Psalms 18:12

18:12 From the brightness in front of him came

hail and fiery coals. ¹ 

Psalms 66:12

66:12 You allowed men to ride over our heads;

we passed through fire and water,

but you brought us out into a wide open place. ² 

Psalms 74:7

74:7 They set your sanctuary on fire;

they desecrate your dwelling place by knocking it to the ground. ³ 

Psalms 78:14

78:14 He led them with a cloud by day,

and with the light of a fire all night long.

Psalms 80:16

80:16 It is burned ⁴  and cut down.

They die because you are displeased with them. ⁵ 

Psalms 83:14

83:14 Like the fire that burns down the forest,

or the flames that consume the mountainsides, ⁶ 

Psalms 148:8

148:8 O fire and hail, snow and clouds, ⁷ 

O stormy wind that carries out his orders, ⁸ 

[18:12]  ¹ tc Heb “from the brightness in front of him his clouds came, hail and coals of fire.” 2 Sam 22:13 reads, “from the brightness in front of him burned coals of fire.” The Lucianic family of texts within the Greek tradition of 2 Sam 22:13 seems to assume the underlying Hebrew text: מנגה נגדו עברו ברד וגחלי אשׁ, “from the brightness in front of him came hail and coals of fire” (the basis for the present translation). The textual situation is perplexing and the identity of the original text uncertain. The verbs עָבָרוּ (’avaru; Ps 18:12) and בָּעֲרוּ (ba’aru; 2 Sam 22:13) appear to be variants involving a transposition of the first two letters. The noun עָבָיו (’avayv, “his clouds,” Ps 18:12) may be virtually dittographic (note the following עָבְרוּ, ’avru), or it could have accidentally dropped out from the text of 2 Sam 22:13 by virtual haplography (note the preceding בָּעֲרוּ, which might have originally read עָבְרוּ). The noun בָּרָד (barad, “hail,” Ps 18:12) may be virtually dittographic (note the preceding עָבְרוּ), or it could have dropped out from 2 Sam 22:13 by virtual haplography (note the preceding בָּעֲרוּ, which might have originally read עָבְרוּ). For a fuller discussion of the text and its problems, see R. B. Chisholm, “An Exegetical and Theological Study of Psalm 18/2 Samuel 22” (Th.D. diss., Dallas Theological Seminary, 1983), 74-76.

[66:12]  ² tc The MT reads רְוָיָה (“saturation”) but this should be emended to רְוָחָה (rÿvakhah, “wide open place”; i.e., “relief”), a reading supported by several ancient versions (LXX, Syriac, Jerome, Targum).

[74:7]  ³ tn Heb “to the ground they desecrate the dwelling place of your name.”

[80:16]  ⁴ tn Heb “burned with fire.”

[80:16]  ⁵ tn Heb “because of the rebuke of your face they perish.”

[83:14]  ⁵ sn The imagery of fire and flames suggests unrelenting, destructive judgment.

[148:8]  ⁶ tn In Ps 119:83 the noun refers to “smoke,” but here, where the elements of nature are addressed, the clouds, which resemble smoke, are probably in view.

[148:8]  ⁷ tn Heb “[that] does his word.”