### Core Meaning & Semantic Range
The Hebrew word **shêʼth**, represented by `{{H7612}}`, defines **devastation** or **desolation**. It appears only **1 time** in **1 unique verse** in the Bible, highlighting its specific and impactful use. The term is derived from a root word meaning to cause devastation, pointing directly to a state of profound ruin and waste.
### Biblical Occurrences & Contextual Analysis
The sole appearance of `{{H7612}}` is in the book of Lamentations, a book of mourning over national catastrophe. In this context, it is part of a list of calamities that have befallen the people as a consequence of judgment. The verse reads, "Fear and a snare is come upon us, **desolation** and destruction" [[Lamentations 3:47]]. It is paired directly with "destruction" `{{H7667}}` to emphasize the completeness of the ruin being experienced.
### Related Words & Concepts
Several related words found in its immediate context help to build a picture of complete disaster:
* `{{H6343}}` **pachad** (a (sudden) alarm (properly, the object feared, by implication, the feeling); dread(-ful), fear, (thing) great (fear, -ly feared), terror): This word for **fear** or **dread** often accompanies divine judgment or sudden calamity, as seen in the warning, "Be not afraid of sudden **fear**, neither of the desolation of the wicked" [[Proverbs 3:25]].
* `{{H6354}}` **pachath** (probably from an unused root apparently meaning to dig; a pit, especially forcatching animals; hole, pit, snare): This term, translated as a **snare** or **pit**, illustrates a trap from which there is no easy escape. It is frequently used alongside fear, as in the prophetic warning, "**Fear**, and the **pit**, and the snare, are upon thee" [[Isaiah 24:17]].
* `{{H7667}}` **sheber** (or שֵׁבֶר; from שָׁבַר; a fracture, figuratively, ruin; specifically, a solution (of a dream); affliction, breach, breaking, broken(-footed, -handed), bruise, crashing, destruction, hurt, interpretation, vexation): Meaning **destruction** or **ruin**, this word is the direct partner to `{{H7612}}` in its only biblical verse. It often describes the result of pride, as in "Pride goeth before **destruction**" [[Proverbs 16:18]].
### Theological Significance
The theological significance of `{{H7612}}` is concentrated in its singular, powerful use to describe the consequences of judgment.
* **Comprehensive Judgment:** The word’s placement in [[Lamentations 3:47]] alongside "fear," "snare," and "destruction" paints a picture of inescapable and all-encompassing divine judgment.
* **A State of Ruin:** The term signifies a complete state of **desolation**, capturing both the physical ruin of a place and the profound emotional state of its inhabitants who have experienced disaster.
* **The Culmination of Calamity:** Used at the climax of a descriptive phrase, **desolation** represents the final outcome after one has been overcome by fear `{{H6343}}` and trapped in a snare `{{H6354}}`.
### Summary
In summary, `{{H7612}}` is a highly specific term for **desolation** whose meaning is amplified by its solitary appearance in Scripture. Used in [[Lamentations 3:47]], it is defined by its powerful companions—fear, a snare, and destruction—to convey a state of complete and utter ruin. It serves as a stark reminder of the devastating consequences of judgment, encapsulating the finality of the collapse being lamented.
TRV