Come, see the works of the LORD, who brings devastation upon the earth.
Parallel translations
- WEB Come, see Yahweh’s works, what desolations he has made in the earth.
- KJV Come, behold the works of the LORD, what desolations he hath made in the earth.
- NKJV Come, behold the works of the Lord, Who has made desolations in the earth.
- NASB ¶Come, behold the works of the Lord, Who has inflicted horrific events on the earth.
- NLT Come, see the glorious works of the Lord: See how he brings destruction upon the world.
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
The people are invited to come and behold Yahweh's works, the desolations He brings on the earth. It matters because God's mighty acts vindicate His sovereignty.
Overview
The summons to 'come and see' calls God's people to witness His powerful deeds in judgment, which bring proud opposition to ruin. These desolations are not random destruction but the just acts of the sovereign Lord. They display the same power that in Christ will finally overthrow all evil and establish God's righteous reign.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Ps 66:5Come and see the works of God; how awesome are His deeds toward mankind.
- Isa 24:1Behold, the LORD lays waste the earth and leaves it in ruins. He will twist its surface and scatter its inhabitants—
- Isa 61:4They will rebuild the ancient ruins; they will restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities, the desolations of many generations.
- Ps 92:4–6For You, O LORD, have made me glad by Your deeds; I sing for joy at the works of Your hands.
- Isa 34:2–17The LORD is angry with all the nations and furious with all their armies. He will devote them to destruction; He will give them over to slaughter.
- Ps 111:2–3Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them.
- Exod 12:30During the night Pharaoh got up—he and all his officials and all the Egyptians—and there was loud wailing in Egypt; for there was no house without someone dead.
- Josh 11:20For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts to engage Israel in battle, so that they would be set apart for destruction and would receive no mercy, being annihilated as the LORD had commanded Moses.
- 2 Chr 20:23–24The Ammonites and Moabites rose up against the inhabitants of Mount Seir, devoting them to destruction. And when they had made an end to the inhabitants of Seir, they helped to destroy one another.
- Exod 10:7Pharaoh’s officials asked him, “How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the people go, so that they may worship the LORD their God. Do you not yet realize that Egypt is in ruins?”
- Num 23:23For there is no spell against Jacob and no divination against Israel. It will now be said of Jacob and Israel, ‘What great things God has done!’
- Exod 14:30–31That day the LORD saved Israel from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the shore.
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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 46:8 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.