Psalms 97 · Verse 3

Psalms 97:3

A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about.
Psalms 97:3, King James Version

Psalms 97:3 in other translations

BSBFire goes before Him and consumes His foes on every side.
WEBA fire goes before him, and burns up his adversaries on every side.
ASVA fire goeth before him, And burneth up his adversaries round about.
YLTFire before Him goeth, And burneth round about His adversaries.
DARBYA fire goeth before him, and burneth up his adversaries round about.
BBEFire goes before him, burning up all those who are against him round about.
WebsterA fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about.

What does Psalms 97:3 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Psalms 97:3-5
3-5. 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.).

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 3 A 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, Exo 19:16-18. Daniel, Dan 7:9, Dan 7:10, represents the Sovereign Judge as being on a throne which was a fiery flame, and the wheels of his chariot like burning fire; and a fiery streamer issuing from it, and coming forth from before him. St. Paul tells us (2Thes 1:8) that the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in faming fire; and St. Peter, (2Pet 3:7, 2Pet 3:10, 2Pet 3:11), that when the Lord shall come to judgment the heavens and the earth shall be destroyed by fire. the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, the elements melt with fervent heat, and the earth and its works be burnt up. Here then, will appear: - "Our God in grandeur, and our world on fire." Burneth up his enemies round about - The fire is his pioneer which destroys all the hinderances in his way, and makes him a plain passage.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Psalms 97:1-7

Though many have been made happy in Christ, still there is room. And all have reason to rejoice in Christ's government. There is a depth in his counsels, which we must not pretend to fathom; but still righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne. Christ's government, though it might be matter of joy to all, will yet be matter of terror to some; but it is their own fault that it is so. The most…

Read the full comment on Psalms 97:1-7 →

Psalms 97:3 in the original Hebrew

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

אֵ֭שׁ'eshfireH784
לְפָנָ֣יוle.fa.Nav<to> before himH6440
תֵּלֵ֑ךְte.Lekhit goesH1980
וּתְלַהֵ֖טu.te.la.Hetand it may burn upH3857
סָבִ֣יבsa.Vivall aroundH5439
צָרָֽיו\׃tza.Ravopponents hisH6862

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Psalms 97:3

  • Psalms 50:3

    Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him.

  • Hebrews 12:29

    For our God is a consuming fire.

  • Malachi 4:1

    For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

  • Psalms 18:8

    There went up a smoke out of his nostrils, and fire out of his mouth devoured: coals were kindled by it.

  • 2 Thessalonians 1:8

    In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:

  • Daniel 7:10

    A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.

  • Psalms 21:8-9

    Thine hand shall find out all thine enemies: thy right hand shall find out those that hate thee. Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger: the Lord shall swallow them up in his wrath, and the fire shall devour them.

  • Deuteronomy 32:22

    For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and shall burn unto the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her increase, and set on fire the foundations of the mountains.

  • Nahum 1:5-6

    The mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein. Who can stand before his indignation? and who can abide in the fierceness of his anger? his fury is poured out like fire, and the rocks are thrown down by him.

  • 2 Peter 3:10-12

    But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?

  • Deuteronomy 4:11

    And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness.

  • Deuteronomy 5:23-24

    And it came to pass, when ye heard the voice out of the midst of the darkness, (for the mountain did burn with fire,) that ye came near unto me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders; And ye said, Behold, the Lord our God hath shewed us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the midst of the fire: we have seen this day that God doth talk with man, and he liveth.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
18:8; 21:8,9; 50:3; De 4:11,36; 5:4,23,24; 32:22; Da 7:10; Na 1:5,6
Hab 3:5; Mal 4:1; 2Th 1:8; Heb 12:29; 2Pe 3:10-12; Re 11:5; 20:15

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Psalms 97:2

    Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.

  • Psalms 97:3

    A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about.

  • Psalms 97:4

    His lightnings enlightened the world: the earth saw, and trembled.

Read all of Psalms 97

Psalms 97:3 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Fuego irá delante de él, y abrasará en derredor sus enemigos.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Un feu va devant lui et consume à l’entour ses adversaires.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Feuer geht vor ihm her und entzündet seine Feinde ringsum.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Recordatus est misericordiæ suæ, et veritatis suæ domui Israël. Viderunt omnes termini terræ salutare Dei nostri.