Psalms 83:13 — Word Study
WLCאֱֽלֹהַ֗י שִׁיתֵ֥מוֹ כַגַּלְגַּ֑ל כְּ֝קַ֗שׁ לִפְנֵי־ רֽוּחַ׃
BSAO my Godʼĕlôhîym [supreme, Elohim]
| Greek | English | Parsing |
|---|---|---|
| אֱֽלֹהַ֗י | O God my | Noun common masculine plural construct, suffix |
| שִׁיתֵ֥מוֹ | make them | Verb qal imperative second person masculine singular, suffix |
| כַגַּלְגַּ֑ל | like whirling dust | Preposition, noun common masculine singular absolute |
| כְּ֝קַ֗שׁ | like chaff | Preposition, noun common masculine singular absolute |
| לִפְנֵי־ | before | Preposition, noun common masculine plural construct |
| רֽוּחַ׃ | a wind | Noun common, feminine singular absolute |
Every word in the verse. Click a row to open it in the panel on the left.
| BSB | Make them like tumbleweed, O my God, like chaff before the wind. |
| KJV | O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind. |
| ASV | O my God, make them like the whirling dust; As stubble before the wind. |
| YLT | O my God, make them as a rolling thing, As stubble before wind. |
| WEB | My God, make them like tumbleweed, like chaff before the wind. |
| BBE | O my God, make them like the rolling dust; like dry stems before the wind. |
Where they part company is in the rendering of כַגַּלְגַּ֑ל — see How Translations Differ.
One main clause with a simile following. The structure emphasizes the comparison being made.
8 commentators on this verse
Gill, Jamieson, Poole, Trapp & more — read them ›
clause
The sentence as the grammar sees it Open the tree ›
Every word here is used elsewhere in the Old Testament.
Bars are logarithmic — אֵת, the commonest word in the Hebrew Bible, stands about 11,000 times, so a linear scale would leave everything else invisible. Click a row to open that word.
Deep Study — Psalms 83:13
Sections marked generated are written from the data on this page rather than by a named author. Everything else — the lexicon entries, the cross references, the manuscript readings, the counts — is quoted from its source unchanged.
Context — A Plea for Divine Interventiongenerated
Psalms 83:13 is a part of a prayer where the psalmist calls upon God to act against those who oppose Him. The context reveals a desire for God to demonstrate His power by rendering the enemies of His people as insignificant as tumbleweed and chaff, which are easily blown away by the wind. This imagery emphasizes the psalmist's faith in God's ability to protect and deliver His people.
Cross References
| Reference | Text (BSB) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psalm 22:1 | My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving me, so far from my words of groaning? |
| 2 | Psalm 44:4 | You are my King, O God, who ordains victories for Jacob. |
| 3 | Psalm 74:11–12 | Why do You withdraw Your strong right hand? Stretch it out to destroy them! |
| 4 | Isaiah 17:12–14 | Alas, the tumult of many peoples; they rage like the roaring seas and clamoring nations; they rumble like the crashing of mighty waters. |
| 5 | Psalm 35:5 | May they be like chaff in the wind, as the angel of the LORD drives them away. |
The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — 13 references, hung on the phrase they belong to
The Key Word — אֱלֹהַי, 'elo.Haigenerated
The term אֱלֹהִים (elohiym) is a plural noun often used to refer to the supreme deity in the Old Testament. It signifies divine majesty and power, and in this verse, it reflects the psalmist's direct appeal to God, emphasizing His authority and capability to intervene.
The parsing indicates that this word is in the construct form with a suffix, showing a personal relationship: 'my God.' This personal address underscores the intimacy and reliance the psalmist has on God.
How Translations Differ — measured against the Berean Standard Biblegenerated
This study reads the verse in the Berean Standard Bible, so the BSB is the wording every comparison below is made against.
Sentence Structuregenerated
The finite verb שִׁיתֵ֥מוֹ, make them, governs the entire verse, with the phrases that follow describing how the psalmist wishes God to act. The structure emphasizes the action of making, with the similes that follow providing vivid imagery of insignificance.
The order of the phrases places emphasis on the similes, כַגַּלְגַּ֑ל and כְּ֝קַ֗שׁ, highlighting the comparison of the enemies to tumbleweed and chaff, which underscores their worthlessness in contrast to God's might.
Septuagint Backgroundgenerated
In the Septuagint, the Hebrew word אֱלֹהַי is rendered as θεοῦ (Theou), indicating a direct appeal to God. This choice maintains the focus on divine authority and power.
