Psalms 1:4 · Bible study
Psalms 1:4 Commentary: Chaff and Wind
Hebrew · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Psalm 1:4 contrasts the wicked with the righteous, comparing them to chaff driven away by the wind. Discover the meaning, context, and pastoral application.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The wicked are worthless and unstable like chaff, destined to be driven away by God's judgment.
- Key words: “not so” (לֹא־כֵן), “chaff” (מֹץ), “drives away” (תִּדְּפֶנּוּ), “wind” (רוּחַ).
- Main debate: Whether the verse emphasizes character or destiny, commentators agree it covers both.
- Theological theme: Divine justice: the fate of the wicked contrasts with the blessedness of the righteous.
- Best use: A warning against empty religion and a call to be rooted in God’s law.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Not so the wicked! For they are like chaff driven off by the wind.
WEB World English Bible 2000
The wicked are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away.
KJV King James Version 1769
The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
The wicked are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Not so the wicked: But--as chaff that wind driveth away!
Darby Darby Bible 1890
The wicked are not so; but are as the chaff which the wind driveth away.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Not so the wicked, not so: but like the dust, which the wind driveth from the face of the earth.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
No así los malos: sino como el tamo que arrebata el viento.
Os maus não são assim; mas são como a palha que o vento dispersa.
Il n’ en est pas ainsi des méchants:
Aber so sind die Gottlosen nicht, sondern wie Spreu, die der Wind verstreut.
Alzo zijn de goddelozen niet, maar als het kaf, dat de wind henendrijft.
Non così gli empi; anzi son come pula che il vento porta via.
Lecz nie tak niepobożni; ale są jako plewa, którą wiatr rozmiata.
Не так - нечестивые, [не так]: но они - как прах, возметаемый ветром [с лица земли].
惡人 並不是 這樣，乃 像糠秕 被風 吹散。
The evil-doers are not so; but are like the dust from the grain, which the wind takes away.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Biblical Hebrew)
Old Testament · Biblical Hebrew · Psalms 1:4
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that verse 4 draws a stark contrast to the tree of verse 3. The wicked are not like that fruitful, stable tree. Instead, they are like chaff, light, worthless, and easily driven away. Adam Clarke observes that there is “nothing solid in the men; nothing good in their ways.” They are not of God’s planting, only chaff to be separated by the wind of divine judgment. Barnes notes that the image comes from winnowing: chaff is blown away, illustrating the destiny of the wicked. Keil and Delitzsch emphasize that chaff has “no root below, no fruit above,” utterly worthless and unstable. Matthew Henry adds that such people are “light and vain,” with no substance. This shared reading affirms that the wicked are described both in character and in destiny: they are empty and will perish.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Low
What is clear: The wicked are compared to chaff that the wind drives away, indicating their worthlessness and ultimate destruction in contrast to the stable, fruitful righteous.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Character vs. Destiny | The verse describes both the worthless character of the wicked and their destruction. | Some commentators (e.g., Barnes) stress that the mind of the author is primarily on destiny; others (e.g., Cambridge Bible) see equal emphasis on character. Both affirm that the image covers both. |
| Textual variant: double negation | The Hebrew text reads a single 'not so'. | The Septuagint, Vulgate, and some versions (Douay) repeat 'not so' and add 'from the face of the earth.' Some see this as an elaboration for emphasis; others view it as a later addition. |
| Relation to the new covenant judgment | All traditions see this as a prophecy of final judgment. | Some traditions (e.g., Reformed) connect it directly to the last judgment; others (e.g., Catholic) also see it as referring to temporal judgments and the winnowing of the church. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Psalm 1:4 draws on the familiar agricultural practice of winnowing wheat. In ancient Israel, threshing floors were usually placed on high ground to catch the wind. After the grain was threshed, workers tossed it into the air with wooden shovels or winnowing fans. The heavy wheat fell back to the floor, while the lightweight chaff was carried away by the wind. As the Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges notes, “the scattering of chaff by the wind is a common figure in the O.T. for the sudden destruction of the wicked.”
