Bible Strands
Psalms 77:18
Your thunder resounded in the whirlwind; the lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The psalmist describes a divine manifestation using storm imagery, directly linking the memory of past intervention to the present account of crossing the sea.
The words — The phrase רַעַמְךָ (ra'amakha, "your thunder") is placed בַּגַּלְגַּל (ba-galgal, "in the whirlwind"), while בְרָקִים (beraqim, "lightning flashes") הֵאִירוּ (he'iru, "lit up") תֵּבֵל (tevel, "the world"). The verbs רָגְזָ֖ה (ragzah, "it trembled") and וַתִּרְעַשׁ (vatir'ash, "and it shook") record the physical response of the ground.
The thread — This storm-theophany pattern appears in Psalms 97:4, Revelation 11:19, and Exodus 19:16.
Why it lands — The text reports a sequence of atmospheric and geological events without allegory, requiring the reader to acknowledge the described power as the direct cause of the earth's movement.
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
The voice of thy thunder was in the heaven: the lightnings lightened the world: the earth trembled and shook.
Cross-references
- Psalms 97:4 His lightning illuminates the world; the earth sees and trembles.
- Revelation 11:19 Then the temple of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple. And there were flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake, and a great hailstorm.
- Exodus 19:16 On the third day, when morning came, there was thunder and lightning. A thick cloud was upon the mountain, and a very loud blast of the ram’s horn went out, so that all the people in the camp trembled.
- Judges 5:4 O LORD, when You went out from Seir, when You marched from the land of Edom, the earth trembled, the heavens poured out rain, and the clouds poured down water.
- 2 Samuel 22:14 The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.
- Habakkuk 3:4 His radiance was like the sunlight; rays flashed from His hand, where His power is hidden.
- Matthew 27:51 At that moment the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked, and the rocks were split.
- Matthew 28:2 Suddenly there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, rolled away the stone, and sat on it.
- Exodus 19:18 Mount Sinai was completely enveloped in smoke, because the LORD had descended on it in fire. And the smoke rose like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked violently.
- 2 Samuel 22:8 Then the earth shook and quaked; the foundations of the heavens trembled; they were shaken because He burned with anger.