Whirlwind
Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
(Isa. 17:13)—a violently rotating wind capable of lifting dust and debris and causing destruction. In desert regions a whirlwind may raise a column of sand; biblical poetry uses the image for sudden scattering and irresistible judgment. The psalmist asks God to make hostile powers “like whirling dust” and to pursue them with storm and tempest (Ps. 83:13-15). Prophetic descriptions should be read for their theological force as well as their natural imagery: what appears secure before human eyes can be swept away before the LORD.