Bible Strands
Psalms 97:2
Clouds and darkness surround Him; righteousness and justice are His throne’s foundation.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist addresses the earth and distant shores, declaring the LORD’s reign in verse 1 before describing His theophanic manifestation in verse 2.
The words — The text pairs עָנָן (a.Nan, "cloud") and עֲרָפֶל (a.ra.Fel, "thick darkness") to depict God’s immediate surroundings, then uses צֶדֶק (Tze.dek, "righteousness") and מִשְׁפָּט (mish.Pat, "justice") to define the basis of His throne.
The thread — The exact phrase "righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne" appears in Psalms 89:14, while Proverbs 16:12 echoes the principle that a throne stands on righteousness. The motif of God’s presence arriving in a dense cloud corresponds to Exodus 19:9.
Why it lands — The passage requires the reader to acknowledge that divine sovereignty operates on fixed moral standards rather than arbitrary power, directly framing the earth’s rejoicing in verse 1 and the consuming fire of verse 3.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.
Cross-references
- Psalms 89:14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; loving devotion and faithfulness go before You.
- Exodus 19:9 The LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear when I speak with you, and they will always put their trust in you.” And Moses relayed to the LORD what the people had said.
- Proverbs 16:12 Wicked behavior is detestable for kings, for a throne is established through righteousness.
- Hebrews 1:8 But about the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever, and justice is the scepter of Your kingdom.
- Genesis 18:25 Far be it from You to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Will not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?”
- Psalms 99:4 The mighty King loves justice. You have established equity; You have exercised justice and righteousness in Jacob.
- Nahum 1:3 The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. His path is in the whirlwind and storm, and clouds are the dust beneath His feet.
- Exodus 24:16 and the glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered it, and on the seventh day the LORD called to Moses from within the cloud.
- Deuteronomy 4:11 You came near and stood at the base of the mountain, a mountain blazing with fire to the heavens, with black clouds and deep darkness.
- 1 Kings 8:10 And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, the cloud filled the house of the LORD