Psalm 83:13 kjv
O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind.
Psalm 83:13 nkjv
O my God, make them like the whirling dust, Like the chaff before the wind!
Psalm 83:13 niv
Make them like tumbleweed, my God, like chaff before the wind.
Psalm 83:13 esv
O my God, make them like whirling dust, like chaff before the wind.
Psalm 83:13 nlt
O my God, scatter them like tumbleweed,
like chaff before the wind!
Psalm 83 13 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Ps 1:4 | The wicked are not so, But they are like chaff which the wind drives away. | Wicked are like chaff, wind driven. |
| Ps 35:5 | Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the LORD driving them away. | Enemies scattered like chaff by God's angel. |
| Ps 37:20 | But the wicked will perish; And the enemies of the LORD will be like the glory of the meadows… like smoke, they fade away. | Wicked perish and vanish like smoke. |
| Ps 68:2 | As smoke is driven away, so drive them away; As wax melts before the fire, so let the wicked perish before God. | Enemies driven away like smoke. |
| Job 21:18 | "How often is the lamp of the wicked extinguished... Are they like straw before the wind, And like chaff carried away by the storm?" | Wicked as straw/chaff before storm. |
| Isa 17:13 | The nations rumble like the rumbling of mighty waters; But He rebukes them... And they are pursued like chaff on the mountains before a storm. | Nations scattered like chaff by rebuke. |
| Isa 29:5 | But the multitude of your enemies will become like fine dust... like whirling chaff. | Enemies become fine dust and whirling chaff. |
| Isa 40:24 | Scarcely have they been planted... but He merely breathes on them, and they wither... carried away like straw by a whirlwind. | God's breath withers enemies like straw. |
| Isa 41:15-16 | "I will make you a new sharp threshing sledge... You will thresh the mountains, crush them... You will winnow them... the wind will carry them away." | God enables His people to winnow and scatter enemies. |
| Jer 13:24 | "Therefore I will scatter them like the drifting dust driven away by the desert wind." | Enemies scattered like dust by desert wind. |
| Hos 13:3 | Therefore they will be like the morning mist, and like early dew which vanishes, like chaff blown from the threshing floor, and like smoke from a chimney. | Enemies vanish like mist, dew, chaff, smoke. |
| Mal 4:1 | "For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; and all the arrogant... will be chaff; and the day that is coming will set them ablaze." | Wicked like chaff, burned in future judgment. |
| Nahum 1:7-8 | The LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble... but with an overflowing flood He will make a complete end... and pursue His enemies into darkness. | God protects His people, consumes enemies with flood. |
| Zech 9:14 | The LORD will appear over them, and His arrow will go forth like lightning... The LORD God will blow the trumpet; He will march in the whirlwinds of the south. | God appears in whirlwinds, destroying enemies. |
| Mt 3:12 | "His winnowing fork is in His hand, and He will thoroughly clear His threshing floor... but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire." | John the Baptist on Christ separating wicked (chaff). |
| 1 Cor 15:58 | Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord. | Encourages steadfastness in face of opposition, implying opposition's ultimate defeat. |
| Rev 19:15 | From His mouth comes a sharp sword... and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. | God's final, overwhelming wrath against enemies. |
| Rom 12:19 | Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God... "Vengeance is Mine; I will repay, says the Lord." | Call for believers to trust God for vengeance. |
| 2 Thes 1:7-8 | and to give relief to you... when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God. | Divine vengeance by Jesus at His return. |
| Exod 15:10 | "You blew with Your wind, the sea covered them; They sank like lead in the mighty waters." | God used wind/water to destroy enemies (Egyptians). |
| 2 Kings 7:6-7 | For the Lord had caused the army of the Arameans to hear a sound... and they fled. | God supernaturally causes enemies to flee. |
| Ps 7:9 | Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end... for You are a righteous God. | Prayer for an end to wickedness. |
Psalm 83 verses
Psalm 83 13 Meaning
Psalm 83:13 is a fervent plea to God, asking Him to scatter and dissipate His enemies and those who threaten His people, likening them to insubstantial elements effortlessly swept away by the wind. The verse uses two powerful similes: "whirling dust" and "chaff before the wind," to express the desire for swift, complete, and unrecoverable dispersion, emphasizing the utter powerlessness and ultimate insignificance of those who oppose God.
