Psalms 83:13

"My God, make them like tumbleweed, like chaff before the wind."

Key Reflection

In Psalm 83:13, the psalmist prays to God for judgment against their enemies, likening them to "tumbleweed" and "chaff before the wind." This vivid imagery suggests that these enemies are weak and easily scattered, much like loose straw caught by a gust of wind. The cultural context reflects the psalmist’s desire for God's intervention to defeat those who oppose or threaten the community, using terms that evoke the transient and powerless nature of their adversaries.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

O my God, make them like a wheel ... -Or rather, like a rolling thing - something that the wind rolls along. The wordגלגלgalgal- means properly a wheel, as of a chariot,Ezekiel 10:2,Ezekiel 10:6; or a wheel for drawing water from a well,Ecclesiastes 12:6; then, a whirlwind,Psalms 77:19; and then, anything driven before a whirlwind, as chaff, or stubble,Isaiah 17:13. Compare the notes atIsaiah 22:18. The prayer here is, that they might be utterly destroyed, or driven away.

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