Psalms 83:13
Psalms 83:13 in Multiple Translations
Make them like tumbleweed, O my God, like chaff before the wind.
O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind.
O my God, make them like the whirling dust; As stubble before the wind.
O my God, make them like the rolling dust; like dry stems before the wind.
My God, make them like whirling tumbleweeds, chaff blown away by the wind.
O my God, make them like vnto a wheele, and as the stubble before the winde.
O my God, make them as a rolling thing, As stubble before wind.
My God, make them like tumbleweed, like chaff before the wind.
O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind.
He will not deprive of good things them that walk in innocence: O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.
My God, cause them to disappear quickly like whirling dust, like chaff that the wind blows away!
Berean Amplified Bible — Psalms 83:13
BAB
Word Study
Hover over any word to see its amplified meaning. Click a word to explore its full definition and translation comparisons.
Amplified text is generated using scripting to tie together English translations for comparison. Always refer to the core BSB translation and original Hebrew/Greek text for accuracy. Anomalies may occur.
Psalms 83:13 Interlinear (Deep Study)
BIB
HEB
אֲשֶׁ֣ר
אָ֭מְרוּ
נִ֣ירֲשָׁה
לָּ֑/נוּ
אֵ֝֗ת
נְא֣וֹת
אֱלֹהִֽים
אֲשֶׁ֣ר
ʼăsher
H834
which
Rel
אָ֭מְרוּ
ʼâmar
H559
to say
V-Qal-Perf-3cp
נִ֣ירֲשָׁה
yârash
H3423
to possess
V-Qal-1cp
לָּ֑/נוּ
Prep | Suff
אֵ֝֗ת
ʼêth
H853
Obj.
DirObjM
נְא֣וֹת
nâʼâh
H4999
habitation
N-fp
אֱלֹהִֽים
ʼĕlôhîym
H430
God
N-mp
Hebrew Word Study
Select any word above to explore its original meaning, root, and usage across Scripture.
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Hebrew Word Reference — Psalms 83:13
אֲשֶׁ֣ר
ʼăsher
H834
"which"
Rel
This Hebrew word is a conjunction that connects ideas and events in the Bible, like in the book of Genesis, where it's used to describe the relationship between God and His creation.
Definition: A: 1) (relative part.) 1a) which, who 1b) that which 2) (conj) 2a) that (in obj clause) 2b) when 2c) since 2d) as 2e) conditional if B: Beth+ 1) in (that) which 2) (adv) 2a) where 3) (conj) 3a) in that, inasmuch as 3b) on account of C: Mem+ 1) from (or than) that which 2) from (the place) where 3) from (the fact) that, since D: Kaph+ 1) (conj.), according as, as, when 1a) according to that which, according as, as 1b) with a causal force: in so far as, since 1c) with a temporal force: when
Usage: Occurs in 4440 OT verses. KJV: [idiom] after, [idiom] alike, as (soon as), because, [idiom] every, for, [phrase] forasmuch, [phrase] from whence, [phrase] how(-soever), [idiom] if, (so) that ((thing) which, wherein), [idiom] though, [phrase] until, [phrase] whatsoever, when, where ([phrase] -as, -in, -of, -on, -soever, -with), which, whilst, [phrase] whither(-soever), who(-m, -soever, -se). As it is indeclinable, it is often accompanied by the personal pronoun expletively, used to show the connection. See also: Genesis 1:7; Genesis 20:9; Genesis 31:16.
אָ֭מְרוּ
ʼâmar
H559
"to say"
V-Qal-Perf-3cp
This Hebrew word means to say or speak, and it's used in many different ways in the Bible. It can mean to command, promise, or think, and it's translated in the KJV as 'answer', 'appoint', or 'command'.
