Psalms 97:4

Hebrew (Westminster Leningrad Codex)

English Translation

His lightning lights up the world. The earth sees, and trembles.

World English Bible · Public Domain

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בְרָקָ֣יו

bârâq

H1300

“lightnings · his”

Noun, Common, Masculine, Plural, Construct + Suffix, Personal, 3rd Person, Masculine, Singular

Appears 21× in the Hebrew Bible
First appears at Exodus 19:16

Full BDB Definition

Origin: from H1299

TWOT: 287a

lightning - lightnings, lightning flashes - of flashing arrow-head (figuratively)

About this verse

These counts appear in no published source. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged text and Lemma’s own curated glosses. What Lemma adds →

6: words
6: distinct lemmas
Wisdom: section

Notable vocabulary

The rarest word here is בְרָקָ֣יו lightning H1300 — appearing just 21 times in the whole Hebrew Bible.

Shared distinctive vocabulary

בְרָקָ֣יו lightning H1300 occurs in 21 verses of the Hebrew Bible. Also found in:

Grammatical profile

3 verbs
3 nouns

Verb forms

הֵאִ֣ירוּ Hiphil · Perfect
רָאֲתָ֖ה Qal · Perfect
וַתָּחֵ֣ל Qal · Sequential Imperfect

Hebrew & Septuagint length

In English translation the verse runs 11 words from the Hebrew and 11 from the Septuagint (LXX English) — the same length.

A rough comparison of the two English renderings, which tokenize alike — not a word-level alignment.

Word counts can differ between the Hebrew and the Greek without any difference in meaning — e.g. the Hebrew direct-object marker אֵת has no separate Greek word, and Greek often adds the article ὁ.

In the original languages it is 6 Hebrew tokens and 11 Greek tokens — but the two are counted differently (Hebrew bundles its prefixes and suffixes into one token; the Greek is in lemma form), so that isn’t a like-for-like length.

Cross-references

Topical passages linked to Psalms 97:4 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — connected by theme and wording, ordered by reader-vote popularity; previews shown in the World English Bible.

Psalms 77:18 The voice of your thunder was in the whirlwind. The lightnings lit up the world. The earth trembled and shook.
Revelation 11:19 God's temple that is in heaven was opened, and the ark of the Lord's covenant was seen in his temple. Lightnings, sounds, thunders, an earthquake, and great hail followed.
Exodus 19:16–18 It happened on the third day, when it was morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain, and the sound of an exceedingly loud trumpet; and all the people who were in the camp trembled.
Job 9:6 Who shakes the earth out of its place; The pillars of it tremble;
Psalms 104:32 He looks at the earth, and it trembles. He touches the mountains, and they smoke.
Jeremiah 10:10 But Yahweh is the true God; he is the living God, and an everlasting King: at his wrath the earth trembles, and the nations are not able to abide his indignation.
Psalms 96:9 Worship Yahweh in holy array. Tremble before him, all the earth.
Psalms 114:7 Tremble, you earth, at the presence of the Lord, At the presence of the God of Jacob,

Psalms 144:5–6 Part your heavens, Yahweh, and come down. Touch the mountains, and they will smoke.
Matthew 27:50–51 Jesus cried again with a loud voice, and yielded up his spirit.
Revelation 19:11 I saw the heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and he who sat on it is called Faithful and True. In righteousness he judges and makes war.
Matthew 28:2–3 Behold, there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from the sky, and came and rolled away the stone from the door, and sat on it.

Cross-references courtesy of OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0).

Hebrew and Greek witnesses Masoretic Hebrew ↔ Greek Septuagint

The same verse in the two great witnesses to the Old Testament, shown verse-for-verse.

You’re reading Greek Psalm 96 (Hebrew Psalm 97). The Septuagint counts the superscription, so verse numbers can differ from the Hebrew — chapter-level alignment, not verse-by-verse. Numbering follows Rahlfs.

These are two independent witnesses, not word-aligned to each other, and the Septuagint is shown in lemma (dictionary) form.

Hebrew Psalms 97:4 Masoretic · Westminster Leningrad Codex

הֵאִ֣ירוּ בְרָקָ֣יו תֵּבֵ֑ל רָאֲתָ֖ה וַתָּחֵ֣ל הָאָֽרֶץ

His lightning lights up the world. The earth sees, and trembles.

World English Bible · Public Domain

Greek LXX Greek Psalm 96:4 Septuagint · lemma form

φαίνω ὁ ἀστραπή αὐτός ὁ οἰκέω ὁράω καί σαλεύω ὁ γῆ

His lightnings appeared to the world; the earth saw, and trembled.

LXX2012 (modern English Septuagint) · Public Domain

Hebrew: Westminster Leningrad Codex (CC BY 4.0). Greek: Septuagint (public domain); English from LXX2012 (modern English Septuagint) (Public Domain). How the Septuagint differs from the Hebrew →

Commentary

Notes on Psalms 97:4 from classic Christian and Jewish commentators (each source and its license shown beneath its notes). The classic Christian expositions comment on the surrounding passage and are grouped to its opening verse, so a note may address several verses; the Jewish commentaries on the Tanakh (Rashi and others) are per-verse, so they appear only where the commentator wrote on this verse.

