Jeremiah 13:24
Therefore will I scatter them as the stubble that passeth away by the wind of the wilderness.
Original Language Analysis
וַאֲפִיצֵ֖ם
Therefore will I scatter
H6327
וַאֲפִיצֵ֖ם
Therefore will I scatter
Strong's:
H6327
Word #:
1 of 5
to dash in pieces, literally or figuratively (especially to disperse)
עוֹבֵ֑ר
that passeth away
H5674
עוֹבֵ֑ר
that passeth away
Strong's:
H5674
Word #:
3 of 5
to cross over; used very widely of any transition (literal or figurative; transitive, intransitive, intensive, causative); specifically, to cover (in
Cross References
Psalms 1:4The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.Leviticus 26:33And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.Ezekiel 5:12A third part of thee shall die with the pestilence, and with famine shall they be consumed in the midst of thee: and a third part shall fall by the sword round about thee; and I will scatter a third part into all the winds, and I will draw out a sword after them.Ezekiel 5:2Thou shalt burn with fire a third part in the midst of the city, when the days of the siege are fulfilled: and thou shalt take a third part, and smite about it with a knife: and a third part thou shalt scatter in the wind; and I will draw out a sword after them.Hosea 13:3Therefore they shall be as the morning cloud, and as the early dew that passeth away, as the chaff that is driven with the whirlwind out of the floor, and as the smoke out of the chimney.
Historical Context
Chaff/stubble imagery for the wicked appears throughout Scripture (Psalm 1:4, Isaiah 17:13, Hosea 13:3). The threshing floor separated valuable grain from worthless chaff; wind carried chaff away. Israel, having become worthless through sin, would be similarly scattered. The exile fulfilled this exactly—population dispersed throughout the Babylonian Empire like chaff on wind.
Questions for Reflection
- What does the stubble/chaff imagery indicate about the worthlessness of covenant-violating Israel?
- How does scattering by wind picture the helplessness of judgment?
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Analysis & Commentary
This verse announces scattering: 'Therefore will I scatter them as the stubble that passeth away by the wind of the wilderness.' 'Stubble' (qash) is the lightweight chaff left after threshing—blown away by wind. 'Wind of the wilderness' (ruach midbar) is the hot, dry desert wind that carries stubble away completely. Israel will be scattered (patsats) like worthless chaff, carried away by judgment's wind, unable to resist. The agricultural imagery emphasizes both worthlessness (stubble, not grain) and helplessness (blown by wind beyond control).