Lexical Summary
cuwphah: Storm, whirlwind, tempest
Original Word:סוּפָה
Part of Speech:noun feminine; proper name, of a location
Transliteration:cuwphah
Pronunciation:soo-fah'
Phonetic Spelling:(soo-faw')
KJV: Red Sea, storm, tempest, whirlwind, Red sea
Word Origin:[fromH5486 (סוּף - come to an end)]
1. a hurricane
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
Red Sea, storm, tempest, whirlwind, Red sea
Fromcuwph; a hurricane -- Red Sea, storm, tempest, whirlwind, Red sea.
see HEBREWcuwph
Brown-Driver-Briggs
I. (that
makes an end ?); — absolute
Isaiah 5:28 +;
Hosea 8:7 (Ges
§ 90f.); suffix
Psalm 83:16; plural
Isaiah 21:1; —
strom-wind,
Amos 1:14;
Nahum 1:3 ("" ),
Isaiah 17:13 ("" ),
Job 37:9;
Isaiah 21:1, as driving chaff
Job 21:18 (verb ; in simile), simile of rushing chariots
Isaiah 5:28;
Isaiah 66:15;
Jeremiah 4:13, of ruin
Proverbs 1:27; compare
Proverbs 10:25; symbolic of s judgments,
Hosea 8:7;
Psalm 83:16 ("" ),
Job 27:20 (verb ),
Isaiah 29:6 ( + ).
II. ; — only in phrase in ancient poetry fragmentNumbers 21:14; TristrMoab 50 compareS¹fieh (
), southeast oasis of Dead Sea, but =
is most improbable
Topical Lexicon
The Whirlwind as a Manifestation of Divine PowerSūpāh depicts a sudden, violent storm-wind that God employs to display His supremacy over creation and history. Whether scattering the chaff of the wicked (Job 21:18) or accompanying the majestic arrival of the Lord Himself (Nahum 1:3), the whirlwind stands as an unmistakable emblem of divine initiative: unseen, irresistible, and perfectly controlled by its Maker.
Occurrences across the Canon
Numbers 21:14;Job 21:18;Job 27:20;Job 37:9;Psalm 83:15;Proverbs 1:27;Proverbs 10:25;Isaiah 5:28;Isaiah 17:13;Isaiah 21:1;Isaiah 29:6;Isaiah 66:15;Jeremiah 4:13;Hosea 8:7;Amos 1:14;Nahum 1:3.
Poetic and Wisdom Literature
Job repeatedly uses the whirlwind to illustrate the fleeting security of the ungodly: “Terrors overtake him like a flood; a storm sweeps him away in the night” (Job 27:20).Proverbs 10:25 draws the pastoral contrast between transient wickedness and lasting righteousness: “When the whirlwind passes, the wicked are no more, but the righteous are secure forever.” The storm-wind becomes a pedagogical tool—warning the simple, reassuring the faithful, and pressing every reader toward the fear of the Lord, which alone grounds stability.
Covenant Judgment in the Psalms
Psalm 83:15 prays, “Pursue them with Your tempest; terrify them with Your storm,” invoking sūpāh as a covenantal sanction against enemies of God’s people. The appeal springs from trust that the same force able to topple nations also shields the saints who call on His name.
Prophetic Oracles of Warning
Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, Amos, and Nahum intensify the imagery.Isaiah 66:15 envisions the eschatological day: “For behold, the Lord will come with fire—His chariots are like a whirlwind—to execute His anger with fury.”Hosea 8:7 warns apostate Israel, “They sow the wind, and they reap the whirlwind,” exposing the moral logic that sin inevitably invites a magnified return of chaos.Nahum 1:3 anchors Nineveh’s doom in a timeless theological axiom: “His way is in the whirlwind and storm.” The prophets thus apply sūpāh to both immediate historical crises and the climactic visitation of the Lord.
Historical Backdrop
Ancient Near-Eastern cultures feared desert storm-winds that could strip vegetation, collapse tents, and reroute armies. By appropriating that experience, Scripture communicates that real-world power belongs to the covenant God, not to Baal or regional deities thought to control the weather.
Reassurance for the Righteous
While sūpāh usually conveys judgment, it implicitly comforts believers: the same Lord who stirs the tempest also stills it.Proverbs 1:27 warns the unresponsive listener of “destruction like a whirlwind,” yet the surrounding context promises “whoever listens to Me will dwell in safety” (Proverbs 1:33). Divine wrath is never arbitrary; it is measured, purposeful, and always harmonious with His steadfast love.
Ministry Implications
1. Preaching: The whirlwind motif calls for sober proclamation of both sin’s gravity and God’s mercy.
2. Pastoral Care: Remind sufferers that destructive forces remain under God’s governance; no storm surpasses His plan (Romans 8:28).
3. Discipleship: Encourage believers to build on the unshakable foundation of obedience so that, when storms come, their faith stands firm (cf.Matthew 7:24-27).
Christological and Eschatological Outlook
The Gospels record Jesus rebuking literal winds and waves, implicitly answering the Old Testament portrayal of Yahweh’s sovereignty in the whirlwind. At His return, the imagery culminates: “His chariots are like a whirlwind” (Isaiah 66:15) anticipatesRevelation 19:11-16, where the Rider on the white horse brings final judgment. Thus sūpāh spans redemptive history from temporal judgments to the consummation, urging every generation to seek refuge in the crucified and risen Lord before the final storm breaks.
Forms and Transliterations
בְּסוּפָ֔ה בְּסוּפָ֤ה בסופה וְכַסּוּפָ֖ה וְכַסּוּפָה֙ וְסוּפָ֣תָה וּבְסוּפָתְךָ֥ ובסופתך וכסופה וסופתה כְּסוּפ֤וֹת כְּסוּפָ֣ה כַּסּוּפָֽה׃ כסופה כסופה׃ כסופות ס֭וּפָה סוּפָ֑ה סוּפָֽה׃ סוּפָה֙ סופה סופה׃ bə·sū·p̄āh besuFah bəsūp̄āh kas·sū·p̄āh kassuFah kassūp̄āh kə·sū·p̄āh kə·sū·p̄ō·wṯ kesuFah kesuFot kəsūp̄āh kəsūp̄ōwṯ sū·p̄āh suFah sūp̄āh ū·ḇə·sū·p̄ā·ṯə·ḵā ūḇəsūp̄āṯəḵā uvesufateCha vechassuFah vesuFatah wə·ḵas·sū·p̄āh wə·sū·p̄ā·ṯāh wəḵassūp̄āh wəsūp̄āṯāh
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