The Greek word ἑαυτοῖς corresponds to the Hebrew כַגַּלְגַּ֑ל, suggesting a broader interpretation that may imply a sense of self-identity or existence, which differs slightly from the Hebrew emphasis on motion and insignificance.
In plain words — the whole versegenerated
Psalms 83:13 expresses a plea to God to treat the enemies of His people as worthless as tumbleweed and chaff. The psalmist uses these images to illustrate how easily such things are blown away by the wind, emphasizing the desire for God's power to act against those who oppose Him.
Frequently Asked Questionsgenerated
The psalmist is expressing a desire for God to render His enemies insignificant and powerless, just as tumbleweed and chaff are easily blown away by the wind.
This personal address indicates a close relationship and reliance on God, emphasizing the psalmist's faith in God's ability to protect and deliver.
The imagery of tumbleweed and chaff signifies worthlessness and fragility, highlighting the psalmist's plea for God's intervention against powerful adversaries.
This verse reflects the overarching theme of seeking God's help against enemies, demonstrating the psalmist's trust in God's might and justice.
Reflection Questionsgenerated
- In what ways do I see God's power at work in my life, especially in challenging situations?
- How can I cultivate a deeper relationship with God, similar to the psalmist's personal appeal?
- What are some examples of things in my life that I might consider 'worthless' compared to God's greatness?
- How can I better trust in God's ability to handle my adversities, as the psalmist does in this verse?
The early church on this verse — how the Fathers read it
Early Church Fathers have commented on this verse, interpreting it in various ways to discuss God's mercy and the nature of human weakness.
What does he mean by this? As I take it, that goodness can with difficulty gain a hold on human nature, like fire on green wood;Early Church Fathers on Psalms 83 →
“O my God, make them like a wheel.” Notice the mercy of the prophet; he does not pray against them but for them. See what he says: My God, who is the God of all, my very own God, O my God, make them like a wheel.Early Church Fathers on Psalms 83 →
But what follows? "My God, make them like a wheel" [Psalms 83:13].Early Church Fathers on Psalms 83 →
Commentators on this verse — 8 expositors, verse by verse
Each of these wrote on Psalms 83:13 itself, not merely on the chapter around it.
John Gill1697–1771Gill's Exposition of the Entire BibleO 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
Read John Gill on Psalms 83 →Robert Jamieson1802–1880Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown's CommentaryO 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.
Read Robert Jamieson on Psalms 83 →Matthew Poole1624–1679Matthew Poole's Commentary on the Holy BibleWhereas 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.
Read Matthew Poole on Psalms 83 →John Trapp1601–1669Trapp's Complete Commentary on the Old and New TestamentsPsalms 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.
Read John Trapp on Psalms 83 →Charles John Ellicott1819–1905Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers(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…
Read Charles John Ellicott on Psalms 83 →AdamClarkeAdam Clarke's Commentary on the BibleVerse 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.
Read AdamClarke on Psalms 83 →CambridgeThe Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges13–18. 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.
Read Cambridge on Psalms 83 →Albert Barnes1798–1870Barnes' Notes on the BibleO my God, make them like a wheel ... - Or rather, like a rolling thing - something that the wind rolls along.
Read Albert Barnes on Psalms 83 →The verse in English, compared — 17 translations, and where they part company
Every translation on this page is a decision someone had to make and commit to. Read down a column and you see one translator's judgement; read across a row and you see the range the Greek actually allows. The BSB is the wording the rest of this page is measured against, so it is listed first.
Modern formal
Make them like tumbleweed, O my God, like chaff before the wind.
My God, make them like tumbleweed, like chaff before the wind.
Make them like tumbleweed, O my God, like chaff before the wind.
O my God, make them like dead thistles, like dead weeds blown away by the wind!
Tyndale line
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 whirling dust; as stubble before the wind.
O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind.
O my God, make them like vnto a wheele, and as the stubble before the winde.
Strictly literal
O my God, make them like a whirling thing, like stubble before the wind.
O my God, make them as a rolling thing, As stubble before wind.
O my God, make them as a rolling thing, || As stubble before wind.
(83:14) O my God, render them like the thistle-down, like stubble before the wind.
My God, make them like the whirling dust, like chaff before the wind,
From the Latin
He will not deprive of good things them that walk in innocence: O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.
