Psalms 18:13

The Lord thundered ¹  in ²  the sky; the sovereign One ³  shouted. ⁴ 

Ex 20:18; De 32:24; 1Sa 7:10; Job 40:9; Ps 29:3,4; Ps 78:48; Ps 104:7; Ps 120:3,4; Ps 140:10; Eze 10:5; Hab 3:5; Joh 12:29; Re 4:5; Re 8:5; Re 19:6

¹ sn Thunder is a common motif in OT theophanies and in ancient Near Eastern portrayals of the storm god and warring kings. See R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 179-83.

² tn 2 Sam 22:14 has “from.”

³ tn Heb “the Most High.” This divine title (עֶלְיוֹן, ’elyon) pictures God as the exalted ruler of the universe who vindicates the innocent and judges the wicked. See especially Ps 47:2.

⁴ tc The text of Ps 18:13 adds at this point, “hail and coals of fire.” These words are probably accidentally added from v. 12b; they do not appear in 2 Sam 22:14.

tn Heb “offered his voice.” In this poetic narrative context the prefixed verbal form is best understood as a preterite indicating past tense, not an imperfect. Note the prefixed verbal form with vav (ו) consecutive in the preceding line.