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“The Lord thundered from heaven, And the Most High uttered His voice.
2 Samuel 22:14 · New American Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB Yahweh thundered from heaven. The Most High uttered his voice.
  • KJV The LORD thundered from heaven, and the most High uttered his voice.
  • BSB The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.
  • NKJV “The Lord thundered from heaven, And the Most High uttered His voice.
  • NLT The Lord thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Yahweh thunders from heaven, the Most High lifting his voice. God's mighty word goes out against David's foes.

Overview

The thunder pictures the voice of the sovereign God answering from his throne. His utterance is itself a weapon that routs the enemy. This reminds us that the same powerful word that creates and judges also saves, and is fully embodied in Christ, the Word made flesh.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 12

  • Ps 29:3–9Yahweh’s voice is on the waters. The God of glory thunders, even Yahweh on many waters.
  • 1 Sam 2:10Those who strive with Yahweh shall be broken to pieces. He will thunder against them in the sky. “Yahweh will judge the ends of the earth. He will give strength to his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.”
  • Job 37:2–5Hear, oh, hear the noise of his voice, the sound that goes out of his mouth.
  • Judg 5:20From the sky the stars fought. From their courses, they fought against Sisera.
  • Job 40:9Or do you have an arm like God? Can you thunder with a voice like him?
  • Ps 77:16–19The waters saw you, God. The waters saw you, and they writhed. The depths also convulsed.
  • 1 Sam 7:10As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines came near to battle against Israel; but Yahweh thundered with a great thunder on that day on the Philistines, and confused them; and they were struck down before Israel.
  • Exod 19:6and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation.’ These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel.”
  • Isa 30:30Yahweh will cause his glorious voice to be heard, and will show the descent of his arm, with the indignation of his anger, and the flame of a devouring fire, with a blast, storm, and hailstones.
  • Ezek 10:5The sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard even to the outer court, as the voice of God Almighty when he speaks.
  • 1 Sam 12:17–18Isn’t it wheat harvest today? I will call to Yahweh, that he may send thunder and rain; and you will know and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in Yahweh’s sight, in asking for a king.”
  • Rev 11:19God’s temple that is in heaven was opened, and the ark of the Lord’s covenant was seen in his temple. Lightnings, sounds, thunders, an earthquake, and great hail followed.

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — 2 Samuel videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on 2 Samuel 22:14YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on 2 SamuelMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

God's covenant with David — a son whose throne and kingdom would last forever (7:12–16) — finds its yes in Jesus, the Son of David who reigns without end.

How 2 Samuel 22:14 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.