Simplified
My God, make them like whirling tumbleweeds, chaff blown away by the wind.
O my God, make them like the rolling dust; like dry stems before the wind.
Counted from the translations carried on this site, not from a survey of every English Bible. A rendering shared by many versions is usually inherited rather than independently arrived at — the Tyndale line in particular runs through most of them.
The sentence as the grammar sees it — from the MACULA Hebrew treebank
This is not our own analysis: it is the scholarly syntax tree for the verse, showing how the clause actually holds together.
Boxes are the grammarian's groupings — clause, noun phrase, prepositional phrase.
The four witnesses to this verse — Masoretic, Septuagint, Samaritan, Qumran
The Masoretic Text presents the verse as אֱֽלֹהַ֗י שִׁיתֵ֥מוֹ כַגַּלְגַּ֑ל כְּ֝קַ֗שׁ לִפְנֵי־ רֽוּחַ׃. The Septuagint matches four of the six words, indicating a close relationship between the two texts, while the Dead Sea Scrolls show some variation with the phrase אשר אמרו נירשה ל׳נו את נאות אלהים, suggesting a different context or interpretation.
אֱֽלֹהַ֗י שִׁיתֵ֥מוֹ כַגַּלְגַּ֑ל כְּ֝קַ֗שׁ לִפְנֵי־ רֽוּחַ׃
4 of the 6 words are matched. This is the word-by-word correspondence, not the Septuagint's own sentence — its word order and its articles are its own.
אשר אמרו נירשה ל׳נו את נאות אלהים
7 words on the leather.
Four traditions, not one. “On the leather” means the letters physically survive on the scroll, as against letters an editor has supplied to fill a hole in it — a restoration is a scholar’s reading, not a reading of the manuscript. Words in [square brackets] are supplied; the notes count them apart from what survives.
The map of this verse — what each word keeps company with
This is a map of two things, both counted rather than judged. Company kept: which words stand within three words of each of these, anywhere in the Hebrew Bible — the thicker the line, the more often the pair meet compared with chance. Built from: the words a word is made out of, taken from its own Strong’s entry. It is not a map of meaning: nothing here claims two words mean the same thing. Click any circle to see the numbers behind it.
Lexicons — every word in Psalms 83:13
One dossier per word, with every reference work grouped by kind — Hebrew lexicons, morphology, Bible dictionaries, topical chains and the English of the translators themselves. The verse sits at the head of each block with the word under study lit, so you never lose your place. The panel above gives the short answer; this is the long one, and it is the part of the page worth indexing.
Every entry below is the lexicographer's own text. On the Hebrew: Brown-Driver-Briggs entire and its gloss set, Strong's Hebrew Dictionary, and Tyndale House's Translators Brief lexicon. Where a cell says a work has no entry, that work genuinely has none for this word.
אֱלֹהִים (elohiym) is a plural noun meaning 'gods' or 'God,' often referring to the supreme deity in the Old Testament. It encompasses divine beings, rulers, and judges, reflecting divine majesty and power. The term can also denote angels and is used in a superlative sense. Notably, it is sometimes combined with יהוה (YHWH), the personal name of God.
אֱלֹהִים 2570 n.m.pl.
pl. in number.
rulers, judges, either as divine representatives at sacred places or as reflecting divine majesty and power
divine ones, superhuman beings including God and angels
angels
gods
pl. intensive
god or goddess
godlike one
works of God, or things belongng to him
God
הָאֱלֹהִים the (true) God
אֱלֹהִים = God
base
H430 אֱלֹהִים n. m. pl. . pl. in number. . rulers, judges, either asdivine representatives at sacred places or as reflecting divine majesty and power
. divine ones, superhuman beings including God and angels
. angels
. gods
. pl. intensive . god or goddess
. godlike one
. works of God, or things belongng to him
. God
. הָאֱלֹהִים the (true) God
. אֱלֹהִים = God
430 'elohiym el-o-heem'
plural of 433; gods in the ordinary sense; but specifically
used (in the plural thus, especially with the article) of the
supreme God; occasionally applied by way of deference to
magistrates; and sometimes as a superlative:--angels, X
exceeding, God (gods)(-dess, -ly), X (very) great, judges, X
mighty.
see HEBREW for 0433
אֱלֹהִים (e.lo.him) — God.
This name means "gods" (plural intensive-singular meaning), "God"
Another name of ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068G)
אֱלֹהִים (e.lo.him) — (LORD)-Elohe.
