Psalm 35:5
New International Version
May they be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the LORD driving them away;

New Living Translation
Blow them away like chaff in the wind— a wind sent by the angel of the LORD.

English Standard Version
Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the LORD driving them away!

Berean Standard Bible
May they be like chaff in the wind, as the angel of the LORD drives them away.

King James Bible
Let them be as chaff before the wind: and let the angel of the LORD chase them.

New King James Version
Let them be like chaff before the wind, And let the angel of the LORD chase them.

New American Standard Bible
Let them be like chaff before the wind, With the angel of the LORD driving them on.

NASB 1995
Let them be like chaff before the wind, With the angel of the LORD driving them on.

NASB 1977
Let them be like chaff before the wind, With the angel of the LORD driving them on.

Legacy Standard Bible
Let them be like chaff before the wind, With the angel of Yahweh driving them on.

Amplified Bible
Let them be [blown away] like chaff before the wind [worthless, without substance], With the angel of the LORD driving them on.

Christian Standard Bible
Let them be like chaff in the wind, with the angel of the LORD driving them away.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Let them be like chaff in the wind, with the angel of the LORD driving them away.

American Standard Version
Let them be as chaff before the wind, And the angel of Jehovah driving them on.

Contemporary English Version
Send your angel after them and let them be like straw in the wind.

English Revised Version
Let them be as chaff before the wind, and the angel of the LORD driving them on.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Let them be like husks blown by the wind as the Messenger of the LORD chases them.

Good News Translation
May they be like straw blown by the wind as the angel of the LORD pursues them!

International Standard Version
Make them like the chaff before the wind, as the messenger of the LORD pushes them aside.

Majority Standard Bible
May they be like chaff in the wind, as the angel of the LORD drives them away.

NET Bible
May they be like wind-driven chaff, as the LORD's angel attacks them!

New Heart English Bible
Let them be as chaff before the wind, The LORD's angel driving them on.

Webster's Bible Translation
Let them be as chaff before the wind: and let the angel of the LORD chase them.

World English Bible
Let them be as chaff before the wind, Yahweh’s angel driving them on.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
They are as chaff before wind, "" And a messenger of YHWH driving away.

Young's Literal Translation
They are as chaff before wind, And a messenger of Jehovah driving away.

Smith's Literal Translation
They shall be as chaff before the wind: and the messenger of Jehovah overthrowing.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Let them become as dust before the wind : and let the angel of the Lord straiten them.

Catholic Public Domain Version
May they become like dust before the face of the wind, and let the Angel of the Lord hem them in.

New American Bible
Make them like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the LORD driving them on.

New Revised Standard Version
Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the LORD driving them on.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Let them be as chaff before the wind, and let the angel of the LORD chase them.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
They shall be like dust before the wind, and the angel of LORD JEHOVAH will persecute them.
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Let them be as chaff before the wind, The angel of the LORD thrusting them.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Let them be as dust before the wind, and an angel of the Lord afflicting them.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Contend with My Opponents
4May those who seek my life be disgraced and put to shame; may those who plan to harm me be driven back and confounded. 5May they be like chaff in the wind, as the angel of the LORD drives them away. 6May their path be dark and slick, as the angel of the LORD pursues.…

Cross References
Isaiah 17:13
The nations rage like the rush of many waters. He rebukes them, and they flee far away, driven before the wind like chaff on the hills, like tumbleweeds before a gale.

Job 21:18
Are they like straw before the wind, like chaff swept away by a storm?

Psalm 1:4
Not so the wicked! For they are like chaff driven off by the wind.

Hosea 13:3
Therefore they will be like the morning mist, like the early dew that vanishes, like chaff blown from a threshing floor, like smoke through an open window.

Isaiah 29:5
But your many foes will be like fine dust, the multitude of the ruthless like blowing chaff. Then suddenly, in an instant,

Isaiah 41:2
Who has aroused one from the east and called him to his feet in righteousness? He hands nations over to him and subdues kings before him. He turns them to dust with his sword, to windblown chaff with his bow.

Isaiah 40:24
No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner have their stems taken root in the ground, than He blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like stubble.

Isaiah 41:15-16
Behold, I will make you into a threshing sledge, new and sharp, with many teeth. You will thresh the mountains and crush them, and reduce the hills to chaff. / You will winnow them, and a wind will carry them away; a gale will scatter them. But you will rejoice in the LORD; you will glory in the Holy One of Israel.

Jeremiah 13:24
“I will scatter you like chaff driven by the desert wind.

Daniel 2:35
Then the iron, clay, bronze, silver, and gold were shattered and became like chaff on the threshing floor in summer. The wind carried them away, and not a trace of them could be found. But the stone that had struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

Matthew 3:12
His winnowing fork is in His hand to clear His threshing floor and to gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

Luke 3:17
His winnowing fork is in His hand to clear His threshing floor and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

Matthew 13:30
Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat into my barn.’”