Definition: 1) to say, speak, utter 1a) (Qal) to say, to answer, to say in one's heart, to think, to command, to promise, to intend 1b) (Niphal) to be told, to be said, to be called 1c) (Hithpael) to boast, to act proudly 1d) (Hiphil) to avow, to avouch Aramaic equivalent: a.mar (אֲמַר "to say" H0560)
Usage: Occurs in 4337 OT verses. KJV: answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, [phrase] (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, [idiom] desire, determine, [idiom] expressly, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] intend, name, [idiom] plainly, promise, publish, report, require, say, speak (against, of), [idiom] still, [idiom] suppose, talk, tell, term, [idiom] that is, [idiom] think, use (speech), utter, [idiom] verily, [idiom] yet. See also: Genesis 1:3; Genesis 18:23; Genesis 25:32.
נִ֣ירֲשָׁה
yârash
H3423
"to possess"
V-Qal-1cp
To possess means to take control of something, like a piece of land, by driving out others and occupying it. This word is used in the Bible to describe inheriting property or seizing power.
Definition: : possess/inherit 1) to seize, dispossess, take possession off, inherit, disinherit, occupy, impoverish, be an heir 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to take possession of 1a2) to inherit 1a3) to impoverish, come to poverty, be poor 1b) (Niphal) to be dispossessed, be impoverished, come to poverty 1c) (Piel) to devour 1d) (Hiphil) 1d1) to cause to possess or inherit 1d2) to cause others to possess or inherit 1d3) to impoverish 1d4) to dispossess 1d5) to destroy, bring to ruin, disinherit
Usage: Occurs in 204 OT verses. KJV: cast out, consume, destroy, disinherit, dispossess, drive(-ing) out, enjoy, expel, [idiom] without fail, (give to, leave for) inherit(-ance, -or) [phrase] magistrate, be (make) poor, come to poverty, (give to, make to) possess, get (have) in (take) possession, seize upon, succeed, [idiom] utterly. See also: Genesis 15:3; Joshua 15:63; Psalms 25:13.
לָּ֑/נוּ
""
Prep | Suff
אֵ֝֗ת
ʼêth
H853
"Obj."
DirObjM
In the original Hebrew, this word points out the object of a verb or preposition, like 'namely' or 'even'. It appears in many books, including Genesis and Exodus. It's not directly translated in English, but helps clarify the meaning of sentences.
Definition: sign of the definite direct object, not translated in English but generally preceding and indicating the accusative Aramaic equivalent: yat (יָת "whom" H3487)
Usage: Occurs in 6782 OT verses. KJV: (as such unrepresented in English). See also: Genesis 1:1; Genesis 10:8; Genesis 19:21.
נְא֣וֹת
nâʼâh
H4999
"habitation"
N-fp
This word refers to a home or pasture, a place where someone or something can rest. It is used to describe a pleasant or peaceful place, like a meadow. The KJV translates it as 'habitation' or 'pasture'.
Definition: 1) pasture, abode, abode of shepherd, habitation, meadow 1a) pasture, meadow 1b) abode
Usage: Occurs in 12 OT verses. KJV: habitation, house, pasture, pleasant place. See also: Psalms 23:2; Jeremiah 25:37; Psalms 65:13.
אֱלֹהִֽים
ʼĕlôhîym
H430
"God"
N-mp
The Hebrew word for God, elohim, refers to the one supreme God, and is sometimes used to show respect to judges or magistrates. It is also used to describe angels or mighty beings. This word is closely related to the name of the Lord, Yahweh, and is often translated as God or gods in the Bible.
Definition: This name means "gods" (plural intensive-singular meaning), "God" Another name of ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068G)
Usage: Occurs in 2246 OT verses. KJV: angels, [idiom] exceeding, God (gods) (-dess, -ly), [idiom] (very) great, judges, [idiom] mighty. See also: Genesis 1:1; Genesis 22:12; Exodus 3:11.
