The chariots of God are tens of thousands—thousands of thousands are they; the Lord is in His sanctuary as He was at Sinai.
Parallel translations
- WEB The chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands. The Lord is among them, from Sinai, into the sanctuary.
- KJV The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place.
- NKJV The chariots of God are twenty thousand, Even thousands of thousands; The Lord is among them as in Sinai, in the Holy Place.
- NASB The chariots of God are myriads, thousands upon thousands; The Lord is among them as at Sinai, in holiness.
- NLT Surrounded by unnumbered thousands of chariots, the Lord came from Mount Sinai into his sanctuary.
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's countless chariots surround Him as He comes from Sinai into the sanctuary. It portrays God's vast heavenly power accompanying His presence.
Overview
David envisions God attended by tens of thousands of chariots, moving from Sinai into His sanctuary. The innumerable host displays His overwhelming might and majesty. This heavenly retinue anticipates the Lord coming with His holy ones and the ascended Christ enthroned in glory.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Deut 33:2He said: “The LORD came from Sinai and dawned upon us from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran and came with myriads of holy ones, with flaming fire at His right hand.
- Dan 7:10A river of fire was flowing, coming out from His presence. Thousands upon thousands attended Him, and myriads upon myriads stood before Him. The court was convened, and the books were opened.
- Rev 5:11Then I looked, and I heard the voices of many angels and living creatures and elders encircling the throne, and their number was myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands.
- Rev 9:16And the number of mounted troops was two hundred million; I heard their number.
- Hab 3:8Were You angry at the rivers, O LORD? Was Your wrath against the streams? Did You rage against the sea when You rode on Your horses, on Your chariots of salvation?
- Matt 26:53Are you not aware that I can call on My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?
- Ezek 1:15–28When I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground beside each creature with its four faces.
- 2 Kgs 6:16–17“Do not be afraid,” Elisha answered, “for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
- Exod 19:22–23Even the priests who approach the LORD must consecrate themselves, or the LORD will break out against them.”
- Ps 18:10He mounted a cherub and flew; He soared on the wings of the wind.
- Exod 3:5“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.”
- 2 Kgs 2:11As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire with horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up into heaven in a whirlwind.
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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 68:17 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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