Isaiah 57:13

57:13 When you cry out for help, let your idols ¹  help you!

The wind blows them all away, ² 

a breeze carries them away. ³ 

But the one who looks to me for help ⁴  will inherit the land

and will have access to ⁵  my holy mountain.”

Psalms 1:4

1:4 Not so with the wicked!

Instead ⁶  they are like wind-driven chaff. ⁷ 

Jeremiah 4:11-12

4:11 “At that time the people of Judah and Jerusalem ⁸  will be told,

‘A scorching wind will sweep down

from the hilltops in the desert on ⁹  my dear people. ¹⁰ 

It will not be a gentle breeze

for winnowing the grain and blowing away the chaff. ¹¹ 

4:12 No, ¹²  a wind too strong for that will come at my bidding.

Yes, even now I, myself, am calling down judgment on them.’ ¹³ 

Hosea 4:19

4:19 A whirlwind has wrapped them in its wings;

they will be brought to shame because of their idolatrous worship. ¹⁴ 

Zechariah 5:8-11

5:8 He then said, “This woman represents wickedness,” and he pushed her down into the basket and placed the lead cover on top. 5:9 Then I looked again and saw two women ¹⁵  going forth with the wind in their wings (they had wings like those of a stork) and they lifted up the basket between the earth and the sky. 5:10 I asked the messenger who was speaking to me, “Where are they taking the basket?” 5:11 He replied, “To build a temple ¹⁶  for her in the land of Babylonia. ¹⁷  When it is finished, she will be placed there in her own residence.”

¹ tn The Hebrew text has קִבּוּצַיִךְ (qibbutsayikh, “your gatherings”), an otherwise unattested noun from the verbal root קָבַץ (qavats, “gather”). Perhaps this alludes to their religious assemblies and by metonymy to their rituals. Since idolatry is a prominent theme in the context, some understand this as a reference to a collection of idols. The second half of the verse also favors this view.

² tn Heb “all of them a wind lifts up.”

³ tn Heb “a breath takes [them] away.”

⁴ tn Or “seeks refuge in me.” “Seeking refuge” is a metonymy for “being loyal to.”

⁵ tn Heb “possess, own.” The point seems to be that he will have free access to God’s presence, as if God’s temple mount were his personal possession.

⁶ tn Here the Hebrew expression כִּי־אִם (ki-’im, “instead,” cf. v. 2) introduces a contrast between the prosperity of the godly depicted in v. 3 and the destiny of the wicked described in v. 4.

⁷ tn Heb “[they are] like the chaff which [the] wind blows about.” The Hebrew imperfect verbal form draws attention to the typical nature of the action described.

⁸ tn Heb “this people and Jerusalem.”

⁹ tn Heb “A scorching wind from the hilltops in the desert toward…”

¹⁰ tn Heb “daughter of my people.” The term “daughter of” is appositional to “my people” and is supplied in the translation as a term of sympathy and endearment. Compare the common expression “daughter of Zion.”

¹¹ tn Heb “not for winnowing and not for cleansing.” The words “It will not be a gentle breeze” are not in the text but are implicit in the connection. They are supplied in the translation here for clarification.

¹² tn The word “No” is not in the text but is carried over from the connection with the preceding line “not for…”

¹³ tn Heb “will speak judgments against them.”

¹⁴ tn Heb “their altars” (so NAB, NRSV) or “their sacrifices” (so KJV, NASB, NIV). Here זִבְחוֹתָם (zivkhotam, “altars; sacrifices”) is a metonymy of association for Israel’s apostate idolatrous Baal worship.

¹⁵ sn Here two women appear as the agents of the Lord because the whole scene is feminine in nature. The Hebrew word for “wickedness” in v. 8 (רִשְׁעָה) is grammatically feminine, so feminine imagery is appropriate throughout.

¹⁶ tn Heb “house” (so NIV, NRSV, CEV).

¹⁷ sn The land of Babylonia (Heb “the land of Shinar”) is another name for Sumer and Akkad, where Babylon was located (Gen 10:10). Babylon throughout the Bible symbolizes the focus of anti-God sentiment and activity (Gen 11:4; 14:1; Isa 13–14; 47:1-3; Jer 50–51; Rev 14:8; 17:1, 5, 18; 18:21).