'Wind' in the Bible
And God remembered and thought kindly of Noah and every living thing and all the animals that were with him in the ark; and God made a wind blow over the land, and the waters receded.
Then behold, seven ears [of grain], thin and dried up by the east wind, sprouted after them.
and lo, seven [other] ears, withered, thin, and scorched by the east wind, sprouted after them;
The seven thin and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years; and also the seven thin ears, dried up and scorched by the east wind, they are seven years of famine and hunger.
So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind on the land all that day and all that night; when it was morning, the east wind had brought the [swarms of] locusts.
So the Lord shifted the wind to a violent west wind which lifted up the locusts and drove them into the Red Sea; not one locust remained within the border of Egypt.
Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord swept the sea back by a strong east wind all that night and turned the seabed into dry land, and the waters were divided.
“You blew with Your wind, the sea covered them;[Clad in armor] they sank like lead in the mighty waters.
Now there went forth a wind from the Lord and it brought quails from the sea, and let them fall [so they flew low] beside the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and on the other side, all around the camp, about two cubits (three feet) deep on the surface of the ground.
“He rode on a cherub and flew;He appeared upon the wings of the wind.
So He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the Lord.” And behold, the Lord was passing by, and a great and powerful wind was tearing out the mountains and breaking the rocks in pieces before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind, [there was] an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake.
For thus says the Lord, ‘You will not see wind or rain, yet that valley will be filled with water, so you and your cattle and your other animals may drink.
“Do you intend to reprove my words [with a convincing argument],When the words of one in despair belong to the wind [and go ignored]?
“Remember that my life is but breath [a puff of wind, a sigh];My eye will not see good again.
“How long will you say these things?And will the words of your mouth be a mighty wind?
“Should a wise man [such as you] utter such windy and vain knowledge [as we have just heard]And fill himself with the east wind [of withering, parching, and violent accusations]?
“Is there no end to [your futile] words of wind?Or what plagues you [so much] that you [so boldly] answer [me like this]?
“Are they like straw before the wind,And like chaff that the storm steals and carries away?
“The east wind lifts him up, and he is gone;It sweeps him out of his place.
“When He gave weight and pressure to the windAnd allotted the waters by measure,
“Terrors are turned upon me;They chase away my honor and reputation like the wind,And my prosperity has passed away like a cloud.
“You lift me up on the wind and cause me to ride [upon it];And You toss me about in the tempest and dissolve me in the storm.
“Surely I would [proudly] bear it on my shoulder,And bind the scroll around my head like a crown.
You whose garments are hot,When He quiets the earth [in sultry summer] with the [oppressive] south wind?
“Now people cannot look at the light when it is bright in the skies [without being blinded],When the wind has passed and cleared them.
“Where is the way that the light is distributed,Or the east wind scattered over the earth?
The wicked [those who live in disobedience to God’s law] are not so,But they are like the chaff [worthless and without substance] which the wind blows away.
Upon the wicked (godless) He will rain coals of fire;Fire and brimstone and a dreadful scorching wind will be the portion of their cup [of doom].
And He rode upon a cherub (storm) and flew;And He sped on the wings of the wind.
Then I beat them fine as the dust before the wind;I emptied them out as the dirt of the streets.
Let them be [blown away] like chaff before the wind [worthless, without substance],With the angel of the Lord driving them on.
“I would hurry to my refuge [my tranquil shelter far away]From the stormy wind and from the tempest.”
He caused the east wind to blow in the heavensAnd by His [unlimited] power He guided the south wind.
For He [graciously] remembered that they were mere [human] flesh,A wind that goes and does not return.
O my God, make them like whirling dust,Like chaff before the wind [worthless and without substance].
For the wind passes over it and it is no more,And its place knows it no longer.
Who lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters [above the firmament],Who makes the clouds His chariot,Who walks on the wings of the wind,
For He spoke and raised up a stormy wind,Which lifted up the waves of the sea.
Who causes the clouds to rise from the ends of the earth;Who makes lightning for the rain,Who brings the wind from His storehouses;
He sends out His word and melts the ice;He causes His wind to blow and the waters to flow.
Lightning and hail, snow and fog;Stormy wind, fulfilling His orders;
Praise Him with tambourine and dancing;Praise Him with stringed instruments and flute.
So that she does not think [seriously] about the path of life;Her ways are aimless and unstable; you cannot know where her path leads.
He who troubles (mismanages) his own house will inherit the wind (nothing),And the foolish will be a servant to the wise-hearted.
