### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Hebrew word **galmûwd**, represented by `{{H1565}}`, means **desolate** or **solitary**. Based on a root suggesting something sterile or wrapped up too hard, it appears **4 times** in **4 unique verses**. The term conveys a powerful sense of barrenness, isolation, and profound desolation, describing a state of being stripped of life, community, or joy.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
In the scriptures, `{{H1565}}` is used to illustrate the depths of despair and ruin. Job invokes it to curse the night of his birth, wishing it to be **solitary** `{{H1565}}`, with no joyful voice [[Job 3:7]]. It is also used to describe the fate of the wicked, stating that "the congregation of hypocrites shall be **desolate**" [[Job 15:34]]. In a state of extreme suffering, Job describes people who are **solitary** `{{H1565}}` due to want and famine [[Job 30:3]]. The term also captures national grief, as when Zion laments being **desolate** `{{H1565}}` and a captive after having lost her children [[Isaiah 49:21]].
### Related Words & Concepts
Several related words help clarify the conditions that lead to being **galmûwd**:
* `{{H7921}}` **shâkôl** (to bereave... barren): This term is directly linked to the experience of desolation through the loss of family. Zion is desolate because she has been **bereaved** of her children [[Isaiah 49:21]].
* `{{H2611}}` **chânêph** (hypocrite(-ical)): This word highlights a moral cause for desolation. It is the congregation of **hypocrites** that is destined to become desolate [[Job 15:34]], linking spiritual impurity with ruin.
* `{{H2639}}` **cheçer** (want; hence, destitution): This points to physical hardship as a source of isolation. The solitary state of the afflicted in the wilderness is a direct result of **want** and famine [[Job 30:3]].
* `{{H7722}}` **shôwʼ** (devastation; desolate(-ion)): Often used alongside words describing ruin, it emphasizes a landscape of devastation. It appears with `{{H1565}}` to describe a wilderness that is both **desolate** and waste [[Job 30:3]].
### Theological Significance
The theological weight of `{{H1565}}` is significant, illustrating key principles of suffering and judgment.
* **A Consequence of Sin:** The term is explicitly used to describe the outcome of wickedness. The fate of the "congregation of hypocrites" is to become **desolate** [[Job 15:34]], presenting barrenness as a form of divine judgment.
* **The Depth of Human Suffering:** **Galmûwd** captures the essence of profound loss and isolation. It is used for the personal grief of losing children [[Isaiah 49:21]], the physical agony of starvation [[Job 30:3]], and the existential despair of a life without joy [[Job 3:7]].
* **A State of Barrenness:** At its core, the word signifies a lack of fruitfulness. This is seen in the national grief of Zion, who has lost her children and feels she cannot produce more [[Isaiah 49:21]], and in the curse on a night, wishing it to be sterile and empty of joyful sound [[Job 3:7]].
### Summary
In summary, `{{H1565}}` is more than a simple descriptor of being alone. It is a powerful biblical term for a state of utter desolation, encompassing physical destitution, emotional barrenness, and spiritual judgment. Whether applied to a person, a nation, or even a period of time, **galmûwd** paints a stark picture of life completely stripped of fertility, community, and hope.
TRV