Clouds and darkness surround Him; righteousness and justice are His throne’s foundation.
Parallel translations
- WEB Clouds and darkness are around him. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
- KJV Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.
- NKJV Clouds and darkness surround Him; Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.
- NASB Clouds and thick darkness surround Him; Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne.
- NLT Dark clouds surround him. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
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
Clouds and darkness surround Him; righteousness and justice uphold His throne. God's reign is both awesomely hidden and perfectly just.
Overview
Drawing on Sinai imagery, the psalmist pictures God veiled in clouds and darkness, signifying His transcendent majesty and unapproachable holiness. Yet His throne rests on righteousness and justice, so His rule is utterly trustworthy. This holy, just King is fully revealed in Christ, whose throne is founded on righteousness forever (Hebrews 1:8; Exodus 19:16-18).
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- Ps 89:14Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; loving devotion and faithfulness go before You.
- Exod 19:9The LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I will come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear when I speak with you, and they will always put their trust in you.” And Moses relayed to the LORD what the people had said.
- Prov 16:12Wicked behavior is detestable to kings, for a throne is established through righteousness.
- Heb 1:8–9But about the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever, and justice is the scepter of Your kingdom.
- Nah 1:3The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. His path is in the whirlwind and storm, and clouds are the dust beneath His feet.
- Gen 18:25Far be it from You to do such a thing—to kill the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Will not the Judge of all the earth do what is right?”
- Ps 99:4The mighty King loves justice. You have established equity; You have exercised justice and righteousness in Jacob.
- Ps 45:6–7Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever, and justice is the scepter of Your kingdom.
- Ps 18:11–12He made darkness His hiding place, and storm clouds a canopy around Him.
- 1 Kgs 8:10–12And when the priests came out of the Holy Place, the cloud filled the house of the LORD
- Exod 24:16–18and the glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered it, and on the seventh day the LORD called to Moses from within the cloud.
- Deut 4:11–12You came near and stood at the base of the mountain, a mountain blazing with fire to the heavens, with black clouds and deep darkness.
- Exod 20:21And the people stood at a distance as Moses approached the thick darkness where God was.
- Rom 11:33O, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and untraceable His ways!
- Ps 77:19Your path led through the sea, Your way through the mighty waters, but Your footprints were not to be found.
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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 97:2 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.