Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:
Parallel translations
- WEB He makes his messengers winds; his servants flames of fire.
- BSB He makes the winds His messengers, flames of fire His servants.
- NKJV Who makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire.
- NASB He makes the winds His messengers, Flaming fire His ministers.
- NLT The winds are your messengers; flames of fire are your servants.
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 makes winds His messengers and flames of fire His servants. He commands the forces of nature and the angelic hosts to do His bidding.
Overview
This verse pictures God's servants, whether winds and fire or the angels associated with them, as swift instruments of His will. Hebrews 1:7 cites it to show that angels are servants, in contrast to the exalted Son. Thus the verse magnifies Christ, who is worshiped by the very angels who serve God.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 7
- Heb 1:7And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.
- 2 Kgs 2:11And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.
- 2 Kgs 6:17And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
- Heb 1:14Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?
- Ps 148:8Fire, and hail; snow, and vapours; stormy wind fulfilling his word:
- Ezek 1:13As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning.
- Acts 23:8For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 104:4 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.