On the wicked He will rain down fiery coals and sulfur; a scorching wind will be their portion.
Parallel translations
- WEB On the wicked he will rain blazing coals; fire, sulfur, and scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.
- KJV Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.
- NKJV Upon the wicked He will rain coals; Fire and brimstone and a burning wind Shall be the portion of their cup.
- NASB He will rain coals of fire upon the wicked, And brimstone and burning wind will be the portion of their cup.
- NLT He will rain down blazing coals and burning sulfur on the wicked, punishing them with scorching winds.
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
On the wicked God will rain fire, sulfur, and scorching wind as their portion. Judgment is the appointed cup of those who love violence.
Overview
David pictures the wicked's destiny in imagery recalling the judgment of Sodom (Genesis 19:24). Their 'cup' is the measured portion God assigns to the unrepentant. This sober warning underscores that God's justice is certain, while it implicitly magnifies the mercy by which Christ drank the cup of judgment for sinners.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 21
- Ezek 38:22I will execute judgment upon him with plague and bloodshed. I will pour out torrents of rain, hailstones, fire, and sulfur on him and on his troops and on the many nations with him.
- Gen 19:24Then the LORD rained down sulfur and fire on Sodom and Gomorrah—from the LORD out of the heavens.
- Ezek 13:13Therefore this is what the Lord GOD says: In My wrath I will release a windstorm, and in My anger torrents of rain and hail will fall with destructive fury.
- Luke 17:29But on the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all.
- Ps 75:8For a cup is in the hand of the LORD, full of foaming wine mixed with spices. He pours from His cup, and all the wicked of the earth drink it down to the dregs.
- Job 18:15Fire resides in his tent; burning sulfur rains down on his dwelling.
- Job 20:23When he has filled his stomach, God will vent His fury upon him, raining it down on him as he eats.
- Job 27:13–23This is the wicked man’s portion from God—the heritage the ruthless receive from the Almighty.
- John 18:11“Put your sword back in its sheath!” Jesus said to Peter. “Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given Me?”
- Jer 25:15–17This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, said to me: “Take from My hand this cup of the wine of wrath, and make all the nations to whom I send you drink from it.
- Hab 2:16You will be filled with shame instead of glory. You too must drink and expose your uncircumcision! The cup in the LORD’s right hand will come around to you, and utter disgrace will cover your glory.
- Ps 105:32He gave them hail for rain, with lightning throughout their land.
- Jer 4:11–12At that time it will be said to this people and to Jerusalem, “A searing wind from the barren heights in the desert blows toward the daughter of My people, but not to winnow or to sift;
- Isa 24:17–18Terror and pit and snare await you, O dweller of the earth.
- Isa 51:17Awake, awake! Rise up, O Jerusalem, you who have drunk from the hand of the LORD the cup of His fury; you who have drained the goblet to the dregs—the cup that makes men stagger.
- Ps 16:5The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup; You have made my lot secure.
- Exod 9:23–24So Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and lightning struck the earth. So the LORD rained down hail upon the land of Egypt.
- Isa 51:22Thus says your Lord, the LORD, even your God, who defends His people: “See, I have removed from your hand the cup of staggering. From that goblet, the cup of My fury, you will never drink again.
- Gen 43:34When the portions were served to them from Joseph’s table, Benjamin’s portion was five times larger than any of the others. So they feasted and drank freely with Joseph.
- 1 Sam 9:23And Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the portion I gave you and told you to set aside.”
- 1 Sam 1:4And whenever the day came for Elkanah to present his sacrifice, he would give portions to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters.
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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 11:6 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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