ἐρημόω (erēmoō)
erēmoō
to lay waste
Quick Reference
- Language
- Koine Greek
- Testament
- New Testament
- Occurrences
- 5 verses
- Root
- —
Word Overview
The verb erēmoō means to lay something waste or render it desolate. Its core sense is one of thorough ruin, turning a populated or functioning place into an empty wasteland. This aligns with its root adjective erēmos, which describes a desert or solitary place devoid of inhabitants.
In the New Testament, this word carries a heavy weight of judgment and loss. Jesus uses it metaphorically to describe internal division, asking if a kingdom or house divided against itself can stand without being laid waste (Matthew 12:25; Luke 11:17). The imagery is stark: just as a physical city falls into ruin, so too does any structure that lacks unity.
The most vivid application appears in Revelation. Here, the word describes the violent stripping of Babylon’s treasures and the burning of her structures (Revelation 17:16; 18:9). The sources note a secondary nuance where it can mean to strip or rob a person of their possessions. This connects the physical destruction of cities with the personal loss suffered by those within them, emphasizing total devastation.
Based on public-domain lexicons (Strong's, Thayer, Gesenius, Brown-Driver-Briggs and others).
What This Word Means for Your Faith
The word erēmoō describes a state of total ruin, turning what was once full and functioning into an empty wasteland. In the New Testament, Jesus uses this stark imagery to warn against internal division. He asks if a kingdom or house divided against itself can stand without being laid waste (Matthew 12:25). This is not just about physical destruction but the collapse of any structure that lacks unity.
While the term often appears in contexts of judgment, such as the fall of Babylon in Revelation, it also serves as a sobering reminder for our own lives. When we allow discord or selfishness to divide us from God or others, we risk losing the peace and stability that come from alignment with His will. The path forward is not found in isolation but in seeking the unity that reflects Christ’s love.
May you find strength in the knowledge that God opposes division and offers restoration to those who turn back to Him. Instead of fearing desolation, let us build our lives on the foundation of faith and community, where unity thrives under His grace.
How it's translated
How this word is rendered word-by-word in the 5 verses where it appears, by frequency.
- is brought to desolation,2×
- she has been desolated.1×
- has been brought to desolation1×
- desolated1×
Forms in the text
The inflected forms of this word as they appear in Scripture, by frequency.
- ἐρημοῦται,2×
- ἠρημώθη.1×
- ἠρημώθη1×
- ἠρημωμένην1×
Key Verses
-
Matthew 12:25
Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.
Jesus uses this word to illustrate how internal division inevitably leads to the collapse of any kingdom or household.
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Revelation of John 17:16
The ten horns which you saw, they and the beast will hate the prostitute, will make her desolate, will strip her naked, will eat her flesh, and will burn her utterly with fire.
The beast and ten horns make the prostitute desolate, stripping her naked and burning her with fire as an act of violent judgment.
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Revelation of John 18:19
They cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and mourning, saying, ‘Woe, woe, the great city, in which all who had their ships in the sea were made rich by reason of her great wealth!’ For she is made desolate in one hour.
Merchants and sailors mourn because the great city, which made them rich, is suddenly made desolate in a single hour.