Study Notes — Psalms 83:13
Show Verse Quote Highlights
- Context
- Cross References
- Psalms 83:13 Summary
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Reflection Questions
- Gill's Exposition on Psalms 83:13
- Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Psalms 83:13
- Matthew Poole's Commentary on Psalms 83:13
- Trapp's Commentary on Psalms 83:13
- Ellicott's Commentary on Psalms 83:13
- Adam Clarke's Commentary on Psalms 83:13
- Cambridge Bible on Psalms 83:13
- Barnes' Notes on Psalms 83:13
- Whedon's Commentary on Psalms 83:13
- Sermons on Psalms 83:13
Context — O God, Be Not Silent
11Make their nobles like Oreb and Zeeb, and all their princes like Zebah and Zalmunna,
12who said, “Let us possess for ourselves the pastures of God.”
13Make them like tumbleweed, O my God, like chaff before the wind.
14As fire consumes a forest, as a flame sets the mountains ablaze, 15so pursue them with Your tempest, and terrify them with Your storm.Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Job 21:18 | Are they like straw before the wind, like chaff swept away by a storm? |
| 2 | Psalms 35:5 | May they be like chaff in the wind, as the angel of the LORD drives them away. |
| 3 | Jeremiah 13:24 | “I will scatter you like chaff driven by the desert wind. |
| 4 | Job 13:25 | Would You frighten a windblown leaf? Would You chase after dry chaff? |
| 5 | Psalms 74:11–12 | Why do You withdraw Your strong right hand? Stretch it out to destroy them! Yet God is my King from ancient times, working salvation on the earth. |
| 6 | Isaiah 40:24 | No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner have their stems taken root in the ground, than He blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like stubble. |
| 7 | Isaiah 41:2 | Who has aroused one from the east and called him to his feet in righteousness ? He hands nations over to him and subdues kings before him. He turns them to dust with his sword, to windblown chaff with his bow. |
| 8 | Matthew 3:12 | His winnowing fork is in His hand to clear His threshing floor and to gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” |
| 9 | Psalms 44:4 | You are my King, O God, who ordains victories for Jacob. |
| 10 | Psalms 68:1–2 | God arises. His enemies are scattered, and those who hate Him flee His presence. As smoke is blown away, You will drive them out; as wax melts before the fire, the wicked will perish in the presence of God. |
Psalms 83:13 Summary
In Psalms 83:13, the psalmist is asking God to make his enemies weak and powerless, like tumbleweed or chaff that is blown away by the wind. This means that the enemies would be completely at the mercy of God's power, and would not be able to harm God's people. This is similar to what happens in Isaiah 41:15-16, where God promises to make His people like a threshing sledge, and to blow away their enemies like chaff. By asking God to do this, the psalmist is trusting in God's power and justice to defend His people, just like it says in Deuteronomy 32:4 and Romans 12:19.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does it mean to be like tumbleweed or chaff before the wind?
In Psalms 83:13, being like tumbleweed or chaff before the wind means to be completely helpless and at the mercy of God's power, much like the Israelites were when they were blown away like chaff in the wind, as described in Isaiah 41:15-16, or like the wicked who are compared to chaff in Matthew 3:12.
Why is the psalmist asking God to make his enemies like tumbleweed or chaff?
The psalmist is asking God to make his enemies powerless and vulnerable because they have been seeking to possess the pastures of God, as stated in Psalms 83:12, and have become a threat to God's people, much like the enemies of God's people in Ezra 4:1-5.
Is it right for the psalmist to be asking God to punish his enemies?
The psalmist's request for God to punish his enemies is rooted in his desire for God's justice to be upheld, as seen in Psalms 83:13, and is in line with the teachings of the Bible, which says that God is a God of justice and will punish the wicked, as stated in Deuteronomy 32:4 and Romans 12:19.
How does this verse relate to the rest of the psalm?
This verse is part of a larger prayer by the psalmist, asking God to defend His people against their enemies, as seen in Psalms 83:1-18, and is connected to the idea of God's people being a treasured possession, as stated in Exodus 19:5 and 1 Peter 2:9.
Reflection Questions
- What are some ways that you have seen God make the wicked like tumbleweed or chaff before the wind in your own life or in the lives of others?
- How can you trust God to defend you against your enemies, just like the psalmist is asking God to defend His people in this verse?
- What are some ways that you can be a part of upholding God's justice in the world, just like the psalmist is asking God to do in this verse?
