2 Samuel 22:8

The earth heaved and shook; ¹  the foundations of the sky ²  trembled. ³  They heaved because he was angry.

"The earth trembled and quaked, the foundations of the heavens shook; they trembled because he was angry.

"Then the earth shook and quaked, The foundations of heaven were trembling And were shaken, because He was angry.

"Then the earth quaked and trembled; the foundations of the heavens shook; they quaked because of his anger.

Earth wobbled and lurched; the very heavens shook like leaves, Quaked like aspen leaves because of his rage.

Then the earth was moved with a violent shock; the bases of heaven were moved and shaking, because he was angry.

Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations of the heavens trembled and quaked, because he was angry.

"Then the earth shook and trembled; The foundations of heaven quaked and were shaken, Because He was angry.

The earth heaved and shook; ¹  the foundations of the sky ²  trembled. ³  They heaved because he was angry.

¹ tn The earth heaved and shook. The imagery pictures an earthquake, in which the earth’s surface rises and falls. The earthquake motif is common in Old Testament theophanies of God as warrior and in ancient Near eastern literary descriptions of warring gods and kings. See R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 160-62.

² tn Ps 18:7 reads “the roots of the mountains.”

³ tn In this poetic narrative context the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not an imperfect. Note the three prefixed verbal forms with vav consecutive in the verse.