Combined with ye.ho.vah (יהוה "LORD" H3068)
אֱלֹהִים (e.lo.him) — (Gibeath)-elohim.
Combined with giv.ah (גִּבְעָה "Gibeath" H1389)
N-mp — Noun common masculine plural construct · suffixHNcmpc/Sp1bs
The Hebrew word שִׁית (shiyth) is a primitive root meaning to put or set, with a wide range of applications including appointing, laying, and constituting. It can also imply taking a stand or being imposed upon. The entries consistently emphasize its versatility in contexts of action and intention.
שִׁית vb. put, set
Qal
put, lay
set, station
set one's mind to, give heed, attention
set, fix
constitute, make one something
internally trans., = take one's stand
Hoph. if a ransom be imposed
base
H7896 שִׁית put, set .. put, lay
. . set, station
. set one's mind to, give heed, attention
. set, fix
. constitute, make one something
. internally trans., = take one's stand
. if a ransom be imposed
7896 shiyth sheeth
a primitive root; to place (in a very wide
application):--apply, appoint, array, bring, consider, lay
(up), let alone, X look, make, mark, put (on), + regard, set,
shew, be stayed, X take.
שִׁית (shit) — to set: make.
: make/establish
1) to put, set
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to put, lay (hand upon)
1a2) to set, station, appoint, fix, set mind to
1a3) to constitute, make (one something), make like, perform
1a4) to take one's stand
1a5) to lay waste
1b) (Hophal) to be imposed, be set upon
שִׁית (shit) — to set: put.
: put/bring
1) to put, set
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to put, lay (hand upon)
1a2) to set, station, appoint, fix, set mind to
1a3) to constitute, make (one something), make like, perform
1a4) to take one's stand
1a5) to lay waste
1b) (Hophal) to be imposed, be set upon
שִׁית (shit) — to set: appoint.
: appoint
1) to put, set
1a) (Qal)
1a1) to put, lay (hand upon)
1a2) to set, station, appoint, fix, set mind to
1a3) to constitute, make (one something), make like, perform
1a4) to take one's stand
1a5) to lay waste
1b) (Hophal) to be imposed, be set upon
שִׁית (shit) — to set: accuse.
HVqv2ms/Sp3mp — Verb qal imperative second person masculine singular · suffixHVqv2ms/Sp3mp
גַּלְגַּל (galgal) refers to a wheel or a whirlwind, with implications of something that rolls or whirls, such as dust or chaff. The word is built from reduplication and connects to the concept of movement. It appears in contexts that involve rolling or whirling, but no specific verses are cited.
גַּלְגַּל n.m. wheel, whirl, whirlwind
base
H1534 גַּלְגַּל wheel, whirl, whirlwind
1534 galgal gal-gal'
by reduplication from 1556; a wheel; by analogy, a whirlwind;
also dust (as whirled):--heaven, rolling thing, wheel.
see HEBREW for 01556
גַּלְגַּל (gal.gal) — wheel.
1) wheel, whirl, whirlwind, whirling
1a) wheel
1b) whirl (of dust, chaff)
Aramaic equivalent: gal.gal (גַּלְגַּל "wheel" H1535)
HRd/Ncmsa — Preposition · noun common masculine singular absoluteHRd/Ncmsa
dust (`aphar; koniortos, chous): Small particles of earth. The word has several figurative and symbolic meanings:
(1) Dust being the material out of which God is said to have formed man (Ge 2:7), it became a symbol of man's frailty (Ps 103:14, "For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust"; compare Ge 18:27; Job 4:19, etc.), and of his mortality (Ge 3:19, "Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return"; compare Job 34:15; Ps 104:29; Ec 3:20…
Dust
Storms of sand and dust sometimes overtake Eastern travellers. They are very dreadful, many perishing under them. Jehovah threatens to bring on the land of Israel, as a punishment for forsaking him, a rain of “powder and dust” (Deut. 28:24).
