he makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire.
English Standard Version (ESV)
This verse suggests that God doesn't just use natural forces like wind and fire as His messengers, but that He forms these elements into His messengers, imbuing them with power and speed to carry out His will. It reveals a profound truth: the very elements we observe can be seen as extensions of God's divine agency, carrying out His purposes with irresistible force and swiftness.
he makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The psalm begins by celebrating God's majestic power and glory, describing how He has established the heavens and the earth. It then moves to discuss how God harnesses the powerful forces of nature, like the clouds, winds, and lightning, using them as His agents to carry out His will. This sets the stage for understanding these natural phenomena as extensions of divine power, akin to messengers and ministers serving a divine King.
Ever thought about the power in a storm? This verse connects those raw forces of nature to God's own agents.
This verse describes God commissioning natural forces as His messengers and ministers.
The Ambiguity and Clarity
While the verse can be read as God making His angels like winds and fire, the context of Psalm 104 points strongly to God using the actual elements of nature – winds and flaming fire (like lightning) – as His agents.
Think of it this way:
The Psalm is celebrating God's power displayed in creation, so it makes sense that the elements themselves are portrayed as His active servants.
What does it mean for God to 'make' something His messenger or minister?
This verse isn't just poetic imagery; it reveals a profound truth about how God operates in the world.
God's Sovereign Control
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When the Psalm says God 'makes' winds His messengers and fire His ministers, it emphasizes His absolute sovereignty. He doesn't just create these forces; He commissions them, directing their power and purpose.
Understand the original words
mal'ak · Hebrew Noun
Spiritual beings sent by God to execute His will or deliver His messages. They function as instruments of divine providence and authority in both the celestial and earthly realms.
sharath · Hebrew Noun
One who serves in a priestly or official capacity. It highlights the functional role of those who carry out the work and purpose of God with diligence and dedication.
This passage directly quotes Psalm 104:4, using it to highlight the superiority of Jesus over the angels, emphasizing that angels are merely created beings, like winds and fire, in service to God.
Exodus 3:2This account describes God appearing to Moses in a flame of fire, a vivid image of divine power and presence that parallels the 'flaming fire' mentioned as God's ministers, showing how God uses fiery manifestations.
2 Kings 2:11Here, a 'chariot of fire and horses of fire' separates Elijah and Elisha, illustrating how fiery imagery is associated with divine messengers and the powerful, visible manifestation of God's presence and action.
Psalm 148:8This verse speaks of 'stormy wind fulfilling his word,' directly linking natural forces like wind to executing God's commands, much like the 'messengers' or 'spirits' in Psalm 104:4.
clarkePsalms 104:4: "Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:"
עשה מלאכיו רחות oseh rnalachaiv ruchoth, משרתיו אש להט mesharethaiv esh lohet. The elements are described as prompt and expedite to perform the Divine commands, like angels or ministers serving in the tabernacle; the Hebrew word משרתיו mesharethaiv being a word most common in the sacred ministrations.
gillPsalms 104:4: "Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:"
Who maketh his angels spirits,.... The angels are spirits, or spiritual substances, yet created ones; and so differ from God, who is a spirit, and from the Holy Spirit of God, who are Creators and not creatures; angels are spirits without bodies, and so differ from the souls or spirits of men, and are immaterial, and so die not; these are made by Christ, by whom all things are made, Colossians 1:16 and so he must be gr…
This verse suggests that God doesn't just use natural forces like wind and fire as His messengers, but that He forms these elements into His messengers, imbuing them with power and speed to carry out His will. It reveals a profound truth: the very elements we observe can be seen as extensions of God's divine agency, carrying out His purposes with irresistible force and swiftness.
The psalm begins by celebrating God's majestic power and glory, describing how He has established the heavens and the earth. It then moves to discuss how God harnesses the powerful forces of nature, like the clouds, winds, and lightning, using them as His agents to carry out His will. This sets the stage for understanding these natural phenomena as extensions of divine power, akin to messengers and ministers serving a divine King.
The psalm begins by celebrating God's majestic power and glory, describing how He has established the heavens and the earth. It then moves to discuss how God harnesses the powerful forces of nature, like the clouds, winds, and lightning, using them as His agents to carry out His will. This sets the stage for understanding these natural phenomena as extensions of divine power, akin to messengers and ministers serving a divine King.
"he makes his messengers winds, his ministers a flaming fire." — This verse suggests that God doesn't just use natural forces like wind and fire as His messengers, but that He forms these elements into His messengers, imbuing them with power and speed to carry…
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Last reviewed October 2026