Psalms 35:5
Let them be as chaff before the wind: and let the angel of the LORD chase them.
Original Language Analysis
יִֽהְי֗וּ
H1961
יִֽהְי֗וּ
Strong's:
H1961
Word #:
1 of 7
to exist, i.e., be or become, come to pass (always emphatic, and not a mere copula or auxiliary)
כְּמֹ֥ץ
Let them be as chaff
H4671
כְּמֹ֥ץ
Let them be as chaff
Strong's:
H4671
Word #:
2 of 7
chaff (as pressed out, i.e., winnowed or (rather) threshed loose)
לִפְנֵי
before
H6440
לִפְנֵי
before
Strong's:
H6440
Word #:
3 of 7
the face (as the part that turns); used in a great variety of applications (literally and figuratively); also (with prepositional prefix) as a preposi
ר֑וּחַ
the wind
H7307
ר֑וּחַ
the wind
Strong's:
H7307
Word #:
4 of 7
wind; by resemblance breath, i.e., a sensible (or even violent) exhalation; figuratively, life, anger, unsubstantiality; by extension, a region of the
וּמַלְאַ֖ךְ
and let the angel
H4397
וּמַלְאַ֖ךְ
and let the angel
Strong's:
H4397
Word #:
5 of 7
a messenger; specifically, of god, i.e., an angel (also a prophet, priest or teacher)
Cross References
Job 21:18They are as stubble before the wind, and as chaff that the storm carrieth away.Isaiah 29:5Moreover the multitude of thy strangers shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away: yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly.Hebrews 11:28Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.Isaiah 37:36Then the angel of the LORD went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.Isaiah 17:13The nations shall rush like the rushing of many waters: but God shall rebuke them, and they shall flee far off, and shall be chased as the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like a rolling thing before the whirlwind.Acts 12:23And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.Psalms 1:4The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.Exodus 14:19And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind 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
Ancient threshing involved tossing grain in the wind to separate wheat from chaff. This agricultural image would resonate powerfully with an agrarian society, vividly depicting how easily God scatters His enemies.
Questions for Reflection
- What 'chaff' in your life needs to be blown away by God's refining work?
- How does trusting God's timing in judgment free you from anxiety about evildoers?
Analysis & Commentary
Chaff represents worthlessness and vulnerability—the useless husks blown away during threshing. This imagery appears throughout Scripture (Psalm 1:4, Matthew 3:12) to depict the fate of the wicked. The 'angel of the LORD' may refer to the Angel of the LORD (Christophany) or divine agents executing judgment, emphasizing that God personally superintends the destruction of evil while the righteous need not lift a finger.