The Meaning of Psalms 18:13 Explained

Psalms 18:13

KJV: The LORD also thundered in the heavens, and the Highest gave his voice; hail stones and coals of fire.

YLT: And thunder in the heavens doth Jehovah, And the Most High giveth forth His voice, Hail and coals of fire.

Darby: And Jehovah thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice: hail and coals of fire.

ASV: Jehovah also thundered in the heavens, And the Most High uttered his voice, Hailstones and coals of fire.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

The LORD  also thundered  in the heavens,  and the Highest  gave  his voice;  hail  [stones] and coals  of fire. 

What does Psalms 18:13 Mean?

Context Summary

Psalms 18:1-26 - A Wonderful Deliverance
There is another edition of this psalm in 2 Samuel 22:1-51. Psalms 18:2 and Psalms 18:49 are applied in the New Testament to the Lord Jesus, Hebrews 2:13 and Romans 15:9. We begin with the psalmist's good resolve, Psalms 18:1-3. No single metaphor can comprehend the whole of God's helpfulness to men; but can we say, "I love thee"? See John 21:17. "Thou knowest!"
The story of the past, Psalms 18:4-19. We also have our Red Seas. In our distress let us also cry. The voice of the sufferer may be weak and solitary, but it reaches through the gates of pearl and moves creation! Luke 8:46.
The confident claim of the righteous, Psalms 18:20-26. We cannot boast a righteousness of our own, but we stand in Christ. We are full of impurity and evil, but we may claim at least integrity of motive. Compare Psalms 18:26 with Leviticus 26:21-24. The wind blows in one direction; you can walk against it or with it-take your choice. [source]

Chapter Summary: Psalms 18

1  David praises God for his manifold and marvelous blessings

What do the individual words in Psalms 18:13 mean?

And thundered from heaven Yahweh and the Most High uttered His voice Hailstones and coals of fire
וַיַּרְעֵ֬ם בַּשָּׁמַ֨יִם ׀ יְֽהוָ֗ה וְ֭עֶלְיוֹן יִתֵּ֣ן קֹל֑וֹ בָּ֝רָ֗ד וְגַֽחֲלֵי־ אֵֽשׁ

וַיַּרְעֵ֬ם  And  thundered 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Verb, Hifil, Consecutive imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: רָעַם 
Sense: to thunder.
בַּשָּׁמַ֨יִם ׀  from  heaven 
Parse: Preposition-b, Article, Noun, masculine plural
Root: שָׁמַיִם  
Sense: heaven, heavens, sky.
יְֽהוָ֗ה  Yahweh 
Parse: Proper Noun, masculine singular
Root: יהוה 
Sense: the proper name of the one true God.
וְ֭עֶלְיוֹן  and  the  Most  High 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Adjective, masculine singular
Root: עֶלְיׄון 
Sense: high, upper.
יִתֵּ֣ן  uttered 
Parse: Verb, Qal, Imperfect, third person masculine singular
Root: יָתַן 
Sense: to give, put, set.
קֹל֑וֹ  His  voice 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular construct, third person masculine singular
Root: קֹול 
Sense: voice, sound, noise.
בָּ֝רָ֗ד  Hailstones 
Parse: Noun, masculine singular
Root: בָּרָד  
Sense: hail.
וְגַֽחֲלֵי־  and  coals 
Parse: Conjunctive waw, Noun, masculine plural construct
Root: גַּחַל 
Sense: coal, burning coal, coals of fire, hot coals.
אֵֽשׁ  of  fire 
Parse: Noun, common singular
Root: אֵשׁ  
Sense: fire.