New International Version
Psalms 97:3
3Fire goes before him and consumes his foes on every side.
Psalms 97:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about.
- 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.
- New Living Translation (NLT)Fire spreads ahead of him and burns up all his foes.
Context of Psalms 97:3
1The Lord reigns, let the earth be glad; let the distant shores rejoice. 2Clouds and thick darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne. Fire goes before him and consumes his foes on every side. 4His lightning lights up the world; the earth sees and trembles. 5The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the 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 rose from his nostrils; consuming fire came from his mouth, burning coals blazed out of it.
- Psalms 21:8Your hand will lay hold on all your enemies; your right hand will seize your foes.
- Psalms 50:3Our God comes and will not be silent; a fire devours before him, and around him a tempest rages.
- Deuteronomy 4:11You came near and stood at the foot of the mountain while it blazed with fire to the very heavens, with black clouds and deep darkness.
- Deuteronomy 5:4The Lord spoke to you face to face out of the fire on the mountain.
- Deuteronomy 32:22For a fire will be kindled by my wrath, one that burns down to the realm of the dead below. It will devour the earth and its harvests and set afire the foundations of the mountains.
- Daniel 7:10A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened.
- Nahum 1:5The mountains quake before him and the hills melt away. The earth trembles at his presence, the world and all who live in it.
- Habakkuk 3:5Plague went before him; pestilence followed his steps.
- Malachi 4:1“Surely the day is coming; it will burn like a furnace. All the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire,” says the Lord Almighty. “Not a root or a branch will be left to them.
- 2 Thessalonians 1:8He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
- Hebrews 12:29for our “God is a consuming fire.”
- 2 Peter 3:10But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.
- Revelation 11:5If anyone tries to harm them, fire comes from their mouths and devours their enemies. This is how anyone who wants to harm them must die.
- Revelation 20:15Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life 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
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