Lemma curates 59 commentaries, every one of them public domain or Creative Commons licensed, each selected and text-cleaned for this edition rather than reprinted as found. About our sources →

Commentary source

Trapp's Complete Commentary

John Trapp

Psa 97:4 His lightnings enlightened the world: the earth saw, and trembled.

Ver. 4. His lightnings enlightened the world] His apostles, those fulmiua Ecclesiastica, shall spread gospel light, and amaze people; the Lord working with them, and confirming their word with signs following, Mar 16:20

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The Treasury of David

Charles H. Spurgeon

Ver. 4. His lightnings enlightened the world. In times of tempest the whole of nature is lighted up with a lurid glare, even the light of the sun itself seems dim compared with the blaze of lightning. If such are the common lights of nature what must be the glories of the Godhead itself? When God draws aside the curtain for a moment how astonished are the nations, the light compels them to cover their eyes and bow their heads in solemn awe. Jesus in the gospel lights up the earth with such a blaze of truth and grace as was never seen or even imagined before. In apostolic times the word flashed from one end of the heavens to the other, no part of the civilised globe was left unilluminated.

The earth saw, and trembled. In God's presence the solid earth quakes, astonished by his glory it is convulsed with fear. To the advent of our Lord and the setting up of his kingdom among men these words are also most applicable; nothing ever caused such a shaking and commotion as the proclamation of the gospel, nothing was more majestic than its course, it turned the world upside down, levelled the mountains, and filled up the valleys. Jesus came, he saw, he conquered. When the Holy Ghost rested upon his servants their course was like that of a mighty storm, the truth flashed with the force and speed of a thunderbolt, and philosophers and priests, princes and people were utterly confounded, and altogether powerless to withstand it. It shall be so again. Faith even now sets the world on fire and rocks the nations to and fro.

Ver. 4. His lightnings enlightened the world. This passage is applied by Munster to the rapid increase of the kingdom of Christ: for the sound of the Gospel sped through all the world like lightning. There is a prediction almost to this effect in Zec 9:14: "His arrow shall go forth as the lightning, and the Lord God shall blow the trumpet." Martin Geier.

Ver. 4. The earth saw and trembled. The bare sight of thee caused the earth to tremble (Ps 77:16). A.R. Faussett.

Ver. 4-5.

1. The terrors which accompanied the giving of the law: "his lightnings", etc.

2. The reasons for those terrors. (a) To show the guilt of man. (b) His inability to keep the law. (c) To show his need of a law fulfiller on his behalf.

G.R.

Ver. 4-6. A description of the giving of the law.

1. The lawgiver's heralds, or, conviction, Ps 97:4.

2. The effect of his presence, or, contrition, Ps 97:5.

3. The proclamation of the law, or, instruction (as by a voice from heaven, Ps 97:6).

4. The effect of the lawgiving, or, divine manifestation (Ps 97:6, latter clause).

C.D.

Psalms 97:5*

Charles H. Spurgeon's The Treasury of David (1869–1885) — public domain. Psalms only. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Keil & Delitzsch

C. F. Keil & F. Delitzsch

Again we have nothing but echoes of the older literature: Psa 97:4 = Psa 77:19; Psa 97:4, cf. Psa 77:17; Psa 97:5, cf. Mic 1:4; Psa 97:5, cf. Mic 4:13; Psa 97:6 = Psa 50:6; Psa 97:6, cf. Isa 35:2; Isa 40:5; Isa 52:10; Isa 66:18. The poet goes on to describe that which is future with historical certainty. That which Psa 77:19 says of the manifestation of God in the earlier times he transfers to the revelation of God in the last time. The earth sees it, and begins to tremble in consequence of it. The reading ותּחל, according to Hitzig (cf. Ew. ֗232, b) traditional, is, however, only an error of pointing that has been propagated; the correct reading is the reading of Heidenheim and Baer, restored according to MSS, ותּחל (cf. Sa1 31:3), like ותּבן, ותּקם, ותּרם, and ותּשׂם. The figure of the wax is found even in Psa 68:3; and Jahve is also called "Lord of the whole earth" in Zac 4:14; Zac 6:5. The proclamation of the heavens is an expression of joy, Psa 96:11. They proclaim the judicial strictness with which Jahve, in accordance with His promises, carries out His plan of salvation, the realization of which has reached its goal in the fact that all men see the glory of God.

Keil & Delitzsch — Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament (1861–1891) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API. (Old Testament only.)

