to Him who rides upon the highest heavens of old; behold, His mighty voice resounds.
Parallel translations
- WEB To him who rides on the heaven of heavens, which are of old; behold, he utters his voice, a mighty voice.
- KJV To him that rideth upon the heavens of heavens, which were of old; lo, he doth send out his voice, and that a mighty voice.
- NKJV To Him who rides on the heaven of heavens, which were of old! Indeed, He sends out His voice, a mighty voice.
- NASB To Him who rides upon the highest heavens, which are from ancient times; Behold, He speaks with His voice, a mighty voice.
- NLT Sing to the one who rides across the ancient heavens, his mighty voice thundering from the sky.
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
God rides upon the ancient heavens and speaks with a mighty voice. It exalts his transcendent power and majesty.
Overview
David pictures God riding through the highest heavens, his thundering voice declaring his power. The imagery underscores his sovereignty over creation and history. The God who rides the heavens is the same Lord whose voice spoke creation into being and who, in Christ, speaks the word of salvation that no power can silence.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Ps 18:10He mounted a cherub and flew; He soared on the wings of the wind.
- Ps 104:3laying the beams of His chambers in the waters above, making the clouds His chariot, walking on the wings of the wind.
- Ps 68:4Sing to God! Sing praises to His name. Exalt Him who rides on the clouds—His name is the LORD—and rejoice before Him.
- 1 Kgs 8:27But will God indeed dwell upon the earth? Even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot contain You, much less this temple I have built.
- Rev 11:19Then the temple of God in heaven was opened, and the ark of His covenant appeared in His temple. And there were flashes of lightning, and rumblings, and peals of thunder, and an earthquake, and a great hailstorm.
- Deut 33:26“There is none like the God of Jeshurun, who rides the heavens to your aid, and the clouds in His majesty.
- John 12:28–29Father, glorify Your name!” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”
- Ps 93:2Your throne was established long ago; You are from all eternity.
- Rev 11:15Then the seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and loud voices called out in heaven: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He will reign forever and ever.”
- Ps 29:3–9The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders; the LORD is heard over many waters.
- Ps 77:17–18The clouds poured down water; the skies resounded with thunder; Your arrows flashed back and forth.
- Ps 102:25In the beginning You laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands.
- Deut 10:14Behold, to the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, and the earth and everything in it.
- Ps 46:6Nations rage, kingdoms crumble; the earth melts when He lifts His voice.
- Rev 11:12And the witnesses heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Come up here.” And they went up to heaven in a cloud as their enemies watched them.
- Ezek 10:5The sound of the wings of the cherubim could be heard as far as the outer court, like the voice of God Almighty when He speaks.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
The Psalms are Christ's own prayer book and a gallery of his portraits — the suffering one of Psalm 22, the risen Lord of Psalm 16, the priest-king of Psalm 110, the Son to whom the nations are given.
How Psalms 68:33 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
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