To cast dust on the head was a sign of mourning (Josh. 7:6); and to sit in dust, of extreme affliction (Isa. 47:1). “Dust” is used to denote the grave (Job 7:21). “To shake off the dust from one’s feet” against another is to renounce all future intercourse with him (Matt. 10:14; Acts 13:51). To “lick the dust” is a sign of…
[MOURNING]
Jos 7:6. Dust or ashes put upon the head was a sign of mourning; sitting in the dust, a sign of affliction, La 3:29 Isa 47:1. "Dust" is also put for the grave, Ge 3:19 Job 7:21. It signifies a multitude, Ge 13:16, and a low and mean condition, 1Sa 2:8. We have two remarkable instances of casting dust recorded in Scripture, and they seem to illustrate a practice common in Asia: those who demanded justice against a criminal were accustomed to throw dust upon him, signifying that he deserved to be cast into the grave.…
קַשׁ (qash) refers to stubble or chaff, typically associated with dry straw. The entries indicate that it is derived from another Hebrew word, but they do not provide further details on its usage in specific verses.
קַשׁ n.m. stubble, chaff
base
H7179 קַשׁ stubble, chaff
7179 qash kash
from 7197; straw (as dry):--stubble.
see HEBREW for 07197
קַשׁ (qash) — stubble.
stubble, chaff
HR/Ncmsa — Preposition · noun common masculine singular absoluteHR/Ncmsa
chaf: Four different words have been translated "chaff" in the Old Testament:
(1) mots, is found in Job 21:18; Ps 1:4; 35:5; Isa 17:13; 29:5; 41:15; Ho 13:3; Ze 2:2.
(2) chashash, occurs in two verses (Isa 5:24; 33:11). Compare "chashish," an Arabic word which, as commonly used, denotes grass either standing or cut, green or dry, although, strictly speaking, dry or cut grass alone. In the Revised Version (British and American) Isa 5:24 the translation is "dry grass."
Chaff
The refuse of winnowed corn. It was usually burned (Ex. 15:7; Isa. 5:24; Matt. 3:12). This word sometimes, however, means dried grass or hay (Isa. 5:24; 33:11). Chaff is used as a figure of abortive wickedness (Ps. 1:4; Matt. 3:12). False doctrines are also called chaff (Jer. 23:28), or more correctly rendered “chopped straw.” The destruction of the wicked, and their powerlessness, are likened to the carrying away of chaff by the wind (Isa. 17:13;
the husk of corn or wheat which was separated from the grain by being thrown into the air, the wind blowing away the chaff, while the grain was saved. The carrying away of chaff by the wind is an ordinary scriptural image of the destruction of the wicked and of their powerlessness to resist God’s judgments. (Psalms 1:4; Isaiah 17:13; Hosea 13:3; Zephaniah 2:2)
The Hebrew word פָּנֶה (*pāneh*) is a noun meaning 'face' or 'presence,' and it appears in various contexts, including the faces of seraphim and animals, as well as the surface of the ground. It can also function as an adverb meaning 'before' or 'in front of.' The word is built from a root that suggests turning or facing, and it encompasses a wide range of applications, both literal and figurative.
[פָּנֶה], pl. פָּנִים 2123 n.m. face, also faces
face, faces
presence, person
technically, see one's face, i.e. appear before one, in one's presence
face of seraphim
face of animals
face (= surface) of ground
as adv.loc. before
for other phrases
with prepositions
base
H6440 פָּנֶה, pl. פָּנִים face, also faces . . face, faces
. . presence, person
. technically, see one's face, i.e. appear before one, in one's presence
. face of seraphim
. face of animals
. face (= surface) of ground
. as adv. loc. before
. for other phrases
. with prepositions
6440 paniym paw-neem'
plural (but always as singular) of an unused noun (paneh
{paw-neh'}; from 6437); the face (as the part that turns);
used in a great variety of applications (literally and
figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a
preposition (before, etc.):--+ accept, a-(be- )fore(-time),
against, anger, X as (long as), at, + battle, + because (of),
+ beseech, countenance, edge, + employ, endure, + enquire,
face, favour, fear of, for, forefront(-part), form(-er
time, -ward), from, front, heaviness, X him(-self), +
honourable, + impudent, + in, it, look(-eth) (- s), X me, +
meet, X more than, mouth, of, off, (of) old (time), X on,
open, + out of, over against, the partial, person, + please,
presence, propect, was purposed, by reason of, + regard, right
forth, + serve, X shewbread, sight, state, straight, + street,
X thee, X them(-selves), through (+ - out), till, time(-s)
פָּנֶה (pa.neh) — face: before.
: before/to/front
1) face
1a) face, faces
1b) presence, person
1c) face (of seraphim or cherubim)
1d) face (of animals)
1e) face, surface (of ground)
1f) as adv of loc/temp
1f1) before and behind, toward, in front of, forward, formerly, from beforetime, before
1g) with prep
1g1) in front of, before, to the front of, in the presence of, in the face of, at the face or front of, from the presence of, from before, from before the face of
פָּנֶה (pa.neh) — face.