Like clouds and wind without rainIs a man who boasts falsely of gifts [he does not give].
The north wind brings forth rain;And a backbiting tongue, an angry countenance.
Whoever attempts to restrain her [criticism] might as well try to stop the wind,And grasps oil with his right hand.
Who has ascended into heaven and descended?Who has gathered the wind in His fists?Who has bound the waters in His garment?Who has established all the ends of the earth?What is His name, and what is His Son’s name?Certainly you know!
The wind blows toward the south,Then circles toward the north;The wind circles and swirls endlessly,And on its circular course the wind returns.
I have seen all the works which have been done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity, a futile grasping and chasing after the wind.
And I set my mind to know [practical] wisdom and to discern [the character of] madness and folly [in which men seem to find satisfaction]; I realized that this too is a futile grasping and chasing after the wind.
Then I considered all which my hands had done and labored to do, and behold, all was vanity and chasing after the wind and there was no profit (nothing of lasting value) under the sun.
So I hated life, for the work which had been done under the sun caused me only great sorrow; because all is futility and chasing after the wind.
For to the person who pleases Him God gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy; but to the sinner He gives the work of gathering and collecting so that he may give to one who pleases God. This too is vanity and chasing after the wind.
I have seen that every [effort in] labor and every skill in work comes from man’s rivalry with his neighbor. This too is vanity (futility, false pride) and chasing after the wind.
One hand full of rest and patience is better than two fists full of labor and chasing after the wind.
There is no end to all the people; to all who were before them. Yet those who come later will not be happy with him. Surely this also is vanity (emptiness) and chasing after the wind.
This also is a grievous evil—exactly as he was born, so he shall die. So what advantage has he who labors for the wind?
What the eyes see [enjoying what is available] is better than [craving] what the soul desires. This too is futility and chasing after the wind.
He who watches the wind [waiting for all conditions to be perfect] will not sow [seed], and he who looks at the clouds will not reap [a harvest].
Just as you do not know the way and path of the wind or how the bones are formed in the womb of a pregnant woman, even so you do not know the activity of God who makes all things.
(The Shulammite Bride)“Awake, O north wind,And come, south wind [blow softly upon my garden];Make my garden breathe out fragrance, [for the one in whom my soul delights],Let its spices flow forth.Let my beloved come into his gardenAnd eat its choicest fruits.” Cross references: Song of Solomon 4:7 : John 14:18; Eph 5:27 Song of Solomon 4:8 : 2 Cor 11:2, 3 Song of Solomon 4:10 : John 15:9; Rom 8:35 Song of Solomon 4:13 : John 15:5; Eph 5:9 Song of Solomon 4:15 : John 4:10; 7:37, 38 end of crossrefs
When the house of David (Judah) was told, “Aram is allied with Ephraim (Israel),” the hearts of Ahaz and his people trembled as the trees of the forest tremble in the wind.
And the Lord will utterly destroyThe tongue of the Sea of Egypt;And with His scorching windHe will wave His hand over the River;He will strike and divide it into seven channelsAnd make [it possible for] people [to] walk over in sandals.
The nations roar on like the roaring of many waters,But God will rebuke them and they will flee far away,And be chased like chaff on the mountains before the wind,Or like whirling dust before the storm.
We have been with child, we have twisted and struggled in labor;We gave birth, as it seems, only to wind.We could not accomplish salvation for the earth,Nor were inhabitants of the world born.
You contended with them by exile, by driving them away [from Canaan];He has expelled them with His fierce wind on the day of the east wind.
Bread grain is crushed fine,Indeed, the farmer does not continue to thresh it forever.Because the wheel of his cart and his horses eventually damage it,He does not thresh it longer.
Each [one of them] will be like a hiding place from the windAnd a shelter from the storm,Like streams of water in a dry land,Like the shade of a huge rock in a parched and weary land [to those who turn to them].
“You will winnow them, and the wind will carry them away,And a high wind will scatter them;But you will rejoice in the Lord,You will glory in the Holy One of Israel.
“In fact, all of these [pagan prophets and priests] are false;Their works are worthless,Their cast images are [merely] wind and emptiness.
“They will not hunger or thirst,Nor will the scorching heat or sun strike them down;For He who has compassion on them will lead them,And He will guide them to springs of water.
“When you cry out [for help], let your [ridiculous] collection of idols save you.But the wind will carry them all away,A [mere] breath will take them.But he who takes refuge in Me will possess the land [Judea]And will inherit My holy mountain.”
