Topical Bible: Natural Life is Compared to Wind

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In the Bible, the transient and unpredictable nature of human life is often compared to the wind. This metaphor underscores the fleeting, uncertain, and sometimes tumultuous aspects of earthly existence. The imagery of wind is used to convey the brevity and fragility of life, as well as the divine sovereignty over human affairs.

Job 7:7 · In the book of Job, the patriarch laments the brevity of life, saying, "Remember that my life is but a breath; my eyes will never again see happiness." Here, the term "breath" is synonymous with wind, emphasizing the ephemeral nature of human existence. Job's reflection on life as a mere breath highlights the swift passage of time and the inevitability of mortality.

Psalm 78:39 · The psalmist reflects on God's compassion towards humanity, acknowledging human frailty: "He remembered that they were but flesh, a passing breeze that does not return." This verse uses the metaphor of a "passing breeze" to describe human life, illustrating its temporary and transient character. The comparison to wind serves as a reminder of human limitations and the need for divine grace.

Ecclesiastes 1:14 · The Preacher in Ecclesiastes observes, "I have seen all the works that are done under the sun, and indeed, all is vanity and a chasing after the wind." The phrase "chasing after the wind" captures the futility and elusive nature of worldly pursuits. It suggests that human endeavors, when detached from eternal significance, are as insubstantial and ungraspable as the wind.

James 4:14 · The New Testament echoes this theme, as James writes, "You do not even know what will happen tomorrow! What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." The comparison to a "mist" or vapor aligns with the imagery of wind, reinforcing the notion of life's impermanence and the unpredictability of future events.

Isaiah 40:7-8 · The prophet Isaiah contrasts the enduring word of God with the fleeting nature of human life: "The grass withers, the flowers fall when the breath of the LORD blows on them; indeed, the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever." The "breath of the LORD" is likened to wind, which causes the grass to wither, symbolizing the transitory state of human life in contrast to the eternal nature of God's word.

Throughout Scripture, the comparison of natural life to wind serves as a poignant reminder of human frailty and the need for reliance on God's eternal promises. This metaphor encourages believers to focus on spiritual truths and eternal values, recognizing the limitations of earthly life and the sovereignty of God over all creation.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Job 7:7
O remember that my life is wind: my eye shall no more see good.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

At the Dedication of a Church
... are extinguished in this Light, for all natural and all ... Light, is like the eyes of
swallows compared with the ... men of the world imagine that the life and being ...
//christianbookshelf.org/tauler/the inner way/sermon xxxv at the dedication.htm

Interview of Christ with Nicodcmus.
... viz., the total opposition between the natural life"the life ... only by experience;
it is a life which no ... figure from the Old Testament, he compared the lifting ...
/.../section 119 interview of christ.htm

The Present Life as Related to the Future.
... And not only does the natural man enjoy sin, but ... Compared with this anguish of soul,
all the afflictions which ... enough to poison all the comforts of life, and to ...
/.../shedd/sermons to the natural man/the present life as related.htm

The Dew and the Plants
... is liker a mist, but it brings life and freshness ... The natural object which yields
the emblem was all inadequate ... set forth the divine gift which is compared to it ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture a/the dew and the plants.htm

Necessity of the New Birth.
... they form is far from stable, hardly to be compared to that ... which no one will assert
that it is connected with the natural birth into earthly life; for he ...
/.../schleiermacher/selected sermons of schleiermacher/iv necessity of the new.htm

Chronology of the Life of Christ.
... chronological hints in the Gospels, as compared with and ... in history and inexplicable
on purely natural grounds. ... of three short years of active life has done ...
/.../history of the christian church volume i/section 16 chronology of the.htm

George Borrow
... fresh springs of delight in the natural world; because ... Life is very sweet, brother."
Allied with this love ... a self- respect, which he compared unfavourably with ...
//christianbookshelf.org/beeching/george borrow/george borrow.htm

Introductory Notice Respecting Tauler's Life and Times
... of enthusiasm, and mistaking one's own natural emotions for ... direct efforts to enkindle
the religious life of the ... as their centre, seem, as compared with the ...
/.../introductory notice respecting taulers life.htm

The Early Life of Malachy. Having Been Admitted to Holy Orders He ...
... earlier years with the hue of a good natural disposition; we ... Bernard may be compared
with that given of his own ... i.3. It was written before the Life of Malachy. ...
/.../chapter i the early life.htm

A Description of Heart-Purity
... Heart purity is as great a wonder to the natural man as the new birth was to Nicodemus ...
Are we like him in that we have life? ... (ii) The Spirit is compared to wind ...
/.../16 a description of heart-purity.htm