- How can you apply the principle of God's power and justice to your own life, especially when faced with difficult circumstances or enemies?
Gill's Exposition on Psalms 83:13
O my God, make them like a wheel,.... Which, as the Targum adds, is rolled, and goes on, and rests not in a declivity; let them be as fickle and inconstant as a wheel; being in high, let them be in
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Psalms 83:13
O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind. -Second part of the second main division. Prayer inspired by God for the extinction of the foe by the fiery storm of God. Verse 13.
Matthew Poole's Commentary on Psalms 83:13
Whereas they promise to themselves a sure and firm possession in our land, let them be like a wheel, or a round ball, which being once tumbled down from the top of a hill, runs down with great force and swiftness, and stays not till it comes to the bottom, and there also is very unstable, and soon removed.
Trapp's Commentary on Psalms 83:13
Psalms 83:13 O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind.Ver. 13. O my God, make them like a wheel] Heb. Like a rolling thing, such as is thistle down, saith R. Solomon, Capita carduorum. Gr. like a top, Torque illos in modum trochi, whirl them about as boys do their tops. As the stubble] As before he had brought examples, so here similitudes, to show what he would have done to the enemy.
Ellicott's Commentary on Psalms 83:13
(13) A wheel.—Heb., galgal. (See Note, Psalms 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 so forcibly as the origin of the psalmist’s figure. He describes them as vegetable globes, light as a feather, which, when the parent stem breaks, become the sport of the wind. “At the proper season thousands of them come suddenly over the plain, rolling, leaping, bounding with vast racket, to the dismay both of the horse and rider.” To this day the Arabs, who call it ‘akhûb, employ it in the same figurative way:— “May you be whirled like ‘akhûb before the wind!” THOMSON: Land and Book, 563.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on Psalms 83:13
Verse 13. O my 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.
Cambridge Bible on Psalms 83:13
13–18. Renewed prayer for the dispersion and destruction of the enemy expressed by figures from nature. The final end and object of all is that they may acknowledge Jehovah to be supreme.
Barnes' Notes on Psalms 83:13
O my God, make them like a wheel ... - Or rather, like a rolling thing - something that the wind rolls along.
Whedon's Commentary on Psalms 83:13
13. Like a wheel—Like a rolling thing, parallel to Isaiah 17:13. The whirlwind seems alluded to. “A whirlwind is the most curious of all the visitations [of the Sinai desert] to which one is exposed.
Sermons on Psalms 83:13
| Sermon | Description | |
|---|---|---|
|
Husbanding by Abner Kauffman | In this sermon, the speaker reflects on the importance of taking care of our homes and families. He uses the analogy of threshing instruments to emphasize that each family is uniqu |
|
The Threshing Floor of Ornan by T. Austin-Sparks | In this sermon, the speaker emphasizes the importance of having a genuine and real relationship with God. He highlights the need for believers to have a solid foundation in their f |
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(Daniel) Daniel's Great Vision by Willie Mullan | In this sermon, the speaker, Daniel, expresses his grief and troubled spirit. He seeks the interpretation of his dream from a created being. The interpretation reveals that the fou |
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Will God Change Me by Carter Conlon | In this sermon, the speaker reflects on the concept of transformation and newness of life through Jesus Christ. He emphasizes the role of John the Baptist in introducing Jesus to t |
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We Must Return to the Apostolic Message by Miki Hardy | In this sermon on 2 Corinthians chapter 6, the speaker shares his personal journey of understanding the Gospel and the call of God in his life. He emphasizes that true ministry is |
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(Church Life) an Overview of the Kingdom by Mose Stoltzfus | In this sermon, the speaker discusses the prophecy of the image in the book of Daniel. The image represents four major world kingdoms, with the fifth being the kingdom of God. Thes |
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The Burning Hell That Jesus Preached by Ian Paisley | In this sermon, the preacher addresses the topic of hell and responds to a television program that ridiculed the teaching of the Word of God. He emphasizes the eternal nature of he |