Matthew 13:40-42
As the weeds are collected and burned in the fire, so will it be at the end of the age. / The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will weed out of His kingdom every cause of sin and all who practice lawlessness. / And they will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

John 15:6
If anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers. Such branches are gathered up, thrown into the fire, and burned.


Treasury of Scripture

Let them be as chaff before the wind: and let the angel of the LORD chase them.

as chaff

Psalm 1:4
The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.

Psalm 83:13-17
O my God, make them like a wheel; as the stubble before the wind…

Job 21:18
They are as stubble before the wind, and as chaff that the storm carrieth away.

and

Exodus 14:19
And 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:

Isaiah 37:36
Then 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.

Acts 12:23
And 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.

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Angel Chaff Chase Drive Driving Dust Flight Grain Messenger Thrusting Wind
Psalm 35
1. David prays for his own safety, and his enemies' confusion
11. He complains of their wrongful dealing
22. Thereby he incites God against them














May they be like chaff
The term "chaff" refers to the husks and straw removed from grain during threshing. In the Hebrew context, "chaff" (Hebrew: מֹץ, mots) symbolizes worthlessness and impermanence. In ancient agricultural societies, chaff was considered useless and was easily blown away by the wind. This imagery is used throughout Scripture to depict the fate of the wicked, contrasting their fleeting existence with the enduring righteousness of the faithful. The psalmist's invocation for his enemies to become like chaff underscores a desire for their plans and power to be rendered ineffective and transient.

in the wind
The "wind" (Hebrew: רוּחַ, ruach) in biblical literature often represents the power and presence of God, as well as the transitory nature of human endeavors. The wind's ability to scatter chaff effortlessly highlights the ease with which God can dismantle the schemes of the wicked. This phrase emphasizes the divine intervention that the psalmist seeks, trusting that God will disperse his enemies as easily as the wind carries away chaff.

as the angel of the LORD
The "angel of the LORD" (Hebrew: מַלְאַךְ יְהוָה, mal'akh YHWH) is a significant figure in the Old Testament, often representing God's direct intervention in human affairs. This angel is sometimes seen as a theophany, a manifestation of God Himself, bringing divine judgment or deliverance. By invoking the angel of the LORD, the psalmist appeals to a powerful, divine agent to act on his behalf, ensuring that his enemies are not only scattered but also judged by God's righteous standard.

drives them away
The phrase "drives them away" (Hebrew: דָּחָה, dakhah) conveys a forceful removal or expulsion. In the context of this psalm, it reflects the psalmist's plea for God to actively intervene against his adversaries, ensuring their defeat and dispersion. This action is not merely passive but involves a deliberate and powerful act of God, reinforcing the theme of divine justice and protection for those who seek refuge in Him.

(5) As chaff.--Comp. Psalm 1:4, and see Note. There can be little doubt that the "angel of Jehovah" in this and the following verse is (comp. Psalm 104:4) a personification of the "hurricane" itself, which drives before it all obstacles, and overwhelms even whole armies in dangerous places.

Verse 5. - Let them be as chaff before the wind (comp. Psalm 1:4; Isaiah 17:13; Isaiah 29:5; Hosea 13:3). Chaff is the type of whatever is light, vain, futile, and worthless; chaff driven before the wind represents the confused rout of a beaten army flying without any resistance before an enemy. And let the angel of the Lord chase them; rather, smite them. The angel of the Lord, who protects the righteous (Psalm 34:7), is called on to complete the discomfiture of the wicked ones, who are David's enemies.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
May they be
יִֽהְי֗וּ (yih·yū)
Verb - Qal - Imperfect - third person masculine plural
Strong's 1961: To fall out, come to pass, become, be

like chaff
כְּמֹ֥ץ (kə·mōṣ)
Preposition-k | Noun - masculine singular
Strong's 4671: Chaff, threshed loose)

in
לִפְנֵי־ (lip̄·nê-)
Preposition-l | Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 6440: The face

the wind,
ר֑וּחַ (rū·aḥ)
Noun - common singular
Strong's 7307: Wind, breath, exhalation, life, anger, unsubstantiality, a region of the sky, spirit

as the angel
וּמַלְאַ֖ךְ (ū·mal·’aḵ)
Conjunctive waw | Noun - masculine singular construct
Strong's 4397: A messenger, of God, an angel

of the LORD
יְהוָ֣ה (Yah·weh)
Noun - proper - masculine singular
Strong's 3068: LORD -- the proper name of the God of Israel

drives them away.
דּוֹחֶֽה׃ (dō·w·ḥeh)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 1760: To push, thrust


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OT Poetry: Psalm 35:5 Let them be as chaff before (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 35:4
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