H5591a H5591a
Tempest, violent storm; often figurative for God's wrathful judgment sweeping upon the wicked.
A masculine noun for a fierce tempest or whirlwind, used both literally and as a powerful figure for divine wrath. In Jeremiah's repeated oracle, 'a whirling tempest' (sa'ar mithholel) bursts forth upon the heads of the wicked (Jer 23:19; 25:32; 30:23). The Psalms employ it for the overwhelming force from which the righteous cry for deliverance (Ps 55:8) and as an instrument of God's pursuit of his enemies (Ps 83:15). Amos 1:14 pairs it with the day of storm as a metaphor for military devastation. German Sturm and French tempete, alongside Spanish tormenta, all converge on the image of violent, overwhelming atmospheric power.
Senses
1. tempest, storm, whirlwind — A violent windstorm, tempest, or whirlwind, frequently employed as a metaphor for divine judgment. The prophetic usage is dominant: Jeremiah's refrain describes YHWH's wrath as 'a whirling tempest' bursting on the heads of the wicked (Jer 23:19; 25:32; 30:23). In Ps 55:8, the psalmist seeks escape 'from the rushing wind, from the tempest,' while Ps 83:15 calls on God to pursue enemies with his tempest. Amos 1:14 links it to military destruction 'on the day of storm.' The cross-linguistic evidence -- German Sturm, French tempete, Spanish tormenta -- uniformly conveys violent atmospheric devastation, confirming the single semantic core of overwhelming destructive force. 8×
AR["الْعَاصِفَةُ", "بِ-عاصِفَةٍ", "بِعَاصِفَتِكَ", "عَاصِفَةٌ", "مِن-عاصِفَةٍ", "وَ-عَاصِفَةٌ"]·ben["আর-ঝড়", "ও-বাতাস", "ঝড়", "ঝড়-", "ঝড়ে", "তোমার-ঝড়ে", "প্রচণ্ড", "হইতে-তুফানের"]·DE["Sturm", "[וסער]", "[סער]", "der-Sturm", "in-Sturm", "mit-dein-tempest", "von-tempest"]·EN["a-storm-", "and-a-storm", "and-a-whirling", "from-tempest", "storm", "the-storm", "with-storm", "with-your-tempest"]·FR["[וסער]", "[סער]", "dans-la-tempête", "dans-tempête", "de-tempête", "la-tempête"]·heb["ב-סער", "ב-סערתך", "ה-סער", "ו-סער", "מ-סער", "סער", "סער-"]·HI["अपनी-आँधी-से", "आँधी", "और-बवंडर", "तूफ़ान", "तूफ़ान-", "में-आँधी"]·ID["badai", "badai-", "dan-angin-puyuh", "dan-badai", "dengan-badai", "dengan-badai-Mu"]·IT["[בסער]", "[הסער]", "[וסער]", "[סער]", "tempesta"]·jav["ing-prahara", "kanthi-prahara-Panjenengan", "lan-prahara", "prahara", "prahara-"]·KO["그-폭풍-이", "그리고-폭풍이", "당신-의-폭풍-으로", "폭풍-에서", "폭풍-이", "폭풍과-함께", "폭풍이"]·PT["a-tempestade", "com-tempestade", "com-tua-tempestade", "da-tempestade", "e-tempestade", "tempestade"]·RU["бурей-Твоей", "буря", "буря-", "и-буря", "и-вихрь", "от-бури", "при-буре"]·ES["con-tempestad-de-ti", "con-tormenta", "de-tormenta", "la-tempestad", "tempestad", "tormenta", "y-tempestad", "y-tormenta"]·SW["dhoruba", "kutoka-tufani", "kwa-dhoruba", "kwa-dhoruba-yako", "na-kimbunga"]·TR["fırtına", "fırtına-", "fırtına-o", "fırtınadan-", "fırtınanla", "fırtınayla", "ve-fırtına", "ve-kasırga"]·urd["آندھی", "اور-طوفان", "بِ-اپنی-آندھی", "طوفان", "طوفان-", "طوفان-میں", "مِن-آندَھی"]
Related Senses
H4325 1. water, waters (582×)H6965b 1. Qal: to rise, arise, get up (432×)H2091 1. gold (the metal) (389×)H0068 1. stone, rock (material/object) (267×)H5178a 1. bronze/copper as metal (131×)H6083 1. dust, dry earth, soil (108×)H8313 1. burn, set fire to (94×)H2734 1. anger was kindled (82×)G5204 1. water (80×)H2822 1. darkness, absence of light (80×)G5457 1. light (illumination) (71×)G0450 1. rise, stand up (physical) (69×)H6965b 2. Qal: to stand firm, endure, be valid (50×)H6999a 2. burn sacrifice on altar (Hifil) (45×)H5553 1. rock, cliff (physical feature) (43×)H6965b 4. Hifil: to establish, confirm (covenant/kingdom/word) (40×)H1197a 1. burn, be on fire (39×)H4306 1. rain, showers (38×)H1653 1. rain, precipitation (34×)G4655 1. darkness (30×)
BDB / Lexicon Reference
† סַ֫עַר n.m. Je 23:19 tempest;—abs. ס׳ Am 1:14 + 5 times; סָ֑עַר ψ 55:9; pl. sf. סַעֲרֶיךָ 83:16;—tempest, especially fig.: of passionate acts of men, מֵרוּחַ סֹעָה מִסָּ֑עַר ψ 55:9 (מִסּ׳ here awkward, without ו); of י׳’s wrath Je 23:19 (ס׳ מִתְחוֹלֵל), cf. 25:32; 30:23; tempest as instr. of י׳’s wrath, ψ 83:16 (‖ סוּפָה); v. also בְּסַעַר בְּיוֹם סוּפָה Am 1:14 and Jon 1:4, 12.