The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind scatters.
The condition of the wicked is sharply contrasted with the tree planted by the waters. They are like chaff—light, empty, and without the remnant of a root—which the wind easily scatters. In ancient times, after threshing the wheat, they would throw it into the air so that the wind would carry away the useless chaff while the heavy grain remained. This image shows that a life separated from God may seem strong or successful for a time, yet it has no eternal stability. The wicked person is not nourished by the truth, and his works cannot endure God’s examination. The wind symbolizes the judgment and testing that reveal the true worth of a person’s life. The image of chaff also warns about outward religiosity: a person may appear among God’s people, yet inwardly have no living faith. Therefore the believer must seek not merely outward belonging, but a heart renewed in Christ and fruit born of the Holy Spirit.