וּכְגַלְגַּ֖ל

Alphabet Analysis

The word

1. word🔊 וּכְגַלְגַּ֖ל

   u-khe-gal-GAL

   and like whirling-dust or tumbleweed
2. clause🔊 וְרֻדַּ֗ף כְּמֹ֤ץ הָרִים֙ לִפְנֵי־ר֔וּחַ וּכְגַלְגַּ֖ל לִפְנֵ֥י סוּפָֽה׃

   ve-rud-DAF ke-MOTS ha-RIM lif-ne-RU-akh u-khe-gal-GAL lif-NE su-FA

   and pursued or chased like chaff of mountains before wind and like whirling-dust or tumbleweed before storm or tempest
3. sentence🔊 לְאֻמִּ֗ים כִּשְׁא֞וֹן מַ֤יִם רַבִּים֙ יִשָּׁא֔וּן וְגָ֥עַר בּ֖וֹ וְנָ֣ מִמֶּרְחָ֑ק וְרֻדַּ֗ף כְּמֹ֤ץ הָרִים֙ לִפְנֵי־ר֔וּחַ וּכְגַלְגַּ֖ל לִפְנֵ֥י סוּפָֽה׃

   le-um-MIM kish-e-ON MA-yim ra-BIM yish-SA-un ve-ga-AR BO ve-NAS mim-me-r-khak ve-rud-DAF ke-MOTS ha-RIM lif-ne-RU-akh u-khe-gal-GAL lif-NE su-FA

   nations or peoples like a roar of waters many they roar but he rebuked or will rebuke it or him and he fled or will flee from afar and pursued or chased like chaff of mountains before wind and like whirling-dust or tumbleweed before storm or tempest

Exegesis

Two parallel similes—kə-mōṣ hā-rîm {כְּמֹ֤ץ הָרִים֙ | kə-mōṣ hā-rîm} ‘like chaff of the mountains’ and û-kə-ḡal-gal {וּכְגַלְגַּ֖ל | û-kə-ḡal-gal} ‘and like a wheel’—each modified by lifnê-rû-aḥ {לִפְנֵי־ר֔וּחַ | lif-nê-rû-aḥ} ‘before wind’ and lif-nê sû-phâ {לִפְנֵ֥י סוּפָֽה׃ | lif-nê sû-phâ} ‘before the whirlwind’, build a crescendo of unstoppable judgment. English rendering preserves the vav-consecutive narrative flow and the paired similes for heightened poetic intensity.