Lexical Summary shamem: To be desolate, to be appalled, to be astonished Original Word: שָׁמֵם Strong's Exhaustive Concordance desolate From shamem; ruined -- desolate. see HEBREW shamem NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Originfrom shamem Definition devastated NASB Translation desolate (2). Brown-Driver-Briggs שָׁמֵם adjective devastated; — ׳שׁ of sanctuary Daniel 9:17; feminine שְׁמֵמָה of land Jeremiah 12:11. Topical Lexicon Range of Meaning and Emotive Force The participial form שָׁמֵם captures the shocking aftermath of calamity. Whether applied to a person, land, or sanctuary, it conveys an abiding condition of ruin, emptiness, and stunned silence. In every canonical occurrence the word stands as a solemn witness to the moral, emotional, and spiritual cost of sin. Old Testament Usage • 2 Samuel 13:20 – After the violation of Tamar, “so Tamar lived as a desolate woman in the house of her brother Absalom.” The term spotlights a young woman’s lingering devastation and the social isolation that followed abuse. Historical Contexts Tamar’s tragedy occurs amid the turbulence of David’s household, foreshadowing national fracture. Jeremiah and Lamentations portray Judah’s fall to Babylon in 586 B.C., while Ezekiel, prophesying from exile, speaks to the same period. Daniel 9 faces the lingering desolation late in the exile (circa 539 B.C.). Thus, the word spans nearly half a millennium of Israel’s history, consistently tied to covenant unfaithfulness and its consequences. Prophetic and Theological Significance 1. Moral Accountability – Every passage locates desolation in the wake of human sin: personal (Amnon’s assault), societal (idolatry, injustice), or national (collective rebellion). Divine justice is neither arbitrary nor capricious; devastation corresponds to violated holiness. Practical Ministry Applications • Healing for the Devastated – Tamar’s account legitimizes lament and calls the faith community to protect the vulnerable and pursue justice for victims of abuse. Christological and Eschatological Connections The Gospels quote Daniel’s wider prophecy of “the abomination that causes desolation” (Matthew 24:15), intertwining past devastations with future tribulation and ultimate renewal. Jesus, bearing sin’s curse on the cross, experiences forsakenness—“desolation” in its deepest sense—so that His resurrection might inaugurate new creation. Revelation closes with the reversal of every desolation: a New Jerusalem where “nothing unclean will ever enter it” and where the sanctuary of God is eternally filled with His presence. Summary Shamem’s six occurrences trace a sobering arc from personal violation to national ruin, yet each context invites faith in the Lord’s power to restore. The word therefore serves both as a warning against sin’s destructive power and as a beacon pointing to God’s unwavering commitment to redeem and inhabit what humanity has laid waste. Forms and Transliterations הַשָּׁמֵ֑ם הַשֹּֽׁמְמוֹת֙ השמם השממות וְשֹׁ֣מֵמָ֔ה ושממה לִשְׁמָמָ֔ה לשממה שֹֽׁמֵמָ֔ה שֹׁמֵֽם׃ שמם׃ שממה haš·šā·mêm haš·šō·mə·mō·wṯ hashshaMem hashshomemOt haššāmêm haššōməmōwṯ liš·mā·māh lishmaMah lišmāmāh shoMem shomeMah šō·mê·māh šō·mêm šōmêm šōmêmāh veShomeMah wə·šō·mê·māh wəšōmêmāhLinks Interlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel TextsEnglishman's Concordance 2 Samuel 13:20 HEB: וַתֵּ֤שֶׁב תָּמָר֙ וְשֹׁ֣מֵמָ֔ה בֵּ֖ית אַבְשָׁל֥וֹם INT: remained Tamar desolate house Absalom's Jeremiah 12:11 Lamentations 1:13 Lamentations 3:11 Ezekiel 36:4 Daniel 9:17 6 Occurrences |
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