Psalms 83:13
O my God, make them like whirling dust, like chaff before the wind.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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Psalms 83:13
O my God, make them like whirling dust, like chaff before the wind.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
This isn't just about enemies being scattered; it's a vivid picture of utter powerlessness. The "wheel" here might refer to rolling tumbleweeds or thorny bushes, objects already detached and utterly at the wind's mercy, highlighting the psalmist's prayer for complete devastation and instability for his foes.
This psalm is a passionate cry to God from the people of Israel, who are facing a terrifying coalition of nations bent on their destruction. The psalmist lists these enemies and prays for God to intervene and defeat them. This verse is a fervent plea for God to utterly scatter and destroy these hostile forces, likening them to uncontrollable, ephemeral things tossed about by the wind.
Imagine a fierce wind picking up dust, making it impossible to see or stand firm. The Psalmist cries out to God to do this to his enemies.
The image of 'whirling dust' and 'chaff before the wind' paints a picture of utter powerlessness and destruction.
Utterly Dispersed
This isn't just about defeat; it's about being scattered so completely that any attempt to regroup is impossible. Like dust caught in a gale, the enemies would be driven away, their plans and forces broken apart.
Instability and Ruin
Scholars point to figures like the rolling 'wild artichoke' or 'vegetable globes' that tumble across plains, or even the discarded stubble from a threshing floor. All these images speak of something light, broken, and easily moved. This highlights their inevitable downfall and lack of any solid foundation.
This isn't a call for personal revenge, but a passionate plea for God to act decisively and demonstrate His supreme power.
The opening 'O my God' is more than just an address; it's an assertion of relationship and a cry for divine intervention.
Trust in God's Power
The Psalmist isn't relying on human strength to overcome the enemies. Instead, he appeals to God's might, asking Him to manifest His power in a way that is undeniable.
The Ultimate Goal: God's Supremacy
The ultimate outcome of this judgment, as the broader context of Psalm 83 suggests, is that all nations would 'know that you alone, whose name is the LORD, are the Most High over all the earth.' The scattering of enemies serves to exalt God's name and sovereignty.
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 directly echoes the imagery of chaff driven by the wind, emphasizing the swift and complete scattering of God's enemies.
Jeremiah 13:24The prophet uses the metaphor of a scattered 'stubble' or 'chaff' driven by the desert wind to illustrate the inevitable dispersion and judgment of those who forsake God.
Hosea 13:3This verse describes people being scattered like chaff, or like the wind-blown stubble from a threshing floor, highlighting the vulnerability and destruction faced by those under God's judgment.
Psalm 1:4This psalm contrasts the righteous with the wicked, describing the wicked as 'like chaff that the wind drives away,' reinforcing the idea of insignificance and ruin.
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…
This isn't just about enemies being scattered; it's a vivid picture of utter powerlessness. The "wheel" here might refer to rolling tumbleweeds or thorny bushes, objects already detached and utterly at the wind's mercy, highlighting the psalmist's prayer for complete devastation and instability for his foes.
This psalm is a passionate cry to God from the people of Israel, who are facing a terrifying coalition of nations bent on their destruction. The psalmist lists these enemies and prays for God to intervene and defeat them. This verse is a fervent plea for God to utterly scatter and destroy these hostile forces, likening them to uncontrollable, ephemeral things tossed about by the wind.
This psalm is a passionate cry to God from the people of Israel, who are facing a terrifying coalition of nations bent on their destruction. The psalmist lists these enemies and prays for God to intervene and defeat them. This verse is a fervent plea for God to utterly scatter and destroy these hostile forces, likening them to uncontrollable, ephemeral things tossed about by the wind.
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"O my God, make them like whirling dust, like chaff before the wind." — This isn't just about enemies being scattered; it's a vivid picture of utter powerlessness. The "wheel" here might refer to rolling tumbleweeds or thorny bushes, objects already detached and utterly…