Clarke describes the process: “They either throw it up in a place out of doors by a large wooden shovel against the wind; or with their weights or winnowing fans shake it down leisurely in the wind. The grain falls down nearly perpendicularly; and the chaff, through its lightness, is blown away to a distance from the grain.” This vivid imagery underscores both the worthlessness of the wicked (they are light, like chaff) and their inevitable judgment (the wind drives them away).
Cross-references reinforce this picture. Job 21:18 asks, “How often is it that they are as stubble before the wind, as chaff that the storm carries away?” Psalm 35:5 prays, “Let them be as chaff before the wind, Yahweh’s angel driving them on.” Isaiah 17:13 and 29:5 use the same metaphor. In the New Testament, John the Baptist declares that the Coming One will separate wheat from chaff and burn the chaff with unquenchable fire (Matthew 3:12).
For the original audience, this agricultural image was not remote. It was a daily reality. The threshing floor was a place of both labor and judgment. The verse invites readers to see that God’s winnowing will come. Those who live without root or substance will not stand.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note two minor textual variants. First, the Septuagint and Vulgate double the negation: “Not so the wicked, not so.” Adam Clarke records this reading, adding that it is followed by the Ethiopic and Arabic versions. Second, these same versions add “from the face of the earth” at the end of the verse (so the Douay). The Hebrew Masoretic Text (followed by WEB, KJV, ASV, BSB, YLT, Darby) has a single “not so” and no such addition.
Reception History
Psalm 1 has been treated as an introduction to the entire Psalter from early times. Some church fathers (e.g., Basil) called it a “preface” to the Psalms. The image of chaff was used by John the Baptist in Matthew 3:12, establishing a clear New Testament echo of judgment. Early Christian writers saw the verse as describing the fate of the unrighteous at the final judgment. During the Reformation, Calvin emphasized that the psalm sets the tone for meditating on God’s law. In Lutheran and Reformed tradition, the verse has been used in hymns about the two ways, often paired with the image of the tree. Across centuries, the chaff metaphor has served as a sober warning and a call to be rooted in God’s Word.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The Wicked Are the Opposite of the Righteous. Verse 4 opens with a blunt negation: “The wicked are not so.” They do not walk in God’s counsel, delight in His law, or produce lasting fruit. They are defined by contrast with the blessed man of verses 1, 3.
- The Wicked Are Worthless Like Chaff. Chaff has no root, no moisture, no fruit. It is light, unstable, and good for nothing. Commentators note that the wicked have no solidity: their “professions, friendships, etc., frothy, hollow, and insincere” (Clarke).
- The Wicked Will Be Scattered Like Chaff. The wind drives the chaff away. So God’s judgment will drive away the wicked. They cannot stand in the judgment (v. 5). Their way perishes (v. 6).
Five-point outline
- Negation: “Not so.” The wicked are not like the righteous in character or destiny.
- Character: Like chaff. Empty, rootless, fruitless.
- Destiny: Driven away. The wind of judgment removes them.
- Certainty: The wind will come. God’s winnowing is sure (see Matthew 3:12).
- Application: Choose which path. The psalm calls for decision: delight in God’s law or be scattered like chaff.
Illustration hooks
- A pile of dry leaves swept away by a gust of wind. They seem to exist for a moment, then vanish.
- Someone’s elaborate plans that fall apart because they had no real foundation.
- The winnowing scene itself: the farmer throws the grain, and the worthless husk disappears.
Questions your congregation is asking
- Why do the wicked seem to prosper while the righteous suffer?
- Is there a warning here for believers who are tempted to drift from God?
- What does it mean to be “like chaff” in daily life?
Leading a Discussion
Psalm 1:4 shows us that being “not so” as the righteous is not a neutral state. The wicked are compared to chaff, utterly worthless and destined to be blown away. This passage challenges us to examine our own roots. Do we have substance? Are we planted by streams of water, or are we drifting like chaff?
Discussion questions
- Read Psalm 1:1, 4. What contrasts does the psalmist draw between the righteous and the wicked?
