HEBREW WORD STUDY – A VOICE

HEBREW WORD STUDY – A VOICE  – QOL   קול 

“Psalms 29:7: “The voice of the Lord divided the flames of fire.”

There are many interpretations of this Psalm.  One is that it is referring to God making a covenant with man.  Some commentators say David is making a reference to the three Hebrew children in the fiery furnace (although David lived long before this event).  The most common interpretation is that David wrote this Psalm before a thunder storm.  The fires of flame representing the lightning and the voice of God the thunder. 

Rabbi Samson Hirsch the nineteenth century linguist and Hebrew master indicates that the word for voice is qol does not have to be a physical audible voice.  It is really anything that communicates a message.  A thunder storm conveying a message to the Psalmist would be a qol or voice. 

Still we are left wondering just what David was implying about the nature of God and his relationship with man in this verse.  In ancient times lightning and thunder were said to be the gods battling against each other.  Lightning and thunder are an awesome event and does remind one of how powerful God really is.  

David was the king of one of the most powerful nations in the world.  Maybe he saw himself as the flames of fire being divided by the voice of God.   In Hebrew divide is chesev which also means to  cut, destroy or hewe,  David flashes his lightning and God responds with his thunder which cuts him down to size.  The word divide is spelled Cheth  – joining with God,  Sade – humility and Beth – the heart.  This would suggest that God’s voice draws him away from his own splendor, and humbles him before God. 

The word for fire is ’esh which has a numerical value of 301.  The word for fear and distress is yara’ which also has a numerical value of 301.   Fire can represent fear and distress.   The blazing or flame  comes from the word lehev which in it’s Semitic root comes from the glittering of the sun off a sword.   The flames of fire could be a picture of those fears and distresses that constantly wear us down.    Perhaps David sat watching the thunderstorm and seeing the lightning flash it caused him to think about how he could be so at peace one moment and then like a lightning flash he is reminded of some serious problem or situation that he had to confront.  Then suddenly right after that flash of lightning there was thunder, the voice of God cutting or destroying that fearful or distressful situation. 

Samson Hirsch also indicated that the voice of God could represent an intimate knowledge of God, so  intimate is this knowledge that it destroys all your fears and distresses  Hearing the thunder David must have been reminded that he was intimate with a powerful God who could destroy the lightning of his fear and distress.

I’m facing a lot of stress lately and the weather man is predicting a thunder storm this evening. I plan to sit out under a porch so I can catch the voice of God reminding me that He is more powerful than any problem I  have.