des´ō̇ -lā̇t (very frequently in the Old Testament for שׁמם , shāmēm , and its derivatives; less frequently, חרב , ḥārēbh , and its derivatives, and other words. In the New Testament it stands for ἔρημος , érēmos (Matthew 23:38; Acts 1:20; Galatians 4:27 ) erēmóō (Revelation 17:16 ), and monóō (1 Timothy 5:5 )): From Latin de , intens., solus , alone. Several shades of meaning can be distinguished: (1) Its primary sense is "left lonely," "forlorn," e.g. Psalm 25:16 , "Have mercy upon me; for I am desolate" (Hebrew yāḥı̄dh , "alone"); 1 Timothy 5:5 , "she that is a widow indeed, and desolate" (Greek memonōménē , "left alone"). (2) In the sense of "laid waste," "destitute of inhabitants," e.g. Jeremiah 4:7 , "to make thy land desolate, that thy cities be laid waste, without inhabitant." (3) With the meaning "comfortless," "afflicted," e.g. Psalm 143:4 , "My heart within me is desolate." (4) In the sense of "barren," "childless," "unfruitful," e.g. Job 15:34; Isaiah 49:21 (Hebrew galmūdh ).
The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (ISBE) was edited by James Orr, John Nuelsen, Edgar Mullins, Morris Evans, and Melvin Grove Kyle and was published complete in 1939. This web site includes the complete text.
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