Plague went before Him, and fever followed in His steps.
Parallel translations
- WEB Plague went before him, and pestilence followed his feet.
- KJV Before him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at his feet.
- NKJV Before Him went pestilence, And fever followed at His feet.
- NASB Before Him goes plague, And plague comes forth after Him.
- NLT Pestilence marches before him; plague follows close behind.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Plague and pestilence accompany God as He advances, like attendants before and behind a king. It portrays God's awesome power over the forces that execute His judgment.
Overview
Pictured as a divine warrior, God marches with plague going before Him and pestilence following, imagery reminiscent of the plagues on Egypt. These are personified as His servants, under His complete command. The scene underscores that all powers of judgment are subject to God, so that even fearful forces serve His purposes and ultimately His redemptive plan for His people.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Exod 12:29–30Now at midnight the LORD struck down every firstborn male in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on his throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner in the dungeon, as well as all the firstborn among the livestock.
- Num 16:46–49Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer, place fire from the altar in it, and add incense. Go quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them, because wrath has come out from the LORD; the plague has begun.”
- Nah 1:2–3The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD is avenging and full of wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on His foes and reserves wrath for His enemies.
- Ps 78:50–51He cleared a path for His anger; He did not spare them from death but delivered their lives to the plague.
- Ps 18:7–13Then the earth shook and quaked, and the foundations of the mountains trembled; they were shaken because He burned with anger.
- Deut 32:24They will be wasted from hunger and ravaged by pestilence and bitter plague; I will send the fangs of wild beasts against them, with the venom of vipers that slither in the dust.
- Num 14:12I will strike them with a plague and destroy them—and I will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they are.”
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
'The righteous shall live by his faith' (2:4) becomes a cornerstone of the gospel in Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews — the faith that lays hold of Christ.
How Habakkuk 3:5 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.