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תֹּהוּ
tôhûw · Hebrew · Strong's H8414 · 20 occurrences
The KJV renders 12 different Hebrew and Greek words as “waste”
What it means
a desolation (of surface), i.e. desert; figuratively, a worthless thing; adverbially, in vain
from an unused root meaning to lie waste;
How the KJV renders it
confusion, empty place, without form, nothing, nought, vain, vanity, waste, wilderness
Where that flattens a distinction
The same English word is also used for these other originals, so the distinction between them disappears in translation.
“waste”
“vain”
also renders mátaios (G3152), kenós (G2756), eikē (G1500), kenophōnía (G2757), ʼâven (H205), hebel (H1892), nâbab (H5014), rîyq (H7385), shâvᵉʼ (H7723), sheqer (H8267)
“confusion”
also renders akatastasía (G181), sýnchysis (G4799), bôsheth (H1322), kᵉlimmâh (H3639), qâlôwn (H7036), tebel (H8397)
“vanity”
also renders mátaios (G3152), mataiótēs (G3153), ʼâven (H205), hebel (H1892), rîyq (H7385), shâvᵉʼ (H7723)
“wilderness”
“nought”
also renders oudeís (G3762), apelegmós (G557)
Where it appears
20 occurrences in the Hebrew text, first 19 verses shown.
1 Samuel 12:21 · HNcmsa
Don’t turn away to go after vain things which can’t profit or deliver, for they are vain.
Deuteronomy 32:10 · HC/R/Ncmsa
He found him in a desert land, in the waste howling wilderness. He surrounded him. He cared for him. He kept him as the apple of his eye.
Genesis 1:2 · HNcmsa
The earth was formless and empty. Darkness was on the surface of the deep and God’s Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters.
Isaiah 24:10 · HNcmsa
The confused city is broken down. Every house is shut up, that no man may come in.
Isaiah 29:21 · HRd/Ncmsa
who cause a person to be indicted by a word, and lay a snare for one who reproves in the gate, and who deprive the innocent of justice with false testimony.
Isaiah 34:11 · HNcmsa
But the pelican and the porcupine will possess it. The owl and the raven will dwell in it. He will stretch the line of confusion over it, and the plumb line of emptiness.
Isaiah 40:17 HC/NcmsaIsaiah 40:23 HRd/NcmsaIsaiah 41:29 HC/NcmsaIsaiah 44:9 HNcmsaIsaiah 45:18 HNcmsaIsaiah 45:19 HNcmsaIsaiah 49:4 HR/NcmsaIsaiah 59:4 HNcmsaJeremiah 4:23 HNcmsaJob 6:18 HRd/NcmsaJob 12:24 HR/NcmsaJob 26:7 HNcmsaPsalm 107:40 HR/Ncmsc
Occurrences and morphology are taken from the primary Hebrew text, never from an English translation. Strong's Hebrew lexicon and Westminster Leningrad Codex morphology used under CC BY-SA 4.0 / CC BY 4.0 (OpenScriptures). Strong's Greek lexicon is public domain.