“For our God is a consuming fire.”
Parallel translations
- WEB for our God is a consuming fire.
- KJV For our God is a consuming fire.
- NKJV For our God is a consuming fire.
- NASB for our God is a consuming fire.
- NLT For our God is a devouring fire.
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
For our God is a consuming fire. He is to be approached with reverence because of his awesome holiness and justice.
Overview
Echoing Deuteronomy 4:24, the author grounds the call to reverent worship in God's character as "a consuming fire." Even under the new covenant of grace, God remains holy and not to be trifled with. This solemn note balances the joy of the heavenly Zion with awe, reminding believers that the God who welcomes them in Christ is still the holy Judge of all.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Deut 4:24For the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a jealous God.
- Deut 9:3But understand that today the LORD your God goes across ahead of you as a consuming fire; He will destroy them and subdue them before you. And you will drive them out and annihilate them swiftly, as the LORD has promised you.
- 2 Th 1:8in blazing fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
- Heb 10:27but only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume all adversaries.
- Isa 66:15For behold, the LORD will come with fire—His chariots are like a whirlwind—to execute His anger with fury and His rebuke with flames of fire.
- Exod 24:17And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the mountaintop in the eyes of the Israelites.
- Dan 7:9As I continued to watch, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took His seat. His clothing was white as snow, and the hair of His head was like pure wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze.
- Ps 97:3Fire goes before Him and consumes His foes on every side.
- Num 16:35And fire came forth from the LORD and consumed the 250 men who were offering the incense.
- Num 11:1Soon the people began to complain about their hardship in the hearing of the LORD, and when He heard them, His anger was kindled, and fire from the LORD blazed among them and consumed the outskirts of the camp.
- Ps 50:3Our God approaches and will not be silent! Consuming fire precedes Him, and a tempest rages around Him.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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Christ at the center
Hebrews is sustained worship of Christ: better than angels, Moses, and the priests; the great High Priest after Melchizedek who by one sacrifice perfects forever those he saves.
How Hebrews 12:29 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 Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.