you lay out the rafters of your home in the rain clouds. You make the clouds your chariot; you ride upon the wings of the wind.
Parallel translations
- WEB He lays the beams of his rooms in the waters. He makes the clouds his chariot. He walks on the wings of the wind.
- KJV Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:
- BSB laying the beams of His chambers in the waters above, making the clouds His chariot, walking on the wings of the wind.
- NKJV He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters, Who makes the clouds His chariot, Who walks on the wings of the wind,
- NASB He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters; He makes the clouds His chariot; He walks on the wings of the wind;
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
God builds His upper rooms on the waters and rides the clouds and wind. He governs the heavens and weather as the sovereign Lord of creation.
Overview
Drawing on the imagery of the sky and storm, the psalmist depicts God as enthroned above the waters and traveling on clouds and wind as His chariot. Such language declares His mastery over the highest reaches of creation. The same Lord who rides the clouds will return on the clouds in the person of Christ (Daniel 7:13).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Amos 9:6It is he who builds his rooms in the heavens, and has founded his vault on the earth; he who calls for the waters of the sea, and pours them out on the surface of the earth; Yahweh is his name.
- 2 Sam 22:11He rode on a cherub, and flew. Yes, he was seen on the wings of the wind.
- Ps 18:10–11He rode on a cherub, and flew. Yes, he soared on the wings of the wind.
- Isa 19:1The burden of Egypt: “Behold, Yahweh rides on a swift cloud, and comes to Egypt. The idols of Egypt will tremble at his presence; and the heart of Egypt will melt within it.
- Nah 1:3Yahweh is slow to anger, and great in power, and will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. Yahweh has his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
- Ps 139:9If I take the wings of the dawn, and settle in the uttermost parts of the sea;
- Matt 26:64Jesus said to him, “You have said it. Nevertheless, I tell you, after this you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of the sky.”
- Rev 1:7Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, including those who pierced him. All the tribes of the earth will mourn over him. Even so, Amen.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 104:3 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.