Psalm 83 13 Context
Psalm 83 is a communal lament, an urgent prayer to God in a time of severe national crisis. A coalition of ten distinct groups of nations bordering Israel—ancient enemies like Edom, Ishmael, Moab, Ammon, Amalek, Philistia, and Tyre, alongside Assyria—have formed a confederacy. Their stated purpose, explicitly mentioned in Psalm 83:4, is to utterly wipe out Israel as a nation ("that the name of Israel may be remembered no more") and consequently, to blot out God's remembrance among mankind (Psalm 83:12). The psalmist appeals to God's covenant with His people and His reputation, recalling past victories against Israel's enemies (like Midian and Sisera). Verses 9-12 lay out the historical precedents for God's powerful intervention. Verse 13, therefore, is part of an imprecatory prayer (Ps 83:13-17), calling for God to demonstrate His overwhelming power against these formidable adversaries, specifically asking that they be subjected to rapid and complete dispersal and destruction, so that they may acknowledge His sovereignty (Ps 83:18).
Word Analysis
- O my God (אֱלֹהַי, 'Elohai):
- Word: 'Elohim with the first-person singular suffix.
- Analysis: An intimate, personal, yet reverent address to the sovereign, powerful Creator God. It conveys both an appeal based on personal relationship and an acknowledgment of God's ultimate authority and capacity to act decisively. This specific address, 'Elohai, implies a profound dependence on God's personal involvement and might in this desperate situation.
- make them (תְּשִׁיתֵמוֹ, teshiyteymo):
- Word: A jussive form of the verb "to set, place, make."
- Analysis: This is a strong imperative, a petition for God to actively intervene and cause their fate. It's not merely a passive wish but an active request for divine action to establish a particular outcome for the enemies, emphasizing God's role as the agent of judgment.
- like the whirling dust (כַּגַּלְגַּל, kaggalgal):
- Word: כַּ (ka, "like" or "as") + גַּלְגַּל (galgal, "wheel," "whirling thing," or "tumbling object").
- Analysis: Galgal can refer to a wheel, something rolled (like tumbleweed), or a whirling dust-devil/whirlwind. The context of wind often leans toward a dust-devil or similar ephemeral, uncontrolled, rapidly dispersing phenomenon. This imagery conveys a sense of rapid, chaotic movement that leads to scattering and loss of form, implying ultimate powerlessness and being driven uncontrollably to disintegration by an unseen force. It signifies their complete lack of stability, substance, or ability to stand firm.
- like chaff (כְּקַשׁ, k'qash):
- Word: כְּ (k', "like" or "as") + קַשׁ (qash, "stubble" or "chaff").
- Analysis: Chaff is the light, worthless outer covering of grain, discarded during winnowing. This imagery is commonly used in Scripture to represent the wicked or those without spiritual substance (e.g., Ps 1:4). It implies utter uselessness, worthlessness, and extreme vulnerability to being carried away by the slightest force, utterly lacking foundation or weight.
- before the wind (לִפְנֵי־רוּחַ, lifney-ruach):
- Word: לִפְנֵי (lifney, "before the face of," "in the presence of") + רוּחַ (ruach, "wind," "spirit," "breath").
- Analysis: Emphasizes the overwhelming force that sweeps away the worthless material. "Wind" here symbolizes an irresistible, unseen, and potent force—often, metaphorically, God's power or judgment. Being "before the wind" signifies complete exposure and defenselessness to an irresistible divine force, guaranteeing rapid dispersal and annihilation.
Psalm 83 13 Commentary
Psalm 83:13 is an appeal for swift and overwhelming divine judgment against Israel's adversaries. The combined similes of "whirling dust" and "chaff before the wind" serve to illustrate the completeness, effortlessness, and rapid nature of the desired destruction. The "whirling dust" or "dust devil" image (from galgal) suggests a chaotic, uncontrolled disintegration and scattering, leaving no coherent trace. Complementing this, "chaff" (qash) is biblically synonymous with worthlessness and lack of substance, making it utterly susceptible to being driven away by "wind" (ruach), which frequently represents an agent of divine power and judgment. This double imagery assures that nothing of the enemy's strength, unity, or presence will remain. The prayer reflects a trust in God's omnipotence to neutralize even formidable threats by merely allowing His powerful presence (like a strong wind) to dissolve them into nothingness. The ultimate goal, as revealed in later verses of Psalm 83, is not merely destruction but the profound revelation of God's sovereign name and unmatched authority to all nations.
Bonus SectionThe Hebrew term גַּלְגַּל (galgal) is rich in meaning and contextually implies rapid, uncontrolled motion and scattering. Beyond "whirling dust," it can also literally refer to a "wheel," evoking images of swiftly rolling objects, or even the wheels of chariots that grind things underfoot, contributing to the overall sense of swift, crushing defeat and dispersal. The effectiveness of this imprecation lies in the everyday imagery of common, lightweight items being made utterly insignificant by a force of nature, perfectly encapsulating the desired outcome for the enemies of God's people. This serves as a powerful reminder that all opposition, no matter how imposing, is ultimately ephemeral and without substance when faced with God's irresistible might.