- The image of chaff comes from winnowing grain. Why would this picture have been powerful for the original audience?
- How does the verse describe both the character and the destiny of the wicked?
- In what ways might a person be like chaff without realizing it?
- The cross-references (Job 21:18; Isaiah 17:13; Matthew 3:12) all use the same metaphor. What do they add to our understanding?
- Verse 5 says the wicked will not stand in the judgment. How does verse 4 prepare us for that statement?
- If you are a believer, how does this verse encourage you to stay rooted in God’s Word? If you are not sure about your spiritual condition, what step might you take to find solid ground?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Job 21:18 | How often is it that they are as stubble before the wind, as chaff that the storm carries away? |
| Psalms 35:5 | Let them be as chaff before the wind, Yahweh’s angel driving them on. |
| Isaiah 17:13 | The nations will rush like the rushing of many waters, but he will rebuke them, and they will flee far off, and will be chased like the chaff of the mountains before the wind, and like the whirling dust before the storm. |
| Isaiah 29:5 | But the multitude of your foes will be like fine dust, and the multitude of the ruthless ones like chaff that blows away. Yes, it will be in an instant, suddenly. |
| Hosea 13:3 | Therefore they will be like the morning mist, like the dew that passes away early, like the chaff that is driven with the whirlwind out of the threshing floor, and like the smoke out of the chimney. |
| Matthew 3:12 | His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will thoroughly cleanse his threshing floor. He will gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn up with unquenchable fire.” |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
11 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke draws a sharp contrast between the ungodly and the righteous: the ungodly have nothing solid in them and are like chaff blown away by the wind. He emphasizes that an ungodly person is never steady—his purposes fail, his words are empty, and both he and his works are carried off to destruction by the wind of God's judgment.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes notes that the psalm's contrast between the righteous and the wicked covers both character and destiny, but the author's immediate focus is on destiny. The wicked are not merely unlike a fruitful tree; they are like worthless chaff driven by the wind, emphasizing their instability and lack of value in God's universe.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin notes that the Hebrew word for "blessed" in this psalm is actually a plural exclamation, meaning something like "O the blessedness of the man!" This gives the opening a more emphatic force. He reads the whole psalm as a preface that urges the godly to meditate on God's law, promising true happiness to the devout and warning of a miserable end for the scornful.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
The chaff image describes both the worthless character of the wicked and their fate of being blown away. The figure gains force from the familiar sight of threshing floors on high ground, where winnowing scattered the chaff to vanish on the wind.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
The Geneva note draws a sharp contrast: whereas the righteous are like a firmly planted tree, the wicked are worthless chaff, easily blown away by the wind. Their instability and lack of substance show they have no lasting place.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill contrasts the ungodly with the righteous by describing them as worthless and unstable like chaff. They lack any spiritual substance or root, are driven by every wind of doctrine and temptation, and face certain ruin before God's judgments. Their end is to be burned with unquenchable fire.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB stresses that the wicked are the direct opposite of the righteous in both conduct and happiness. They resemble chaff during Eastern winnowing, completely blown away by the wind with no substance or lasting place.
Keil & Delitzsch OT Commentary Protestant 1876
Keil-Delitzsch emphasize that the ungodly, like chaff, have no root or stability. In God's judgment, which exposes the true character of every life, they cannot stand because their apparent prosperity has no divine foundation. God's "knowledge" of the righteous is an intimate, loving relationship that guides their path to its goal, while the ungodly's way perishes in darkness.
Lange's Commentary Reformed 1857
Lange emphasizes the deliberate progression in the verse from walking to standing to sitting, portraying sin as an escalating involvement that ends in scornful contempt. This gradation shows
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry draws out every dimension of the chaff image: worthless in God's sight, light and vain in character, easily driven by every wind of temptation, and finally swept away by the wrath of God. Unlike the solid, fruitful righteous, the ungodly have no substance or stability and will be permanently separated from the wheat.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley stresses that the ungodly have no true rest. Their apparent happiness has no solid foundation; it quickly vanishes and is blown away like chaff before the wind, showing the emptiness of their condition.