New English Translation
Psalms 18:8
8Smoke ascended from his nose; fire devoured as it came from his mouth; he hurled down fiery coals.
Psalms 18:8 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.
- New International Version (NIV)Smoke rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him.
- New King James Version (NKJV)Smoke went up from His nostrils, And devouring fire from His mouth; Coals were kindled by it.
Context of Psalms 18:8
6In my distress I called to the Lord; I cried out to my God. From his heavenly temple he heard my voice; he listened to my cry for help. 7The earth heaved and shook; the roots of the mountains trembled; they heaved because he was angry. Smoke ascended from his nose; fire devoured as it came from his mouth; he hurled down fiery coals. 9He made the sky sink as he descended; a thick cloud was under his feet. 10He mounted a winged angel and flew; he glided on the wings of the wind.
Read all of Psalms 18Psalms 18:8 word by word
עָ֘לָ֤ה עָשָׁ֨ן׀ בְּאַפּ֗וֹ וְאֵשׁ־מִפִּ֥יו תֹּאכֵ֑ל גֶּ֝חָלִ֗ים בָּעֲר֥וּ מִמֶּֽנּוּ׃Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Psalms 18:8
- Psalms 11:6May the Lord rain down burning coals and brimstone on the wicked! A whirlwind is what they deserve!
- Psalms 21:9You burn them up like a fiery furnace when you appear; the Lord angrily devours them; the fire consumes them.
- Psalms 74:1Why, O God, have you permanently rejected us? Why does your anger burn against the sheep of your pasture?
- Psalms 104:32He looks down on the earth and it shakes; he touches the mountains and they start to smolder.
- Psalms 144:5O Lord, make the sky sink and come down! Touch the mountains and make them smolder!
- Genesis 19:28He looked out toward Sodom and Gomorrah and all the land of that region. As he did so, he saw the smoke rising up from the land like smoke from a furnace.
- Leviticus 10:2So fire went out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them so that they died before the Lord.
- Numbers 11:1When the people complained, it displeased the Lord. When the Lord heard it, his anger burned, and so the fire of the Lord burned among them and consumed some of the outer parts of the camp.
- Numbers 16:35Then a fire went out from the Lord and devoured the 250 men who offered incense.
- Deuteronomy 29:20The Lord will be unwilling to forgive him, and his intense anger will rage against that man; all the curses written in this scroll will fall upon him and the Lord will obliterate his name from memory.
- 2 Thessalonians 1:8With flaming fire he will mete out punishment on those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
- Daniel 7:10A river of fire was streaming forth and proceeding from his presence. Many thousands were ministering to him; Many tens of thousands stood ready to serve him. The court convened and the books were opened.
- Amos 4:11“I overthrew some of you the way God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. You were like a burning stick snatched from the flames. Still you did not come back to me.” The Lord is speaking!
- Nahum 1:5The mountains tremble before him, the hills convulse; the earth is laid waste before him, the world and all its inhabitants are laid waste.
- Revelation 11:5If anyone wants to harm them, fire comes out of their mouths and completely consumes their enemies. If anyone wants to harm them, they must be killed this way.
Commentaries on Psalms 18:8
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8There went up a smoke out of his nostrils - Or, 'There ascended into his nostrils a smoke,' as the words, literally rendered, signify. The ancients placed the seat of anger in the nose, or nostrils; because when the passions are warm and violent, it discovers itself by the heated vehement breath which proceeds from them. Hence the physiognomists considered open wide nostrils as a sign of an angry, fiery disposition. "This description of a smoke arising…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8There went up a smoke out of his nostrils - Margin, “by his;” that is, as it is understood in the margin, the smoke seemed to be produced “by” his nostrils, or to be caused by his breathing. The comparison, according to Rosenmuller and DeWette, is derived from wild beasts when excited with anger, and when their rage is indicated by their violent breathing. Compare Psalm 74:1; Deuteronomy 29:20; Isaiah 65:5. And fire out of his mouth devoured - That is…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8His nostrils … His mouth: The psalmist compares God to an angry person or a fierce creature (see Job 41:12–22). The frightening images of smoke, flames, and glowing coals show God’s anger against sin.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 7-87-8. God's coming described in figures drawn from His appearance on Sinai (compare De 32:22).Read the comment
Topics related to Psalms 18:8
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Psalms 18
- 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
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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