Psalm 104:4
New International Version
He makes winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants.

New Living Translation
The winds are your messengers; flames of fire are your servants.

English Standard Version
he makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire.

Berean Standard Bible
He makes the winds His messengers, flames of fire His servants.

King James Bible
Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:

New King James Version
Who makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire.

New American Standard Bible
He makes the winds His messengers, Flaming fire His ministers.

NASB 1995
He makes the winds His messengers, Flaming fire His ministers.

NASB 1977
He makes the winds His messengers, Flaming fire His ministers.

Legacy Standard Bible
He makes His angels the winds, His ministers flaming fire.

Amplified Bible
Who makes winds His messengers, Flames of fire His ministers.

Christian Standard Bible
and making the winds his messengers, flames of fire his servants.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
and making the winds His messengers, flames of fire His servants.

American Standard Version
Who maketh winds his messengers; Flames of fire his ministers;

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
He makes his Angels the wind and his ministers burning fire.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Who makes his angels spirits, and his ministers a flaming fire.

Contemporary English Version
The winds are your messengers, and flames of fire are your servants.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Who makest thy angels spirits: and thy ministers a burning fire.

English Revised Version
Who maketh winds his messengers; his ministers a flaming fire:

GOD'S WORD® Translation
You make your angels winds and your servants flames of fire.

Good News Translation
You use the winds as your messengers and flashes of lightning as your servants.

International Standard Version
He makes the winds his messengers, blazing fires his servants.

JPS Tanakh 1917
Who makest winds Thy messengers, The flaming fire Thy ministers.

Literal Standard Version
Making His messengers—the winds, | His ministers—the flaming fire.

Majority Standard Bible
He makes the winds His messengers, flames of fire His servants.

New American Bible
You make the winds your messengers; flaming fire, your ministers.

NET Bible
He makes the winds his messengers, and the flaming fire his attendant.

New Revised Standard Version
you make the winds your messengers, fire and flame your ministers.

New Heart English Bible
He makes his angels winds, and his servants a flame of fire.

Webster's Bible Translation
Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:

World English Bible
He makes his messengers winds, and his servants flames of fire.

Young's Literal Translation
Making His messengers -- the winds, His ministers -- the flaming fire.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
How Many Are Your Works, O LORD!
3laying the beams of His chambers in the waters above, making the clouds His chariot, walking on the wings of the wind. 4He makes the winds His messengers, flames of fire His servants. 5He set the earth on its foundations, never to be moved.…

Cross References
Hebrews 1:7
Now about the angels He says: "He makes His angels winds, His servants flames of fire."

Genesis 3:24
So He drove out the man and stationed cherubim on the east side of the Garden of Eden, along with a whirling sword of flame to guard the way to the tree of life.

2 Kings 2:11
As 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.

2 Kings 6:17
Then Elisha prayed, "O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see." And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw that the hills were full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

Psalm 103:21
Bless the LORD, all His hosts, you servants who do His will.

Psalm 147:15
He sends forth His command to the earth; His word runs swiftly.

Psalm 148:8
lightning and hail, snow and clouds, powerful wind fulfilling His word,


Treasury of Scripture

Who makes his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:

who maketh

Acts 23:8
For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both.

Hebrews 1:7,14
And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire…

ministers

2 Kings 2:11
And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.

2 Kings 6:17
And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.

Ezekiel 1:13
As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning.

Jump to Previous
Angels Fire Flame Flames Flaming Makes Makest Maketh Making Messengers Ministers Servants Spirits Winds
Jump to Next
Angels Fire Flame Flames Flaming Makes Makest Maketh Making Messengers Ministers Servants Spirits Winds
Psalm 104
1. A meditation upon the mighty power
7. And wonderful providence of God
31. God's glory is eternal
33. The prophet vows perpetually to praise God














(4) Who maketh . . .--Rather,

Who maketh winds His messenger

A flaming fire His ministers.

Or, keeping the order of the Hebrew,

Who maketh His messengers of winds,

And His ministers of flaming fire.

This is plainly the meaning required by the context, which deals with the use made by the Divine King of the various forms and forces of Nature. Just as He makes the clouds serve as a chariot and the sky as a tent, so he employs the winds as messengers and the lightnings as servants.

Taken quite alone, the construction and arrangement of the verse favours the interpretation of the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews (Hebrews 1:7, Note, New Testament Commentary). This was the traditional Jewish interpretation, and on it were founded various theories of angelic agency.

But not only do the exigencies of the context set aside this interpretation, but Hebrew literature offers enough instances to show that the order in which a poet arranged his words was comparatively immaterial. Indeed, Dean Perowne has adduced two instances (Isaiah 37:26; Isaiah 60:18) of precisely similar inversion of the natural order of immediate object and predicate. (See Expositor, December, 1878.) And no difficulty need be made about the change of number in flame of fire and ministers, since even if the former were not synonymous with lightnings, its predicate might be plural. (See Proverbs 16:14, "The wrath of a king is messengers of death.") . . .

Verse 4. - Who maketh his angels spirits. Professor Cheyne renders, "Who maketh his messengers of winds;" and so (in substance) Jarchi, Aben. Ezra, Rosenmuller, Professor Alexander, and even Hengstenberg. The difficulty in adopting this rendering is that furnished by the application of the passage in Hebrews 1:7; but the arguments of Hengstenberg go far to meet that difficulty. It is to be noted that our Revisers, while admitting either rendering, have preferred that of Professor Cheyne. And his ministers a flaming fire; or, "his ministers of flame and fire."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
He makes
עֹשֶׂ֣ה (‘ō·śeh)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 6213: To do, make

the winds
רוּח֑וֹת (rū·ḥō·wṯ)
Noun - common plural
Strong's 7307: Wind, breath, exhalation, life, anger, unsubstantiality, a region of the sky, spirit

His messengers,
מַלְאָכָ֣יו (mal·’ā·ḵāw)
Noun - masculine plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 4397: A messenger, of God, an angel

flames
לֹהֵֽט׃ (lō·hêṭ)
Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular
Strong's 3857: To blaze up, flame

of fire
אֵ֣שׁ (’êš)
Noun - common singular
Strong's 784: A fire

His servants.
מְ֝שָׁרְתָ֗יו (mə·šā·rə·ṯāw)
Verb - Piel - Participle - masculine plural construct | third person masculine singular
Strong's 8334: To attend as a, menial, worshipper, to contribute to


Links
Psalm 104:4 NIV
Psalm 104:4 NLT
Psalm 104:4 ESV
Psalm 104:4 NASB
Psalm 104:4 KJV

Psalm 104:4 BibleApps.com
Psalm 104:4 Biblia Paralela
Psalm 104:4 Chinese Bible
Psalm 104:4 French Bible
Psalm 104:4 Catholic Bible

OT Poetry: Psalm 104:4 He makes his messengers winds (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 104:3
Top of Page
Top of Page