Plague went before him, and pestilence followed his feet.
Parallel translations
- KJV Before him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at his feet.
- BSB Plague went before Him, and fever followed in His steps.
- 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 12:29–30At midnight, Yahweh struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of livestock.
- Num 16:46–49Moses said to Aaron, “Take your censer, and put fire from off the altar in it, and lay incense on it, and carry it quickly to the congregation, and make atonement for them; for wrath has gone out from Yahweh! The plague has begun.”
- Nah 1:2–3Yahweh is a jealous God and avenges. Yahweh avenges and is full of wrath. Yahweh takes vengeance on his adversaries, and he maintains wrath against his enemies.
- Ps 78:50–51He made a path for his anger. He didn’t spare their soul from death, but gave their life over to the pestilence,
- Ps 18:7–13Then the earth shook and trembled. The foundations also of the mountains quaked and were shaken, because he was angry.
- Deut 32:24They shall be wasted with hunger, and devoured with burning heat and bitter destruction. I will send the teeth of animals on them, with the venom of vipers that glide in the dust.
- Num 14:12I will strike them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.”
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
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