to ruin
sha.chat describes destroying people, places, or things, and also becoming corrupt in conduct or way.
The dominant use describes bringing devastation upon people, cities, land, or other objects; the same term also marks corrupt conduct or a corrupted condition, especially where a way, wisdom, or actions are described as spoiled.
Senses in use
-
Destroy or devastate persons, places, and things · dominant
The term occurs where an army ruins the land of Ammon in 1 Chronicles 20:1, where a messenger is sent against Jerusalem in 1 Chronicles 21:15, and where Tyre's walls and towers are torn down in Ezekiel 26:4. It also concerns intended harm to a king in 1 Samuel 26:9 and the prohibited cutting down of trees during a siege in Deuteronomy 20:19; in these clauses the APB renders the action with terms such as "ruin," "destroy," and "cut them down."
-
Act corruptly or enter a corrupted condition · common
In Genesis 6:12, the supplied morphology identifies a Niphal perfect occurrence as the earth is described as corrupt, while the verse also says that all flesh had corrupted their way. Deuteronomy 4:16 and Deuteronomy 31:29 place the term in warnings about making an idol, turning aside from the commanded way, and doing evil; the APB presents these clauses as "ruin yourselves" and "act corruptly."
-
Damage or bring an object to ruin · rare
Exodus 21:26 applies the term to an eye struck and destroyed, with the resulting release of the servant or maidservant. In 2 Chronicles 34:11, it describes houses that had been allowed to fall into ruin, and the APB accordingly speaks of an eye being "destroyed" and houses left in "ruin."
In the Anselm Project Bible: Across these verses, the APB commonly uses "ruin," "destroy," and "corrupt," with "fall into ruin" for damaged houses. Because the APB is a whole-verse translation, these renderings show the clauses' presentation rather than a fixed English equivalent for each occurrence.