: face
1) face
1a) face, faces
1b) presence, person
1c) face (of seraphim or cherubim)
1d) face (of animals)
1e) face, surface (of ground)
1f) as adv of loc/temp
1f1) before and behind, toward, in front of, forward, formerly, from beforetime, before
1g) with prep
1g1) in front of, before, to the front of, in the presence of, in the face of, at the face or front of, from the presence of, from before, from…
HR/Ncmpc — Preposition · noun common masculine plural constructHR/Ncmpc
be-for': The translation of a great variety of Hebrew and Greek words. "Haran died before (the English Revised Version "in the presence of," literally "before the face of") his father Terah" (Ge 11:28). To be "before" God is to enjoy His favor (Ps 31:22). "The Syrians before" (Isa 9:12 the Revised Version, margin "on the east," as "behind," owing to the position of Canaan, relative to Syria, implies the west).
רוּחַ (ruach) means breath, wind, or spirit. It encompasses various meanings, including the breath of life, emotional disposition, and the spirit of God. The term can refer to both physical phenomena, like wind, and abstract concepts, such as moral character or mental acts. Notably, it is used frequently in the context of divine inspiration and the Holy Spirit.
רוּחַ 378 n.f. (less oft. m.) breath, wind, spirit
breath of mouth or nostrils (33 t.)
wind (117 t.)
spirit, as that which breathes quickly in animation or agitation = temper, disposition (76 t.)
spirit of the living, breathing being
spirit as seat of emotion
occasionally (and late) = seat or organ of mental acts
rarely of the will
רוּחַ esp. of moral character
spirit of God (94 t.)
base
H7307 רוּחַ breath, wind, spirit . breath of mouth or nostrils (33 t.)
. wind (117 t.)
. spirit, as that which breathes quickly in animation or agitation = temper, disposition (76 t.)
. spirit of the living, breathing being
. spirit as seat of emotion
. occasionally (and late) = seat or organ of mental acts
. rarely of the will
. רוּחַ esp. of moral character
. spirit of God (94 t.)
7307 ruwach roo'-akh
from 7306; wind; by resemblance breath, i.e. a sensible (or
even violent) exhalation; figuratively, life, anger,
unsubstantiality; by extension, a region of the sky; by
resemblance spirit, but only of a rational being (including
its expression and functions):--air, anger, blast, breath, X
cool, courage, mind, X quarter, X side, spirit((-ual)),
tempest, X vain, ((whirl-))wind(-y).
see HEBREW for 07306
רוּחַ (ru.ach) — spirit.
: spirit
1) wind, breath, mind, spirit
1a) breath
1b) wind
1b1) of heaven
1b2) quarter (of wind), side
1b3) breath of air
1b4) air, gas
1b5) vain, empty thing
1c) spirit (as that which breathes quickly in animation or agitation)
1c1) spirit, animation, vivacity, vigour
1c2) courage
1c3) temper, anger
1c4) impatience, patience
1c5) spirit, disposition (as troubled, bitter, discontented)
1c6) disposition (of various kinds), unaccountable or uncontrollable impulse
1c7) prophetic spirit
1d) spirit (of the living, breathing being in man and animals)
1d1) as gift, preserved by God, God's spirit, departing at death, disembodied being
1e) spirit (as seat of emotion)
1e1) desire
1e2) sorrow, trouble
1f) spirit
1f1) as seat or organ of mental acts
1f2) rarely of the will
1f3) as seat especially of moral character
HNcfsa — Noun common · feminine singular absoluteHNcfsa
wind (anemos:
1. Causes:
Unequal distribution of heat in the atmosphere causes currents of air or wind. The heated air rises and the air from around rushes in. The direction from which a current comes determines its name, as west wind coming from the West but blowing toward the East. When two currents of air of different directions meet, a spiral motion sometimes results.
See WHIRLWIND.
2. West Wind:
In Palestine the west wind is the most common. It comes from the sea and carries the moisture which condenses to form clouds, as it is turned upward by the mountains, to the cooler layers of the atmosphere. If the temperature reached is cool enough the cloud condenses and rain falls. Elijah looked toward the West for the "small cloud," and soon "the heavens grew black with clouds and wind" (1Ki 18:44 f). "When ye see a cloud rising in the…