Psalm 35:5 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Let them be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the Lord driving them away!

NIV: May they be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the Lord driving them away;

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

CSB: Let them be like chaff in the wind, with the angel of the Lord driving them away.

NLT: Blow them away like chaff in the wind — a wind sent by the angel of the Lord.

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

NKJV: Let them be like chaff before the wind, And let the angel of the Lord chase them.

David asks the Lord to drive his enemies away just as the wind drives chaff away from a threshing floor. After grain was cut down and collected, it was "threshed" to break it apart into separate components. Farmers then intentionally tossed grain into the air so the wind would blow away the inedible husks and stems—the "chaff"—and the heavier grains would remain. "Chaff" is therefore a common metaphor for something undesirable, or worthless.

Psalm 1 contrasts the righteous and the wicked, stating that the righteous are blessed and productive but the wicked "are like chaff that the wind drives away" (Psalm 1:4). John the Baptist chided the hypocritical Pharisees and Sadducees by comparing them to chaff. He proclaimed, "[Messiah's] winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire" (Matthew 3:12). The Lord knows who belongs to Him, and someday He will gather them into heaven, but the unsaved He will drive into eternal destruction (Malachi 4:1; John 3:16–18, 36).

David sees his enemies as worthless, and he believes they are defenseless against the force of the angel of the Lord. The phrase "angel of the LORD" can refer to a specific manifestation of God, in a temporary physical form (Exodus 3:2; Judges 6:11). It can also be a general reference to one of God's spiritual messengers—angels—who enact His will (Matthew 1:24; Acts 5:19).

Psalm 35:1–10 is the first of three echoes in this psalm, each using the same basic themes. David asks the Lord for defense against enemies. He asks God to stand as his champion, fully armed and in opposition to David's foes. He asks the Lord to vindicate him and destroy the enemy. Each request is accompanied by praise. This segment compares to other "imprecatory psalms" written by David (Psalm 69:22–25; Psalm 109:8–15).

This is one of the "imprecatory psalms," which call on God to immediately judge or destroy His enemies. David echoes the same ideas in three phases. Each segment includes a plea for rescue, a request for God to conquer David's foes, and a promise to praise the Lord. David makes a point of noting that his enemies have no good reason for their hatred, since he was kind to them. With faith, David looks ahead, trusting he will have the opportunity to worship the Lord for His rescue and vindication.

David pleads with the Lord to destroy his enemies and vindicate him. As such, Psalm 35 is labeled an "imprecatory psalm." Other examples include psalms 5, 69, 109, and 140. This song might have been written when King Saul was seeking David's life (1 Samuel 19:1–2), or when Absalom was spreading rebellion in Israel (2 Samuel 15:13–14). David' notes three basic ideas in this psalm: vindication, defeat of enemies, and praise of God. Each is repeated in a series of three variations.

The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.