so may you pursue them with your tempest and terrify them with your hurricane!
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse isn't just asking God to defeat His enemies, but to do so in a way that instills profound fear, using the overwhelming power of a storm as a metaphor for His wrath. This isn't merely a wish for destruction, but a plea for God's overwhelming might to be so manifest that His enemies are terrified into recognizing His power.
so may you pursue them with your tempest and terrify them with your hurricane!
English Standard Version (ESV)
The psalm is a passionate prayer from God's people facing a powerful alliance of nations determined to destroy them. The psalmist calls on God to intervene decisively, recounting past victories and asking for a similar display of power. This verse is part of that plea, describing how God's fury should be unleashed like a storm to scatter and terrify their enemies, ultimately leading them to acknowledge God's might.
Ever felt like life's challenges are overwhelming, like a storm raging against you? This verse speaks of God wielding similar forces, but for a different purpose.
The psalmist calls on God to unleash a "tempest" and "hurricane" upon His enemies. This isn't just a poetic flourish; it reflects ancient understandings of divine power.
Divine Vengeance as Natural Force
Ancient cultures often saw natural disasters like storms as direct actions of gods. Here, the psalmist invokes God's power to act like a tempest, not to harm the innocent, but to utterly dismantle those who oppose Him and His people. This imagery highlights the overwhelming, uncontrollable force God can bring against His foes.
The Purpose: Terror and Defeat
The goal of this divine storm is clear: to "persecute" and "terrify." It's about pursuing enemies relentlessly and striking fear into their hearts, leading to their defeat and destruction. This isn't about mild correction, but a decisive, powerful intervention to stop wicked opposition.
Why would someone pray for such intense destruction upon their enemies? It reveals a deeper understanding of justice and God's role.
This verse is part of what's often called an "imprecatory psalm" – a prayer asking God to deal harshly with enemies. Understanding the cultural context helps us grasp the psalmist's plea.
Execrations Before Battle
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In ancient times, it was common practice to call down curses or divine judgment upon enemies before a battle. Priests or prophets would utter these powerful pronouncements, believing they invoked divine power to secure victory. This verse echoes that ancient custom, asking God to actively bring about the enemy's downfall.
Prayer for Divine Justice
The psalmist isn't just expressing personal anger. He's appealing to God's righteous justice. The plea for God to act with tempest and hurricane is a request for divine intervention to thwart wicked plots and protect God's people. It assumes that God is the ultimate judge and that seeking His intervention against evil is appropriate.
Understand the original words
radaf · Hebrew Verb
The act of following someone closely with the intent to capture or judge; in a theological context, it depicts God's sovereign pursuit of those who oppose His will.
se'arah · Hebrew Noun
A violent, stormy wind; used as a metaphor for divine intervention that brings sudden, overwhelming judgment upon the wicked.
bahal · Hebrew Verb
A state of intense fear or alarm; in the context of divine judgment, it refers to the awe-struck terror produced by the manifestation of God’s power.
This psalm's powerful imprecation for God's judgment on Israel's enemies arises from a context of profound national crisis—the near-total destruction of Jerusalem and exile to Babylon. It reflects a desperate plea for divine intervention, drawing parallels to past victories over oppressors and crying out for God to unleash His overwhelming power to protect His people and vindicate His name.
~1400 BC
Exodus from Egypt
God delivers the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, a foundational event demonstrating His power and commitment to His people.
~1000 BC
Reign of King David
The united monarchy of Israel flourishes under David, establishing Jerusalem as its capital and solidifying its position in the region.
c. 9th century BC
Temple in Jerusalem Completed
Solomon, David's son, builds the First Temple, a central place of worship and national identity for the Israelites.
c. 870 BC
Division of the Kingdom
After Solomon's death, the united kingdom splits into two: the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah.
c. 734-722 BC
Assyrian Invasions
The powerful Assyrian Empire begins its campaigns against the Northern Kingdom of Israel, eventually leading to its destruction.
605 BC
First Deportation to Babylon
King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon conquers Judah and begins deporting some of its citizens, including elites and skilled workers, to Babylon.
586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
Babylonian forces destroy Jerusalem and its First Temple, leading to the exile of most of the remaining population to Babylon.
This passage uses similar imagery of a storm and tempest to describe the overwhelming and destructive power of God against His enemies, paralleling the Psalmist's plea for divine intervention.
Job 27:20This verse describes the terrifying and inescapable wrath of God that befalls the wicked, akin to a storm or tempest, echoing the fear the Psalmist wishes upon his enemies.
Joshua 10:11This passage recounts God's direct intervention in battle with a great storm of stones, illustrating the kind of powerful and terrifying phenomena the Psalmist invokes in his prayer for his enemies' defeat.
Jeremiah 23:19This verse speaks of God's fierce anger descending like a storm and a whirlwind upon the wicked, aligning with the Psalmist's desire for his enemies to be swept away by similar destructive forces.
clarkePsalms 83:15: "So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm."
So persecute them - In this and the two following verses we find several awful execrations; and all this seems to be done in reference to that ancient custom, "pouring execrations on an enemy previously to battle." Of this I have already given specimens in this work; and the reader is particularly requested to refer to the case of Balaam being hired by the king of Moab to curse Israel previously to his inte…
gillPsalms 83:15: "So persecute them with thy tempest, and make them afraid with thy storm."
So persecute them with thy tempest,.... Pursue them with thy fury, follow them with thy vengeance; cause it to fall upon them like a mighty tempest: and make them afraid with thy storm; God has his storms and tempests of wrath and vengeance, which he sometimes causes to fall upon wicked men in this life, to their inexpressible terror, and with which he takes them out of this world; and he has still more hor…
The verse isn't just asking God to defeat His enemies, but to do so in a way that instills profound fear, using the overwhelming power of a storm as a metaphor for His wrath. This isn't merely a wish for destruction, but a plea for God's overwhelming might to be so manifest that His enemies are terrified into recognizing His power.
The psalm is a passionate prayer from God's people facing a powerful alliance of nations determined to destroy them. The psalmist calls on God to intervene decisively, recounting past victories and asking for a similar display of power. This verse is part of that plea, describing how God's fury should be unleashed like a storm to scatter and terrify their enemies, ultimately leading them to acknowledge God's might.
The psalm is a passionate prayer from God's people facing a powerful alliance of nations determined to destroy them. The psalmist calls on God to intervene decisively, recounting past victories and asking for a similar display of power. This verse is part of that plea, describing how God's fury should be unleashed like a storm to scatter and terrify their enemies, ultimately leading them to acknowledge God's might.
"so may you pursue them with your tempest and terrify them with your hurricane!" — The verse isn't just asking God to defeat His enemies, but to do so in a way that instills profound fear, using the overwhelming power of a storm as a metaphor for His wrath. This isn't merely a wish…
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Last reviewed October 2026