8309. sheremah
Lexical Summary
sheremah: Barren, desolate

Original Word: שְׂרֵמָה
Part of Speech: Noun Feminine
Transliteration: shremah
Pronunciation: sheh-reh-mah
Phonetic Spelling: (sher-ay-maw')
KJV: field
Word Origin: [probably by an orthographical error for H7709 (שְׁדֵמָה - fields)]

1. a common

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
field

Probably by an orthographical error for shdemah; a common -- field.

see HEBREW shdemah

NAS Exhaustive Concordance
Word Origin
scribal error for shedemah, q.v.

Topical Lexicon
Definition and Translation

שְׂרֵמָה denotes a “heap of ashes” or “mound of refuse.” The imagery is that of the waste left after a fire or the rubble that collects in a place of destruction, emphasizing uncleanness and abandonment.

Biblical Occurrence and Context

Jeremiah 31:40 contains the sole biblical use: “The whole valley—the dead bodies and ashes—and all the fields as far as the Kidron Valley and the corner of the Horse Gate toward the east, will be holy to the LORD. Never again will this city be uprooted or demolished” (Berean Standard Bible). Here שְׂרֵמָה stands alongside dead bodies as a vivid picture of ceremonial impurity outside Jerusalem’s walls.

Historical and Geographical Insights

The “valley of the dead bodies and ashes” is generally identified with the southern extension of the Kidron Valley, overlapping the Valley of Hinnom. In earlier generations it was the scene of child sacrifice to Molech (2 Kings 23:10; Jeremiah 7:31). By Jeremiah’s day it had become a refuse dump where corpses and rubbish smoldered. The prophetic promise therefore speaks to a location notorious for defilement and judgment.

Theological Implications

1. Cleansing of Defilement: By declaring that a rubbish heap will become “holy to the LORD,” Jeremiah proclaims God’s power to transform the most polluted spaces into sanctuaries.
2. Total Restoration: The verse concludes a larger salvation oracle (Jeremiah 31) that details the new covenant. Even the ashes—symbolic of grief and loss—are brought under the scope of redemption.
3. Permanence of God’s Work: “Never again will this city be uprooted or demolished” underscores the certainty and durability of divine restoration. The mention of שְׂרֵמָה highlights how comprehensive that promise is; nothing is too ruined to be reclaimed.

Prophetic Significance in Jeremiah 31

Jeremiah 31 begins with the promise, “I have loved you with an everlasting love” (Jeremiah 31:3), crescendos with the new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34), and culminates in the sanctification of the city’s outskirts. The inclusion of שְׂרֵמָה in the final pledge forms a literary bookend: God’s love moves from the heart of the people to the very dumps outside the walls. The valley once associated with fire and death becomes a picture of the future peace of Jerusalem (cf. Isaiah 65:17-25).

Ministry Applications

• Hope for the Hopeless: Shattered lives—symbolic “heaps of ashes”—can be made holy through Christ’s redemption (Hebrews 9:14).
• Holiness Extends Outward: The sanctification of the city’s refuse reminds believers that ministry is not confined to the sanctuary; it reaches the places society deems worthless.
• Memory and Mission: Just as the valley’s dark past becomes a testimony to God’s grace, personal testimonies of deliverance from sin serve as living reminders of the gospel’s power (1 Timothy 1:15-16).

Related Concepts and Connections

• Ashes as Mourning and Repentance: Job 42:6; Jonah 3:6.
• God’s Ability to Bring Beauty from Ashes: Isaiah 61:3.
• Cleansing of Defiled Ground: Ezekiel 39:14-16 (burial of Gog’s armies).
• Eternal Security of the Holy City: Zechariah 14:11; Revelation 21:27.

In Scripture, שְׂרֵמָה illustrates how the Lord’s redeeming purpose reaches the lowest places, converting rubbish heaps into sacred ground and turning tragedy into triumph.

Forms and Transliterations
הַשְּׁדֵמֹות֩ השדמות haš·šə·ḏê·mō·wṯ hashshedemOt haššəḏêmōwṯ
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Englishman's Concordance
Jeremiah 31:40
HEB: [הַשְּׁרֵמֹות כ] (הַשְּׁדֵמֹות֩ ק) עַד־
INT: the ashes and all field far as the brook

1 Occurrence

Strong's Hebrew 8309
1 Occurrence


haš·šə·ḏê·mō·wṯ — 1 Occ.

8308
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