Lexical Summary
ca'ar: To storm, to rage, to be tempestuous
Original Word:סַעַר
Part of Speech:Noun
Transliteration:ca`ar
Pronunciation:sah-ahr'
Phonetic Spelling:(sah'-ar)
KJV: storm(-y), tempest, whirlwind
Word Origin:[fromH5590 (סָעַר - blown away)]
1. a hurricane
Strong's Exhaustive Concordance
stormy, tempest, whirlwind
Or (feminine) ctarah {seh-aw-raw'}; fromca'ar; a hurricane -- storm(-y), tempest, whirlwind.
see HEBREWca'ar
Brown-Driver-Briggs
Jeremiah 23:19 ; — absolute
Amos 1:14 5t.;
Psalm 55:9; plural suffix
Psalm 83:16; —
tempest, especially figurative: of passionate acts ofmen,
Psalm 55:9 ( here awkward, without ); of s wrath
Jeremiah 23:19 ( ), compare
Jeremiah 25:32;
Jeremiah 30:23;
tempest as instrument of s wrath,
Psalm 83:16 ("" ); see also
Amos 1:14 and
Joel 1:4,12.
; — absoluteIsaiah 29:6 + (so also2 Kings 2:1,11 Ginsb; Baer ); constructJeremiah 23:19;Jeremiah 30:23; pluralEzekiel 13:11,13 constructZechariah 9:14; —tempest, storm-wind, as instrument of s wrath,Isaiah 29:6 (+ ), compareIsaiah 40:24;Isaiah 41:16, alsoEzekiel 13:11,13 (against nation under figure of wall); storm-wind of Elijah's translation2 Kings 2:1,11; of theophanyEzekiel 1:4 ( ),Job 38:1;Job 40:6, andZechariah 9:14; as figurative of s wrathJeremiah 23:19;Jeremiah 30:23; of ordinary tempests only in late Psalms: Jer 107:25; Jer 148:8, opposed to Jer 107:29.
I, II, III. see .
(√ of following; compare Late Hebrew ,give to eat,id.; perhaps Palmyrenefeed, nourish, Lzb330 Cook85).
II. (= ); — only constructIsaiah 28:2a storm of destruction (in simile; "" ).
id. (= ); — of way ofNahum 1:3; figurative of s judgments;Job 9:17.
Topical Lexicon
Primary Imageryסַעַר consistently evokes the violence and suddenness of a whirlwind or tempest. Whether it tears across land (Jeremiah 25:32) or churns the sea (Psalm 107:25), the word keeps the reader’s imagination fixed on irresistible power unleashed from above.
Theophany and Revelation
1. Voice of God – “Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind” (Job 38:1; 40:6). Here the storm frames divine self-disclosure, underscoring that human wisdom is silenced when God speaks.
2. Transport of a Prophet – “Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven” (2 Kings 2:11). The same term that frightens mortals becomes the vehicle of translation, showing that what destroys can also exalt at God’s command.
3. Visionary Gateway – Ezekiel’s inaugural vision begins with “a whirlwind coming from the north” (Ezekiel 1:4). The storm functions as a curtain rising on the glory of the LORD, linking earthly turbulence with the order of the heavenly throne.
Instrument of Divine Judgment
• National judgment: “Behold, the storm of the LORD has gone out in fury—a whirlwind swirling down upon the heads of the wicked” (Jeremiah 23:19; 30:23).
• City-wide devastation: “I will kindle a fire in the wall of Rabbah…it shall be devoured in the midst of a storm” (Amos 1:14).
• Eschatological terror: “The LORD of Hosts will come…with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with whirlwind and storm” (Isaiah 29:6).
In every instance the whirlwind is not random weather but targeted retribution. The repetition ofJeremiah 23:19 and 30:23 cements the theme: judgment is swift, circular, and inescapable.
Deliverance and Protection
Contrasted with judgment, the same phenomenon can showcase salvation:
• “He stilled the storm to a whisper” (Psalm 107:29).
• Jonah, hurled into the sea to calm the storm (Jonah 1:12), prefigures substitutionary atonement: one life given so many may live.
• David longs to “take refuge…from the raging storm” (Psalm 55:8), teaching believers to run toward, not away from, the God who commands the tempest.
Prophetic and Eschatological Outlook
Zechariah 9:14 pictures the LORD appearing “with whirlwinds of the south.” The imagery anticipates the Day of the LORD when divine presence, judgment, and victory converge.Isaiah 40:24 and 41:16 add agricultural metaphors—whirlwinds uproot princes and scatter chaff—hinting that human power structures are as fragile as straw before God’s wind.
Historical Background
Ancient Near Eastern cultures credited storm-deities such as Baal with fertility and warfare. Scripture appropriates storm language to declare that YHWH alone wields atmospheric chaos. This polemic is especially clear in Psalms 83:15, where the psalmist asks God to “pursue them with Your tempest,” deliberately echoing Canaanite storm motifs while denying their autonomy.
Ministry Significance
1. Sovereignty – The whirlwind reminds congregations that no force in creation operates outside God’s decree.
2. Holiness and Judgment – Preaching the whirlwind passages confronts complacency; sin invites a storm no human can withstand.
3. Comfort – The God who sends the storm also stills it; believers may trust Him amid personal or national upheaval.
4. Christological Foreshadowing – Jesus’ rebuke of the wind and waves (Mark 4:39) answersPsalm 107:29, revealing the incarnate LORD of the whirlwind.
5. Evangelism – Jeremiah’s doubled warning (23:19; 30:23) turns storms into gospel opportunities: flee the coming wrath by taking refuge in Christ.
Summary
סַעַר weaves together revelation, judgment, and deliverance. It is the roar that hushes pride, the blast that topples empires, and, when stilled by divine mercy, the hush that brings peace.
Forms and Transliterations
בְּסַ֖עַר בְּסַעֲר֥וֹת בְּסַעֲרֶ֑ךָ בַּֽסְּעָרָ֖ה בַּֽסְעָרָ֖ה בסער בסערה בסערות בסערך הַסַּ֧עַר הַסְּעָרָ֗ה הסער הסערה וְסַ֖עַר וְסַ֣עַר וּסְעָרָ֔ה וּסְעָרָ֖ה וסער וסערה מִסָּֽעַר׃ מסער׃ סְ֝עָרָ֗ה סְ֭עָרָה סְעָר֖וֹת סְעָרָ֑ה סְעָרָ֗ה סְעָרָ֜ה סַ֖עַר סַֽעַר־ סַעֲרַ֣ת סער סער־ סערה סערות סערת bas‘ārāh bas·‘ā·rāh bas·sə·‘ā·rāh basaRah bassə‘ārāh basseaRah bə·sa·‘ă·re·ḵā bə·sa·‘ă·rō·wṯ bə·sa·‘ar bəsa‘ar bəsa‘ăreḵā bəsa‘ărōwṯ beSaar besaaRecha besaaRot has·sa·‘ar has·sə·‘ā·rāh hassa‘ar hasSaar hassə‘ārāh hasseaRah mis·sā·‘ar missā‘ar misSaar sa‘ar sa‘ar- sa‘ăraṯ sa·‘ă·raṯ sa·‘ar sa·‘ar- Saar saaRat sə‘ārāh sə‘ārōwṯ sə·‘ā·rāh sə·‘ā·rō·wṯ seaRah seaRot ū·sə·‘ā·rāh ūsə‘ārāh useaRah veSaar wə·sa·‘ar wəsa‘ar
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