Psalm 21:9
You will place them in a fiery furnace at the time of Your appearing. In His wrath the LORD will engulf them, and the fire will consume them.
You will place them
This phrase indicates a deliberate action by God, suggesting His sovereign control over the fate of the wicked. The Hebrew root for "place" is "שִׁית" (shith), which means to set or appoint. This conveys the idea that God has a predetermined plan for those who oppose Him, emphasizing His authority and justice.

in a fiery furnace
The imagery of a "fiery furnace" is reminiscent of the intense trials faced by Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in Daniel 3. In the Hebrew context, fire often symbolizes purification or judgment. Here, it represents the severe judgment awaiting the wicked. The furnace is not just a place of destruction but also a symbol of divine retribution and purification.

at the time of Your appearing
This phrase points to a future event, often interpreted as the Day of the Lord, when God will reveal His glory and execute judgment. The Hebrew word for "appearing" is "פָּנִים" (panim), which can mean face or presence. It signifies a moment when God's presence will be unmistakably manifest, bringing both salvation and judgment.

In His wrath
The term "wrath" refers to God's righteous anger against sin. The Hebrew word "אַף" (aph) conveys a sense of intense displeasure. This is not a capricious anger but a holy response to evil. It underscores the seriousness with which God views sin and His commitment to justice.

the LORD will engulf them
The word "engulf" suggests being completely surrounded or overwhelmed. The Hebrew root "בָּלַע" (bala) means to swallow or devour. This indicates the totality of God's judgment, where the wicked are utterly consumed by His righteous anger, leaving no escape.

and the fire will consume them
Fire, in biblical terms, often symbolizes God's holiness and judgment. The Hebrew word "אָכַל" (akal) means to eat or consume. This phrase reinforces the idea of complete destruction, where the wicked are entirely devoured by the fire of God's judgment. It serves as a sobering reminder of the consequences of rejecting God's authority.

Persons / Places / Events
1. The LORD
The central figure in this verse, representing God's power and justice. The LORD is depicted as a righteous judge who will execute judgment on His enemies.

2. Enemies of God
Those who oppose God and His anointed king. They are the recipients of God's wrath and judgment.

3. Fiery Furnace
A metaphorical place of judgment and destruction, symbolizing the intensity and completeness of God's wrath against His enemies.

4. Time of Your Appearing
Refers to a future time when God will manifest His presence and execute judgment, often associated with eschatological events.

5. King David
Traditionally attributed as the author of this Psalm, he speaks of God's deliverance and judgment, reflecting on God's protection over him as the anointed king.
Teaching Points
God's Righteous Judgment
God's judgment is just and righteous. He will ultimately deal with all evil and opposition to His kingdom. Believers can trust in God's perfect justice.

The Reality of Divine Wrath
The wrath of God is a real and serious aspect of His character. It serves as a warning to those who oppose Him and a comfort to those who are oppressed by evil.

The Assurance of God's Protection
For those who are in Christ, there is assurance of protection from God's wrath. Believers are called to live in the light of this truth, seeking refuge in Him.

Eschatological Hope
The "time of Your appearing" points to the hope of Christ's return. Believers are encouraged to live with an eternal perspective, anticipating the fulfillment of God's promises.

Call to Repentance
The imagery of the fiery furnace serves as a call to repentance for those who are far from God. It is a reminder of the urgency to turn to God and seek His mercy.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the imagery of a "fiery furnace" in Psalm 21:9 help us understand the seriousness of God's judgment?

2. In what ways does the assurance of God's righteous judgment provide comfort to believers today?

3. How can the concept of God's wrath motivate us to share the gospel with those who do not know Christ?

4. What parallels can you draw between the "time of Your appearing" in Psalm 21:9 and the return of Christ as described in the New Testament?

5. How does understanding God's protection from His wrath influence the way you live your daily life?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Daniel 3
The fiery furnace in Daniel 3, where Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego are thrown, serves as a literal example of God's deliverance from such a place of judgment, contrasting with the fate of God's enemies in Psalm 21:9.

Malachi 4:1
This verse speaks of a day coming that will burn like a furnace, connecting to the theme of divine judgment and the consuming fire of God's wrath.

Revelation 20:9-10
Describes the final judgment and the lake of fire, paralleling the imagery of consuming fire as a form of divine retribution.
God's AngerCharles Bradbury.Psalm 21:9
The Deluge of FireJeremy Taylor.Psalm 21:9
A Completed Salvation, Messiah's TriumphJoseph Irons.Psalm 21:1-13
A Royal Thanksgiving for Answers to PrayerC. Clemance Psalm 21:1-13
Let the Children of Zion be Joyful in Their KingW. Forsyth Psalm 21:1-13
Rejoicing in the Strength of GodLauncelot Andrews.Psalm 21:1-13
Thanksgiving for Prayer AnsweredC. Short Psalm 21:1-13
The Feelings of the Good in Relation to the Subjugation of EvilD. Thomas, D. D.Psalm 21:1-13
The Joy of the Heavenly KingHomiletic CommentaryPsalm 21:1-13
The Lord Protector of PrincesD. Featley, D. D.Psalm 21:1-13
Enemies Found Out by GodPsalm 21:8-9
The Exposure and Punishment of SinHomiletic CommentaryPsalm 21:8-9
People
David, Psalmist
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Anger, Appear, Blazing, Burned, Consume, Devour, Fiery, Fire, Flaming, Furnace, Makest, Oven, Presence, Swallow, Wilt, Wrath
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Psalm 21:9

