God’s Word Translation
Psalms 97:3
3Fire spreads ahead of him. It burns his enemies who surround him.
Psalms 97:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about.
- New International Version (NIV)Fire goes before him and consumes his foes on every side.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Fire goes before him and burns up his adversaries all around.
- New King James Version (NKJV)A fire goes before Him, And burns up His enemies round about.
Context of Psalms 97:3
1The Lord rules as king. Let the earth rejoice. Let all the islands be joyful. 2Clouds and darkness surround him. Righteousness and justice are the foundations of his throne. Fire 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. 5The mountains melt like wax in the presence of the Lord, in the presence of the Lord of the whole earth.
Read all of Psalms 97Psalms 97:3 word by word
אֵ֭שׁ לְפָנָ֣יו תֵּלֵ֑ךְ וּתְלַהֵ֖ט סָבִ֣יב צָרָֽיו׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Psalms 97:3
- Psalms 18:8Smoke went up from his nostrils, and a raging fire came out of his mouth. Glowing coals flared up from it.
- Psalms 21:8Your hand will discover all your enemies. Your powerful hand will find all who hate you.
- Psalms 50:3Our God will come and will not remain silent. A devouring fire is in front of him and a raging storm around him.
- 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.
- Deuteronomy 5:4The Lord spoke to you face to face from the fire on the mountain.
- Deuteronomy 32:22My anger has started a fire that will burn to the depths of hell. It will consume the earth and its crops and set the foundations of the mountains on fire.
- Daniel 7:10A river of fire flowed. It came from him. Thousands and thousands served him. Ten thousand times ten thousand were stationed in front of him. The court convened, and the books were opened.
- Nahum 1:5The mountains quake because of him. The hills melt. The earth draws back in his presence. The world and all who live in it draw back as well.
- Habakkuk 3:5Diseases go ahead of him. Plagues follow after him.
- Malachi 4:1“Certainly the day is coming! It will burn like a furnace. All arrogant people and all evildoers will be ⌞like⌟ straw. The day that is coming will burn them up completely,” says the Lord of Armies. “It won’t leave a single root or branch.
- 2 Thessalonians 1:8He will take revenge on those who refuse to acknowledge God and on those who refuse to respond to the Good News about our Lord Jesus.
- Hebrews 12:29After all, our God is a destructive fire.
- 2 Peter 3:10The day of the Lord will come like a thief. On that day heaven will pass away with a roaring sound. Everything that makes up the universe will burn and be destroyed. The earth and everything that people have done on it will be exposed.
- Revelation 11:5If anyone wants to hurt them, fire comes out of the witnesses’ mouths and burns up their enemies. If anyone wants to hurt them, he must be killed the same way.
- Revelation 20:15Those whose names were not found in the Book of Life were thrown into the fiery lake.
Commentaries on Psalms 97:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3A fire goeth before him - Literally, this and the following verse may refer to the electric fluid, or to manifestations of the Divine displeasure, in which, by means of ethereal fire, God consumed his enemies. But fire is generally represented as an accompaniment of the appearances of the Supreme Being. He appeared on Mount Sinai in the midst of fire, thunder, and lightninys, Exodus 19:16-18. Daniel, Daniel 7:9, Daniel 7:10, represents the Sovereign Judge…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3A fire goeth before him - See Psalm 18:13, note; Psalm 50:3, note. And burneth up his enemies round about - Is especially directed against his foes. That is, he manifests himself as a just God, inflicting vengeance on his enemies. He comes to reign, and in his reign all his foes will be destroyed.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. 3-53-5. The attending illustrations of God's awful justice on enemies (Psa 83:14) are seen in the disclosures of His almighty power on the elements of nature (compare Psa 46:2; 77:17; Ha 3:6, &c.).Read the comment
Topics related to Psalms 97:3
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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