Psalms 11:6

6 On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot.

Psalms 11:6 in Other Translations

King James Version (KJV)
6 Upon the wicked he shall rain snares, fire and brimstone, and an horrible tempest: this shall be the portion of their cup.
English Standard Version (ESV)
6 Let him rain coals on the wicked; fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.
New Living Translation (NLT)
6 He will rain down blazing coals and burning sulfur on the wicked, punishing them with scorching winds.
The Message Bible (MSG)
6 Fail the test and you're out, out in a hail of firestones, Drinking from a canteen filled with hot desert wind.
American Standard Version (ASV)
6 Upon the wicked he will rain snares; Fire and brimstone and burning wind shall be the portion of their cup.
GOD'S WORD Translation (GW)
6 He rains down fire and burning sulfur upon wicked people. He makes them drink from a cup filled with scorching wind.
Holman Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
6 He will rain burning coals and sulfur on the wicked; a scorching wind will be their portion.
New International Reader's Version (NIRV)
6 He will pour out flaming coals and burning sulfur on those who do what is wrong. A hot and dry wind will destroy them.

Psalms 11:6 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 11:6

Upon the wicked
The wicked one, the man of sin, antichrist, and upon all that worship the beast and his image, on all persecutors, and upon all wicked men in general:

he shall rain snares, fire, and brimstone, and an horrible tempest;
this will be in hell, as Jarchi observes. The allusion is to the Lord's raining fire and brimstone from heaven upon Sodom and Gomorrah, which was an example and emblem of eternal fire; see ( Genesis 19:24 ) ( Jude 1:7 ) . For the beast and the false prophet, and all the antichristian party, and all wicked men, will have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone. The phrases used express the dreadfulness and horribleness of their punishment; the suddenness, violence, and force, with which it will come; and the rise of it, it will be from heaven; God himself will rain this shower of wrath upon them, ( Job 20:23 ) ; nor will there be any escaping it, it will be inevitable: therefore "snares" are said to be "rained"; the wicked will be snared in the works of their own hands; they will be taken and held in the cords of their own sins; and full and deserved punishment will be inflicted on them, which will be very severe and terrible. All that is dreadful in a storm is here expressed, even in a storm of fire. The word rendered "snares" is by some thought to be the same with (Mymxp) , "burning coals"; and may signify burning stones, hot thunderbolts; see ( Psalms 18:13 Psalms 18:14 ) ; "fire" may signify lightning, with its dreadful flashes, and which burn and consume in an instant; and "brimstone" the nauseous scent and smell, which always attend lightning and thunder, as naturalists observe F24: and the words for "an horrible tempest" signify a burning wind: so that they all serve to convey horrible ideas of the punishment of the wicked in hell. The Targum calls them "showers of vengeance";

[this shall be] the portion of their cup;
which will be measured out to them in proportion to their sins, and which God, in righteous judgment, has appointed for them; and which they shall all drink of, and wring out the very dregs of it.


FOOTNOTES:

F24 Senecae Nat. Quaest. l. 2. c. 21, 53. Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 35. c. 15.

Psalms 11:6 In-Context

4 The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne. He observes everyone on earth; his eyes examine them.
5 The LORD examines the righteous, but the wicked, those who love violence, he hates with a passion.
6 On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot.
7 For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice; the upright will see his face.

Cross References 2

  • 1. S Genesis 19:24; S Revelation 9:17; Ezekiel 38:22
  • 2. S Genesis 41:6; S Job 1:19; Jeremiah 4:11-12
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