     5321   furnace

Library
Epistle Lviii. To all the Bishops Throughout Helladia .
To all the Bishops throughout Helladia [1626] . Gregory to all bishops constituted in the province of Helladia. I return thanks with you, dearest brethren, to Almighty God, who has caused the hidden sore which the ancient enemy had introduced to come to the knowledge of all, and has cut it away by a wholesome incision from the body of His Church. Herein we have cause both to rejoice and to mourn; to rejoice, that is, for the correction of a crime, but to mourn for the fall of a brother. But, since
Saint Gregory the Great—the Epistles of Saint Gregory the Great

My Brethren.
OUR Lord Jesus Christ calls those for whom He died and who have believed on Him "My Brethren." What a word it is! The Brethren of the Man in Glory! Brethren of Him who is at the right hand of God, the upholder and heir of all things! Pause for a moment, dear reader. Let your heart lay hold anew of this wonderful message of God's Grace; Brethren of the Lord Jesus Christ! What depths of love and grace these words contain! What heights of glory they promise to us, who were bought by His own precious
Arno Gaebelein—The Lord of Glory

The Poor in Spirit are Enriched with a Kingdom
Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3 Here is high preferment for the saints. They shall be advanced to a kingdom. There are some who, aspiring after earthly greatness, talk of a temporal reign here, but then God's church on earth would not be militant but triumphant. But sure it is the saints shall reign in a glorious manner: Theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.' A kingdom is held the acme and top of all worldly felicity, and this honour have all the saints'; so says our Saviour, Theirs is the
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

Fourteenth Day for the Church of the Future
WHAT TO PRAY.--For the Church of the Future "That the children might not be as their fathers, a generation that set not their heart aright, and whose spirit was not steadfast with God."--PS. lxxviii. 8. "I will pour My Spirit upon thy seed, and My blessing upon thy offspring."--ISA. xliv. 3. Pray for the rising generation, who are to come after us. Think of the young men and young women and children of this age, and pray for all the agencies at work among them; that in association and societies
Andrew Murray—The Ministry of Intercession

Of Deeper Matters, and God's Hidden Judgments which are not to be Inquired Into
"My Son, beware thou dispute not of high matters and of the hidden judgments of God; why this man is thus left, and that man is taken into so great favour; why also this man is so greatly afflicted, and that so highly exalted. These things pass all man's power of judging, neither may any reasoning or disputation have power to search out the divine judgments. When therefore the enemy suggesteth these things to thee, or when any curious people ask such questions, answer with that word of the Prophet,
Thomas A Kempis—Imitation of Christ

The Evening of the Third Day in Passion-Week - on the Mount of Olives: Discoures to the Disciples Concerning the Last Things.
THE last and most solemn denunciation of Jerusalem had been uttered, the last and most terrible prediction of judgment upon the Temple spoken, and Jesus was suiting the action to the word. It was as if He had cast the dust of His Shoes against the House' that was to be left desolate.' And so He quitted for ever the Temple and them that held office in it. They had left the Sanctuary and the City, had crossed black Kidron, and were slowly climbing the Mount of Olives. A sudden turn in the road, and
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

Sermons of St. Bernard on the Passing of Malachy
Sermon I (November 2, 1148.)[1005] 1. A certain abundant blessing, dearly beloved, has been sent by the counsel of heaven to you this day; and if it were not faithfully divided, you would suffer loss, and I, to whom of a surety this office seems to have been committed, would incur danger. I fear therefore your loss, I fear my own damnation,[1006] if perchance it be said, The young children ask bread, and no man offereth it unto them.[1007] For I know how necessary for you is the consolation which
H. J. Lawlor—St. Bernard of Clairvaux's Life of St. Malachy of Armagh

What Messiah did the Jews Expect?
1. The most important point here is to keep in mind the organic unity of the Old Testament. Its predictions are not isolated, but features of one grand prophetic picture; its ritual and institutions parts of one great system; its history, not loosely connected events, but an organic development tending towards a definite end. Viewed in its innermost substance, the history of the Old Testament is not different from its typical institutions, nor yet these two from its predictions. The idea, underlying
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

Letter Li to the virgin Sophia
To the Virgin Sophia He praises her for having despised the glory of the world: and, setting forth the praises, privileges, and rewards of Religious Virgins, exhorts her to persevere. Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux, to the Virgin Sophia, that she may keep the title of virginity and attain its reward. I. Favour is deceitful and beauty is vain; but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised (Prov. xxxi. 31). I rejoice with you, my daughter, in the glory of your virtue, whereby, as I hear, you
Saint Bernard of Clairvaux—Some Letters of Saint Bernard, Abbot of Clairvaux

Psalms
The piety of the Old Testament Church is reflected with more clearness and variety in the Psalter than in any other book of the Old Testament. It constitutes the response of the Church to the divine demands of prophecy, and, in a less degree, of law; or, rather, it expresses those emotions and aspirations of the universal heart which lie deeper than any formal demand. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. Its words are as simple and unaffected as human words can be, for it is the genius
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

Links
Psalm 21:9 NIV
Psalm 21:9 NLT
Psalm 21:9 ESV
Psalm 21:9 NASB
Psalm 21:9 KJV

Psalm 21:9 Commentaries

Bible Hub
Psalm 21:8
Top of Page
Top of Page