For we all have become like one who is [ceremonially] unclean [like a leper],And all our deeds of righteousness are like filthy rags;We all wither and decay like a leaf,And our wickedness [our sin, our injustice, our wrongdoing], like the wind, takes us away [carrying us far from God’s favor, toward destruction].
For indeed, the Lord will come in fireAnd His chariots will be like the stormy wind,To render His anger with rage,And His rebuke with flames of fire.
Or [you have the untamed and reckless nature of] a wild donkey accustomed to the wilderness,That sniffs the wind in her passion [for the scent of a mate].In her mating season who can restrain her?No males seeking her need to weary themselves;In her month they will find her [looking for them].
In that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, “A scorching wind from the barren heights in the wilderness [comes at My command] against the daughter of My people—not [a wind] to winnow and not to cleanse [from chaff, as when threshing, but]
a wind too strong and full for this comes at My word. Now I will also speak judgment against My people.”
“The prophets are like the wind [their prophecy will not come to pass],And the word [of God] is not in them.In this manner it will be done to them [as they prophesied, not to us].”
When He utters His voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens,And He causes the clouds and the mist to ascend from the end of the earth;He makes lightning for the rain,And brings out the wind from His treasuries and from His storehouses.
“Therefore I will scatter you like drifting straw[Driven away] by the desert wind.
‘I will scatter them like an east windBefore the enemy;I will show them My back and not My faceIn the day of their disaster [says the Lord].’”
“The wind [of adversity] will carry away all your shepherds (rulers, statesmen),And your lovers (allies) will go into exile.Surely then you will be ashamed and humiliated and disgracedBecause of all your wickedness.
Thus says the Lord:“Behold, I am going to stir up and put into action [a fury] against BabylonAnd against the [rebellious] people of Leb-kamai (Chaldea)A destroying wind and hostile spirit;
When He utters His voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens,And He causes the clouds to ascend from the ends of the earth.He makes lightnings for the rainAnd brings out the wind from His storehouses.
As I looked, I saw a stormy wind coming out of the north, a great cloud with fire flashing continually from it; and a brightness was around it, and in its core [there was] something like glowing [amber-colored] metal in the midst of the fire.
You shall burn one third with fire in the center of the city, when the days of the siege are completed. Then you shall take one third and strike it with the sword all around the city, and one third you shall scatter to the wind; and I will unsheathe a sword behind them.
I will scatter to every wind all who are around him, his helpers and all his troops; and I will draw out a sword after them.
so tell those who plaster it with whitewash, that it will fall! A flooding rain [of judgment] will come, and you, O [great] hailstones, will fall; and a violent wind will tear the wall apart.
Therefore, thus says the Lord God, “I will make a violent wind break out in My wrath, and there will be in My anger an overwhelming rain and great hailstones to destroy [that wall] in wrath.
Though it is planted, will it thrive and grow? Will it not completely wither when the east wind touches it? It will wither in the beds where it grew.”’”
All the choice men [from Judah] in all his troops will fall by the sword, and those that survive will be scattered to every wind; and you will know [without any doubt] that I the Lord have spoken.”
‘But the vine was uprooted in [godly] wrath [by His representative]And it was thrown down to the ground;The east wind dried up its fruit.Its strong branch was broken offSo that it withered;The fire [of God’s judgment] consumed it.
“Your rowers have brought youInto great and deep waters;The east wind has broken and shipwrecked youIn the heart of the seas.
Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together and became like the chaff from the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away so that not a trace of them could be found. And the stone that struck the statue became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.
The wind [of God’s relentless wrath] has wrapped up Israel in its wings,And [in captivity] they will be ashamed because of their sacrifices [to calves, to sun, to moon, to stars, and to pagan gods].
For they sow the wind [in evil]And they reap the whirlwind [in disaster].The standing grain has no growth;It yields no grain.If it were to yield, strangers would swallow it up.
Ephraim feeds on the [emptiness of the] windAnd [continually] pursues the [parching] east wind [which brings destruction];Every day he multiplies lies and violence.Further, he makes a covenant with AssyriaAnd (olive) oil is carried to Egypt [to seek alliances].
For though he flourishes among the reeds (his fellow tribes),An east wind (Assyria) will come,The breath of the Lord rising from the desert;And Ephraim’s spring will become dryAnd his fountain will be dried up.Assyria will plunder his treasury of every precious object.