God’s Word Translation
Psalms 97:2
2Clouds and darkness surround him. Righteousness and justice are the foundations of his throne.
Psalms 97:2 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.
- New International Version (NIV)Clouds and thick darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Clouds and darkness surround Him; Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.
Context of Psalms 97:2
1The Lord rules as king. Let the earth rejoice. Let all the islands be joyful. Clouds and darkness surround him. Righteousness and justice are the foundations of his throne. 3Fire spreads ahead of him. It burns his enemies who surround him. 4His flashes of lightning light up the world. The earth sees them and trembles.
Read all of Psalms 97Psalms 97:2 word by word
עָנָ֣ן וַעֲרָפֶ֣ל סְבִיבָ֑יו צֶ֥דֶק וּ֝מִשְׁפָּ֗ט מְכ֣וֹן כִּסְאֽוֹ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Psalms 97:2
- Psalms 18:11He made the darkness his hiding place, the dark rain clouds his covering.
- Psalms 77:19Your road went through the sea. Your path went through raging water, but your footprints could not be seen.
- Exodus 20:21The people kept their distance while Moses went closer to the dark cloud where God was.
- Exodus 24:16The glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered it, and on the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from inside the cloud.
- Deuteronomy 4:11So you came and stood at the foot of the mountain, which was on fire with flames shooting into the sky. It was dark, cloudy, and gloomy.
- 1 Kings 8:10When the priests left the holy place, a cloud filled the Lord’s temple.
- Nahum 1:3The Lord is patient and has great strength. The Lord will never let the guilty go unpunished. Raging winds and storms mark his path, and clouds are the dust from his feet.
- Romans 11:33God’s riches, wisdom, and knowledge are so deep that it is impossible to explain his decisions or to understand his ways.
- Psalms 45:6Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter in your kingdom is a scepter for justice.
- Psalms 89:14Righteousness and justice are the foundations of your throne. Mercy and truth stand in front of you.
- Psalms 99:4The king’s strength is that he loves justice. You have established fairness. You have done what is fair and right for Jacob.
- Genesis 18:25It would be unthinkable for you to do such a thing, to treat the innocent and the guilty alike and to kill the innocent with the guilty. That would be unthinkable! Won’t the judge of the whole earth do what is fair?”
- Hebrews 1:8But God said about his Son, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter in your kingdom is a scepter for justice.
- Proverbs 16:12Wrongdoing is disgusting to kings because a throne is established through righteousness.
Commentaries on Psalms 97:2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2Clouds and darkness are round about him - It is granted that this is a subject which cannot be comprehended. And why? Because God is infinite; he acts from his own counsels, which are infinite; in reference to ends which are also infinite: therefore, the reasons of his government cannot be comprehended by the feeble, limited powers of man. There must be clouds and darkness - an impenetrable obscurity, round about him; and we can no more comprehend him in…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2Clouds and darkness are round about him - This is a description of the majesty of God, derived probably from the manner in which he manifested himself at Mount Sinai. Exodus 19:16-19. God is often thus represented as encompassed with clouds. Psalm 104:3; Daniel 7:13; Matthew 24:30; Revelation 1:7. See the notes at Psalm 18:7-15. The word rendered “clouds” is the common word to denote a cloud; the word translated “darkness” means properly “thick clouds…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2-4Clouds … Fire … lightning: This language shows that the Lord is coming to judge.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-121-2. This dominion is a cause of joy, because, even though our minds are oppressed with terror before the throne of the King of kings (Ex 19:16; De 5:22), we know it is based on righteous principles and judgments which are according to truth.Read the comment
Topics related to Psalms 97:2
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Psalms 97
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Rashi on Tanakh
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- Keil & Delitzsch Commentary
- John Wesley’s Notes
- The Treasury of David
- Darby Translation Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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