A violent wind, often associated with the presence and activity of God.
The presence of God in whirlwinds
In replying to Job
Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind and said:
In the forces of nature
Your thunder resounded in the whirlwind; the lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked.
In taking Elijah up to heaven
2 Kings 2:11 See also 2 Kings 2:1; Nahum 1:3
As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire with horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up into heaven in a whirlwind.
Whirlwinds as symbols of disaster or divine judgment
Isaiah 40:24; Jeremiah 23:19 See also Proverbs 1:27; Isaiah 5:28, Isaiah 21:1, Isaiah 66:15; Jeremiah 4:13; Hosea 4:19, Hosea 8:7; Zechariah 7:14
No sooner are they planted, no sooner are they sown, no sooner have their stems taken root in the ground, than He blows on them and they wither, and a whirlwind sweeps them away like stubble.
Behold, the storm of the LORD has gone out with fury, a whirlwind swirling down upon the heads of the wicked.
Related themes
Dictionary of Bible Themes © 1999 Martin Manser, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, via Bible Aquifer. Formatted for this site, with Scripture from the Berean Standard Bible.