Lexical Summary shedemah: Field, cultivated field Original Word: שְׁדֵמָה Strong's Exhaustive Concordance blasted, field Apparently from sadeh; a cultivated field; -- blasted, field. see HEBREW sadeh NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originof uncertain derivation Definition a field NASB Translation fields (5). Brown-Driver-Briggs [שְׁדֵמָה] noun feminine field; — only plural: absolute שְׁדֵמוֺת Habakkuk 3:17; Jeremiah 21:40 Qr (> Kt השׁרמוֺת); construct שַׁדְמ(וֺ)ת Deuteronomy 32:32 2t.; — fields, as cultivated Deuteronomy 32:32, also (with verb singular) Isaiah 16:3; Habakkuk 3:17; as locality 2 Kings 23:4, area Jeremiah 31:40. — שְׁדֵמָה Isaiah 37:27 see שְׁדֵפָה. Topical Lexicon Overview In its five occurrences, שְׁדֵמָה evokes the orderly, cultivated field—a place that depends on the Lord’s continual favor for its productivity. Scripture employs the word to contrast ordered agriculture with wilderness, to illustrate covenant blessing or curse, and to frame prophetic images of judgment and renewal. Covenant Agriculture and Moral Accountability Deuteronomy 32:32 introduces the term in “the fields of Gomorrah,” linking fertile ground to moral failure. What should have been a testimony to the Creator’s generosity became a symbol of corruption. The verse warns that agriculture divorced from righteousness ultimately produces “grapes of gall,” underscoring the covenant principle that land responds to its occupants’ spiritual condition (compare Leviticus 26:3-5, 31-32). Purification in Josiah’s Reforms 2 Kings 23:4 places the fields of the Kidron at the heart of temple cleansing. King Josiah removed idolatrous vessels and “burned them outside Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried their ashes to Bethel”. The cultivated ground became the staging area for national repentance. By consigning defilement to these fields, Josiah enacted the truth that the land itself must be purged of sin before it can yield acceptable fruit (see Deuteronomy 11:13-17). Judgment on Proud Nations Isaiah 16:8 laments that “the fields of Heshbon have withered, the vines of Sibmah as well.” Moab’s fertile terraces, once praised by the nations, wither under divine judgment. Likewise, Isaiah 37:27 (parallel 2 Kings 19:26) likens the humbled Assyrians to “plants in the field, tender grass… scorched before it is grown.” Both texts remind hearers that military might and agricultural abundance alike are fragile when the Lord removes His protection. Habakkuk’s Confession of Faith Habakkuk 3:17 gathers the imagery into a climax: “Though the fig tree does not bud and no fruit is on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields yield no food…”. The prophet surveys total agrarian collapse yet chooses to rejoice in God (3:18). The verse teaches that faith relies on the unchanging character of the Lord rather than on visible provision from the cultivated field. Theology of the Field 1. Dependence: Every harvest testifies that “God… gives you rains from heaven and fruitful seasons” (Acts 14:17). Ministry Implications • Stewardship: Believers steward resources knowing the field is the Lord’s (Psalm 24:1). Summary שְׁדֵמָה gathers Israel’s agricultural life into a vivid theological canvas. Its cultivated acres can either magnify divine blessing or mirror covenant infidelity. The recurring motif calls God’s people to faithful dependence, humble repentance, and steadfast hope that “those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy” (Psalm 126:5). Forms and Transliterations בְּשַׁדְמ֣וֹת בשדמות וּמִשַּׁדְמֹ֖ת וּשְׁדֵמ֖וֹת וּשְׁדֵמָ֖ה ומשדמת ושדמה ושדמות שַׁדְמוֹת֩ שדמות bə·šaḏ·mō·wṯ bəšaḏmōwṯ beshadMot šaḏ·mō·wṯ šaḏmōwṯ shadmOt ū·miš·šaḏ·mōṯ ū·šə·ḏê·māh ū·šə·ḏê·mō·wṯ umishshadMot ūmiššaḏmōṯ ūšəḏêmāh ūšəḏêmōwṯ ushedeMah ushedeMotLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance Deuteronomy 32:32 HEB: סְדֹם֙ גַּפְנָ֔ם וּמִשַּׁדְמֹ֖ת עֲמֹרָ֑ה עֲנָבֵ֙מוֹ֙ NAS: of Sodom, And from the fields of Gomorrah; KJV: of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah: INT: of Sodom the vine the fields of Gomorrah their grapes 2 Kings 23:4 Isaiah 16:8 Isaiah 37:27 Habakkuk 3:17 5 Occurrences |
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