O my God, make them like whirling dust, like chaff before the wind.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The imagery here isn't just about being blown away, but about a chaotic, uncontrolled, and swift disintegration. The "wheel" likely refers to rolling balls of dry weeds or thistle down, which tumble wildly and uncontrollably across the land, a vivid picture of utter powerlessness and violent scattering.
O my God, make them like whirling dust, like chaff before the wind.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This psalm is a desperate plea for God to intervene against a coalition of nations plotting to destroy Israel. The psalmist invokes past victories where God routed enemies like the Midianites and Sisera, asking for a similar swift and decisive defeat of the current aggressors. The verses immediately following this prayer depict the enemies scattered like whirling dust or chaff before the wind, ultimately so they will know God’s power.
Imagine a plant that breaks free from its roots, becoming a tumbleweed. This image of uncontrolled, chaotic movement is a powerful metaphor for divine judgment.
The psalmist uses vivid imagery to describe the utter destruction and scattering of God's enemies.
A Visual of Helplessness
The phrase "like a wheel" (or more accurately, "like whirling dust") likely refers to a common sight in arid lands: dry, globular weeds or seed heads that detach and roll uncontrollably across the plains, blown by the wind. Think of tumbleweeds in a Western movie, but even more chaotic.
A Loss of Control
These "whirling dust" masses are completely at the mercy of the wind. They have no direction, no stability, and are easily dispersed. This picture speaks to the complete loss of power and agency for those who oppose God. They are not just defeated; they are rendered insignificant and scattered to the winds.
The imagery of chaff isn't just about being blown away; it's deeply connected to the agricultural process that separates the valuable grain from the useless waste.
The comparison to "stubble" or "chaff" carries a double meaning, highlighting both the enemy's worthlessness and their ultimate destruction.
Worthless Waste
Chaff is the dry, papery outer covering of grain that is removed during threshing. It has no value and is easily blown away. By comparing his enemies to chaff, the psalmist declares them to be spiritually barren and without purpose in God's sight.
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Divine Separation
Threshing floors were often in open, windy areas specifically to aid in winnowing – tossing the threshed grain into the air so the wind could blow away the lighter chaff. This prayer is a plea for God to perform a similar act of divine judgment, separating the wicked from His people and driving them away completely, leaving only the valuable "grain" of His faithful remnant.
Understand the original words
galgal · Hebrew Noun
Often used to describe something trivial, unstable, or easily scattered, symbolizing the transient and ephemeral nature of the wicked when under divine judgment.
mots · Hebrew Noun
The dry, light husks of grain separated from the kernel; frequently used in Scripture as a metaphor for the worthlessness and spiritual instability of the ungodly.
This passage vividly echoes the imagery of the psalm, describing nations like 'chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like whirling dust before a tempest,' directly mirroring the desired fate for God's enemies.
Jeremiah 13:24Jeremiah uses a similar metaphor, stating that God will scatter His enemies 'like the stubble that passes away by the desert wind,' emphasizing their utter helplessness and destruction.
Hosea 13:3Hosea warns of a similar end for those who turn away from God, likening them to 'chaff that is swept away from the threshing floor and like smoke that goes up the chimney,' highlighting their ephemeral and vanishing existence.
Psalm 1:4This psalm contrasts the righteous with the wicked, describing the wicked as 'like chaff that the wind drives away,' powerfully illustrating the lack of substance and the swift, destructive end awaiting them.
clarkePsalms 83:13: "O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind."
O may God, make them like a wheel - Alluding to the manner of threshing corn in the east. A large broad wheel was rolled over the grain on a threshing-floor, which was generally in the open air; and the grain being thrown up by a shovel against the wind the chaff was thus separated from it, in the place where it was threshed.
ellicottPsalms 83:13: "O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind."
(13) A wheel. —Heb., galgal. (See Note, Psalm 77:18 , and comp. Isaiah 17:13 , where the Authorised Ver sion has literally rolling thing, the margin “thistle down,” and the LXX., “dust of a wheel.”) Sir G. Grove (Smith’s Bibl. Dict., art. Oreb) says, “like the spherical masses of dry weeds which course over the plains of Esdraelon and Philistia.” He possibly refers to the wild artichoke, which struck Mr. Thomson s…
The imagery here isn't just about being blown away, but about a chaotic, uncontrolled, and swift disintegration. The "wheel" likely refers to rolling balls of dry weeds or thistle down, which tumble wildly and uncontrollably across the land, a vivid picture of utter powerlessness and violent scattering.
This psalm is a desperate plea for God to intervene against a coalition of nations plotting to destroy Israel. The psalmist invokes past victories where God routed enemies like the Midianites and Sisera, asking for a similar swift and decisive defeat of the current aggressors. The verses immediately following this prayer depict the enemies scattered like whirling dust or chaff before the wind, ultimately so they will know God’s power.
This psalm is a desperate plea for God to intervene against a coalition of nations plotting to destroy Israel. The psalmist invokes past victories where God routed enemies like the Midianites and Sisera, asking for a similar swift and decisive defeat of the current aggressors. The verses immediately following this prayer depict the enemies scattered like whirling dust or chaff before the wind, ultimately so they will know God’s power.
"O my God, make them like whirling dust, like chaff before the wind." — The imagery here isn't just about being blown away, but about a chaotic, uncontrolled, and swift disintegration. The "wheel" likely refers to rolling balls of dry weeds or thistle down, which tumble…
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Last reviewed October 2026