job 38:27 Zephaniah 1:15 3 Occurrences |
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