Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of his throne.
Parallel translations
- WEB Clouds and darkness are around him. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.
- BSB Clouds and darkness surround Him; righteousness and justice are His throne’s foundation.
- 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 89:14Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face.
- Exod 19:9And the LORD said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the LORD.
- Prov 16:12It is an abomination to kings to commit wickedness: for the throne is established by righteousness.
- Heb 1:8–9But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
- Nah 1:3The LORD is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the LORD hath his way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of his feet.
- Gen 18:25That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
- Ps 99:4The king’s strength also loveth judgment; thou dost establish equity, thou executest judgment and righteousness in Jacob.
- Ps 45:6–7Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre.
- Ps 18:11–12He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.
- 1 Kgs 8:10–12And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the LORD,
- Exod 24:16–18And the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.
- Deut 4:11–12And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness.
- Exod 20:21And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was.
- Rom 11:33O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!
- Ps 77:19Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps are not known.
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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.