J. A. Alexander on Psalms

Joseph Addison Alexander

4. (Psa 97:4) His lightnings made the world shine; (then) saw and trembled the earth. Compare Psa 77:16; Psa 77:18. Here begins the second stanza, in which, as in most cases of the same sort, inanimate creation is described as sharing in the powerful effects of the divine epiphany. See above, on Psa 18:7; Psa 96:11-12, and compare Jdg 5:4, Nah 1:5, Hab 3:6, Isa 44:1.

Joseph Addison Alexander, The Psalms Translated and Explained (1850) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Geneva Bible (1599)

Geneva Bible translators

This fear bringeth not the wicked to true obedience, but maketh them to run away from God.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 4. His lightnings enlightened the world] Though this be no more than a majestic description of the coming of the Lord, to confound his enemies and succour his followers, yet some spiritualize the passage, and say, the lightnings signify the apostles, who enlightened the world by their heavenly doctrine.

The earth saw, and trembled.] The earth is represented as a sentient being. It saw the terrible majesty of God; and trembled through terror, fearing it should be destroyed on account of the wickedness of its inhabitants.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(4) See Psa_77:17-18, from which this is taken.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne

4. His lightnings lightened the world, as of old when He brought Israel out of Egypt. From Psa_77:18 b.

the earth &c.] Based upon Psa_77:16; Psa_77:18 : cp. Psa_96:9 b.

4–6. The recent manifestation of Jehovah’s power, described in terms of the great Theophanies of old.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

John Gill's Exposition

His lightnings enlightened the world,.... Either the doctrines of the Gospel, compared thereunto, because of the swift progress they made, and the large extent of them in the world, in a very little time; by the apostles they were published in all nations, and were the means of enlightening them in the true knowledge of themselves, and of the way of salvation by Christ: hence they are called the "lights of the world", Mat 5:14, as the coming of Christ, in his kingdom and power, by them, is compared to lightning, and so are the arrows of his word, Mat 24:27, or else his judgments on the Jewish nation are meant, which were manifest and clear, and obvious to all the world; see Psa 18:14,

the earth saw, and trembled; the inhabitants of the earth, of the Gentile world, saw the judgments of God upon the Jews, and were astonished at them; see Deu 29:24, it is usual for lightnings and earthquakes to go together; see Rev 11:19.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible

His lightnings enlightened the world ... - See the notes at Psa 77:18. Compare Psa 104:32; Hab 3:6-10.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations

His lightnings enlightened the world: this phrase signifies not so much illumination as terror and judgments, as appears both from the following words, and from the constant use of the phrase in that sense, as Psa 18:14; 144:6, &c.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Whedon's Commentary on the Bible

Daniel D. Whedon

4. Earth saw, and trembled—As an affrighted servant. Even Moses said: “I exceedingly fear and quake.” Heb_12:21

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The Pulpit Commentary

His lightnings enlightened the world. Here the tenses change from present to past not, however, that any past event is alluded to, but merely to mark prophetic certainty. The psalmist, rapt in vision, sees the future as past. Lightnings play a part in almost" all theophanies. (Exo_19:16 Job_37:1-5 Psa_18:13 Psa_77:18, etc.) The earth saw, and trembled. (comp. Jud_1:5:4 Psa_68:8 Psa_114:7)

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Rashi

Rabbi Shlomo Yitzchaki (Rashi)

His lightnings His brilliant lights, an expression of (Ezek. 21:15): “It is polished that it may glitter (ברק).”

and quaked “Surely there will be a great earthquake on that day in the land of Israel. And at My presence, the fishes of the sea...will quake.”

[The word] וַתָּחֵל is an expression of (above 48: 7): “pangs (חיל) like [those of] a woman in confinement.”

Rashi on the Tanakh — English translations: “The Judaica Press complete Tanach with Rashi, translated by A. J. Rosenberg” (CC BY 4.0); “Pentateuch with Rashi's commentary by M. Rosenbaum and A.M. Silbermann, 1929-1934” (public domain); “The Metsudah Tanach series, Lakewood, N.J” (CC BY 4.0); and “The Book of Joshua, Metsudah Publications, 1997” (CC BY 4.0). Text via Sefaria.

Lesson kit

Teaching starters — assembled from the data on this page, not authored interpretation. Every prompt links to the verse data it draws on. Edit before teaching.

Psalms, in the Wisdom, opens this verse with 6 words (6 distinct Hebrew lemmas). Its most distinctive word is bârâq (“lightning”). A historical commentator’s framing appears above. Read the whole chapter for the surrounding context.

Discussion questions

What does “lightning” (bârâq) contribute to the verse as a whole?
Exodus 19:16 shares the word «lightning» with this verse. How do the two illuminate each other?
These translations render this verse differently. What is at stake in choosing one wording over another?
The verb «הֵאִ֣ירוּ» is Hiphil Perfect. How does its form color the action?
Reading how Trapp's Complete Commentary and The Treasury of David read this verse, where do the two commentators agree and where do they part?

Things to notice

This verse counts 6 Hebrew ↔ 11 Greek words.
These translations choose different wording for 9 words in this verse.
6 distinct Hebrew lemmas span 6 words in this verse.