He shall cut off the spirit of princes: he is terrible to the kings of the earth.
Parallel translations
- WEB He will cut off the spirit of princes. He is feared by the kings of the earth.
- BSB He breaks the spirits of princes; He is feared by the kings of the earth.
- NKJV He shall cut off the spirit of princes; He is awesome to the kings of the earth.
- NASB He will cut off the spirit of princes; He is feared by the kings of the earth.
- NLT For he breaks the pride of princes, and the kings of the earth fear him.
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 cuts off the spirit of princes and is feared by the kings of the earth.
Overview
The psalm closes by affirming God's supremacy over all earthly rulers. He humbles the proud spirit of princes and commands the reverence of kings. This sovereignty over the powerful assures God's people that no ruler stands beyond His authority, pointing to Christ, the King of kings before whom all will bow.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Zeph 3:6I have cut off the nations: their towers are desolate; I made their streets waste, that none passeth by: their cities are destroyed, so that there is no man, that there is none inhabitant.
- Ps 68:12Kings of armies did flee apace: and she that tarried at home divided the spoil.
- Isa 13:6–8Howl ye; for the day of the LORD is at hand; it shall come as a destruction from the Almighty.
- Rev 6:15And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
- 2 Chr 32:21And the LORD sent an angel, which cut off all the mighty men of valour, and the leaders and captains in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned with shame of face to his own land. And when he was come into the house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with the sword.
- Isa 24:21And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth.
- Ps 2:5Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.
- Ps 48:4–6For, lo, the kings were assembled, they passed by together.
- Ps 68:35O God, thou art terrible out of thy holy places: the God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people. Blessed be God.
- Ps 47:2For the LORD most high is terrible; he is a great King over all the earth.
- Ps 2:10Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.
- Josh 5:1And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, which were on the side of Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, which were by the sea, heard that the LORD had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel, until we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was there spirit in them any more, because of the children of Israel.
- Rev 19:17–21And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven, Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God;
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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 76:12 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.