New English Translation
Psalms 97:3
3Fire goes before him; on every side it burns up his enemies.
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 reigns! Let the earth be happy! Let the many coastlands rejoice! 2Dark clouds surround him; equity and justice are the foundation of his throne. Fire goes before him; on every side it burns up his enemies. 4His lightning bolts light up the world; the earth sees and trembles. 5The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before 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 ascended from his nose; fire devoured as it came from his mouth; he hurled down fiery coals.
- Psalms 21:8You prevail over all your enemies; your power is too great for those who hate you.
- Psalms 50:3Our God approaches and is not silent; consuming fire goes ahead of him and all around him a storm rages.
- Deuteronomy 4:11You approached and stood at the foot of the mountain, a mountain ablaze to the sky above it and yet dark with a thick cloud.
- Deuteronomy 5:4The Lord spoke face to face with you at the mountain, from the middle of the fire.
- Deuteronomy 32:22For a fire has been kindled by my anger, and it burns to lowest Sheol; it consumes the earth and its produce, and ignites the foundations of the mountains.
- 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.
- 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.
- Habakkuk 3:5Plague goes before him; pestilence marches right behind him.
- Malachi 4:1(3:19) “For indeed the day is coming, burning like a furnace, and all the arrogant evildoers will be chaff. The coming day will burn them up,” says the Lord who rules over all. “It will not leave even a root or branch.
- 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.
- Hebrews 12:29For our God is indeed a devouring fire.
- 2 Peter 3:10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; when it comes, the heavens will disappear with a horrific noise, and the celestial bodies will melt away in a blaze, and the earth and every deed done on it will be laid bare.
- 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.
- Revelation 20:15If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, that person was thrown into the lake of fire.
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
New English Translation — © 1996-2016 Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C.
Commentaries