Before him went the pestilence, and burning coals went forth at his feet.
Parallel translations
- WEB Plague went before him, and pestilence followed 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 12:29–30And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle.
- Num 16:46–49And Moses said unto Aaron, Take a censer, and put fire therein from off the altar, and put on incense, and go quickly unto the congregation, and make an atonement for them: for there is wrath gone out from the LORD; the plague is begun.
- Nah 1:2–3God is jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth, and is furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his adversaries, and he reserveth wrath for his enemies.
- Ps 78:50–51He made a way to his anger; he spared not 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 hills moved and were shaken, because he was wroth.
- Deut 32:24They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction: I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the poison of serpents of the dust.
- Num 14:12I will smite them with the pestilence, and disinherit them, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they.
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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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