Bible Strands
Psalms 18:12
From the brightness of His presence His clouds advanced—hailstones and coals of fire.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — David recounts Yahweh's rescue from his foes, describing God's movement from His throne to execute judgment.
The words — נֶגְדּוֹ (negdo) means "before Him," and עָבָיו ('avav) translates to "His clouds."
The thread — The passage shares imagery with Exodus 9:23, which records thunder and hail, and parallels Joshua 10:11 and Revelation 16:21, which describe only hailstones.
Why it lands — The text demands recognition that divine judgment manifests through controlled natural forces rather than abstract concepts.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Hebrew words
King James Version
At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed, hail stones and coals of fire.
Cross-references
- Joshua 10:11 As they fled before Israel along the descent from Beth-horon to Azekah, the LORD cast down on them large hailstones from the sky, and more of them were killed by the hailstones than by the swords of the Israelites.
- Revelation 16:21 And great hailstones weighing almost a hundred pounds each rained down on them from above. And men cursed God for the plague of hail, because it was so horrendous.
- Exodus 9:23 So Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and lightning struck the earth. So the LORD rained down hail upon the land of Egypt.
- Matthew 17:2 There He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light.
- Matthew 17:5 While Peter was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him!”
- 2 Samuel 22:13 From the brightness of His presence coals of fire blazed forth.
- Psalms 97:3 Fire goes before Him and consumes His foes on every side.
- Psalms 104:2 He wraps Himself in light as with a garment; He stretches out the heavens like a tent,
- Habakkuk 3:4 His radiance was like the sunlight; rays flashed from His hand, where His power is hidden.