Proverbs 1:27
When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.
Original Language Analysis
פַּחְדְּכֶ֗ם
When your fear
H6343
פַּחְדְּכֶ֗ם
When your fear
Strong's:
H6343
Word #:
3 of 10
a (sudden) alarm (properly, the object feared, by implication, the feeling)
וְֽ֭אֵידְכֶם
and your destruction
H343
וְֽ֭אֵידְכֶם
and your destruction
Strong's:
H343
Word #:
4 of 10
oppression; by implication misfortune, ruin
עֲ֝לֵיכֶ֗ם
H5921
עֲ֝לֵיכֶ֗ם
Strong's:
H5921
Word #:
8 of 10
above, over, upon, or against (yet always in this last relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of applications
Cross References
Romans 2:9Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;Nahum 1:3The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
Historical Context
Ancient Near Eastern experience with military conquest, natural disasters (drought, earthquake, flood), and social collapse provided vivid imagery for divine judgment. Whirlwinds in Palestine were violent desert storms that destroyed crops and structures. Desolation referred to cities left uninhabited after conquest. These temporal judgments foreshadowed eschatological realities—Hell as ultimate desolation and distress.
Questions for Reflection
- How does the certainty of judgment ('when') challenge modern assumptions that God's patience means judgment won't come?
- What does the comprehensive nature of judgment warn us about trivializing sin's ultimate consequences?
Analysis & Commentary
Wisdom describes the scope of coming judgment: 'When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.' The imagery escalates—desolation (complete waste), whirlwind (unstoppable force), distress and anguish (psychological torment). This comprehensive description shows judgment's totality. The temporal fulfillment warns of eternal judgment. God's patience endures long, but spurned grace ultimately yields wrath. The certainty ('when,' not 'if') emphasizes judgment's inevitability for persistent rejection.