Bible Strands
Psalms 97:3
Fire goes before Him and consumes His foes on every side.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist describes Yahweh’s majestic reign to the earth and nations, placing this declaration between verses that frame His throne with clouds and lightning.
The words — אֵ֭שׁ ('esh) translates literally as fire, and תֵּלֵ֑ךְ (te.Lekh) means it goes, forming the core action of the verse.
The thread — This imagery of divine fire advancing appears in Psalms 50:3, Psalms 18:8, and Hebrews 12:29.
Why it lands — The text states that fire precedes God and burns His enemies on every side, demanding recognition of His absolute power to judge and protect without requiring emotional response.
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
A fire goeth before him, and burneth up his enemies round about.
Cross-references
- Psalms 50:3 Our God approaches and will not be silent! Consuming fire precedes Him, and a tempest rages around Him.
- Hebrews 12:29 “For our God is a consuming fire.”
- Psalms 18:8 Smoke rose from His nostrils, and consuming fire came from His mouth; glowing coals blazed forth.
- Malachi 4:1 “For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, when all the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble; the day is coming when I will set them ablaze,” says the LORD of Hosts. “Not a root or branch will be left to them.”
- 2 Thessalonians 1:8 in blazing fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
- Daniel 7:10 A river of fire was flowing, coming out from His presence. Thousands upon thousands attended Him, and myriads upon myriads stood before Him. The court was convened, and the books were opened.
- Psalms 21:8 Your hand will apprehend all Your enemies; Your right hand will seize those who hate You.
- Deuteronomy 32:22 For a fire has been kindled by My anger, and it burns to the depths of Sheol; it consumes the earth and its produce, and scorches the foundations of the mountains.
- Nahum 1:5 The mountains quake before Him, and the hills melt away; the earth trembles at His presence—the world and all its dwellers.
- 2 Peter 3:10 But 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 its works will be laid bare.