8186. sha'aruwrah
Lexical Summary
sha'aruwrah: Abomination, horror, atrocity

Original Word: שַׁעֲרוּרָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: sha`aruwrah
Pronunciation: shah-ah-roo-RAH
Phonetic Spelling: (shah-ar-oo-raw')
KJV: horrible thing
Word Origin: [feminine from H8176 (שָׁעַר - thinks) in the sense of H8175 (שָׂעַר - To storm)]

1. something fearful

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
horrible thing

Or shanariyriyah {shah-ar-ee-ree-yaw'}; or shaparurith {shah-ar-oo-reeth'}; feminine from sha'ar in the sense of sa'ar; something fearful -- horrible thing.

see HEBREW sha'ar

see HEBREW sa'ar

Brown-Driver-Briggs
שַׁעֲרוּרָה noun feminine horror = horrible thing; — ׳שַׁמָּה וְשׁ Jeremiah 5:30 an astounding and horrible thing has occurred; ׳רָאִיתִי שׁ ׳בִּנְבִיאֵי ירושׁ Jeremiah 23:14.

שַׁעֲרוּרִיָּה, שַׁעֲרֻרִית noun feminine id.; — absolute רָאִיתִי שַׁעֲרוּרִיָּה Hosea 6:10 Qr ( >Kt שׁערירית); שַׁעֲרֻרִת עָֽשְׂתָה ׳בְּתוּלַת יִשׂ Jeremiah 18:13.

Topical Lexicon
Overview

The term שַׁעֲרוּרָה designates an outrage so repulsive that it shocks the conscience of any who fear the LORD. It frames sin as something more than law-breaking—it is a breach that threatens covenant order and invites judgment.

Occurrences and Immediate Contexts

1. Jeremiah 5:30: “A horrible and shocking thing has happened in the land.” The prophet laments a systemic breakdown in which prophets prophesy falsely and priests rule by their own authority.
2. Jeremiah 18:13: “Inquire among the nations: Who has ever heard of anything like this? A most horrible thing has been done by Virgin Israel.” The phrase underscores the unprecedented nature of Judah’s apostasy, even by pagan standards.
3. Jeremiah 23:14: “Among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing…” Here the outrage centers on spiritual leaders whose immorality and deceit normalize wickedness, making the city “like Sodom.”
4. Hosea 6:10: “I have seen a horrible thing in the house of Israel: Ephraim is defiled; Israel is defiled.” The northern kingdom’s ritual infidelity contaminates the entire covenant community.

Theological Nuance

• Moral perversion: Each usage couples שַׁעֲרוּרָה with adultery, deceit, or idolatry, presenting the sin as moral inversion rather than mere weakness.
• Covenant treason: By calling Israel “Virgin” (Jeremiah 18:13), the prophet evokes matrimonial imagery, stressing that the outrage violates the marriage covenant between Yahweh and His people.
• Contagion of leadership: In both Jeremiah references, priests and prophets are prime offenders, illustrating that corrupt leadership accelerates communal decay (cf. James 3:1).
• Eschatological overtones: The echo of Sodom in Jeremiah 23:14 anticipates final judgment language later applied in Revelation 11:8, showing canonical coherence in how Scripture treats defilement.

Historical Setting

Jeremiah ministers on the eve of Babylonian exile; Hosea, a century earlier, warns the Northern Kingdom before Assyria’s conquest. In both periods, outward religiosity masked deep-seated compromise with Canaanite cults and political opportunism. The prophetic use of שַׁעֲרוּרָה signals that national calamity is not arbitrary but a moral inevitability when covenant boundaries are trampled.

Ministry Implications

• Prophetic responsibility: Those who handle the Word must guard against becoming the very outrage they are called to expose (1 Timothy 4:16).
• Congregational discernment: Jeremiah 5:31 ends, “But what will you do in the end?”—a rhetorical prod urging hearers to weigh teaching against Scripture.
• Church discipline: The spreading nature of the outrage (Jeremiah 23:14) validates the New Testament call to expel unrepentant immorality lest “a little leaven leaven the whole lump” (1 Corinthians 5:6).
• Missional witness: The shock element implies that unbelieving nations should find covenant breaches unbelievable. When the church mirrors the world, mission falters.

Christological Echoes

Jesus confronts temple corruption with words reminiscent of Jeremiah’s indictments (Matthew 21:13). At Calvary He bears the full weight of covenant outrage (2 Corinthians 5:21), turning the “horrible thing” into grounds for amazing grace. Yet Revelation’s warnings against Laodicean lukewarmness show that the category of שַׁעֲרוּרָה remains relevant until His return.

Summary

שַׁעֲרוּרָה exposes sin in its ugliest form—an offense that violates covenant love, corrupts leadership, and endangers the community. The prophets employ it sparingly but with searing effect, reminding every generation that holiness is non-negotiable and that only wholehearted repentance averts judgment and restores fellowship with the Holy One of Israel.

Forms and Transliterations
וְשַׁ֣עֲרוּרָ֔ה ושערורה שַֽׁעֲרֻרִת֙ שַׁעֲרוּרָ֗ה שַׁעֲרֽוּרִיָּ֑ה שערורה שערוריה שעררת ša‘ărūrāh ša‘ăruriṯ ša‘ărūrîyāh ša·‘ă·rū·rāh ša·‘ă·rū·rî·yāh ša·‘ă·ru·riṯ shaaruRah shaaruRit shaaruriYah veShaaruRah wə·ša·‘ă·rū·rāh wəša‘ărūrāh
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Interlinear GreekInterlinear HebrewStrong's NumbersEnglishman's Greek ConcordanceEnglishman's Hebrew ConcordanceParallel Texts
Englishman's Concordance
Jeremiah 5:30
HEB: שַׁמָּה֙ וְשַׁ֣עֲרוּרָ֔ה נִהְיְתָ֖ה בָּאָֽרֶץ׃
NAS: An appalling and horrible thing Has happened
KJV: A wonderful and horrible thing is committed
INT: an appalling and horrible has happened the land

Jeremiah 18:13
HEB: שָׁמַ֖ע כָּאֵ֑לֶּה שַֽׁעֲרֻרִת֙ עָשְׂתָ֣ה מְאֹ֔ד
NAS: Has done a most appalling thing.
KJV: hath done a very horrible thing.
INT: heard another appalling has done A most

Jeremiah 23:14
HEB: יְרוּשָׁלִַ֜ם רָאִ֣יתִי שַׁעֲרוּרָ֗ה נָא֞וֹף וְהָלֹ֤ךְ
NAS: I have seen a horrible thing: The committing of adultery
KJV: of Jerusalem an horrible thing: they commit adultery,
INT: of Jerusalem have seen A horrible the committing and walking

Hosea 6:10
HEB: [שַׁעֲרִירִיָּה כ] (שַׁעֲרֽוּרִיָּ֑ה ק) שָׁ֚ם
NAS: I have seen a horrible thing; Ephraim's
KJV: I have seen an horrible thing in the house
INT: of Israel have seen horrible thing is there harlotry

4 Occurrences

Strong's Hebrew 8186
4 Occurrences


ša·‘ă·rū·rāh — 1 Occ.
ša·‘ă·ru·riṯ — 1 Occ.
ša·‘ă·rū·rî·yāh — 1 Occ.
wə·ša·‘ă·rū·rāh — 1 Occ.

8185
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