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H e B r e W W O r d S T u dYW I T H O u T H e B r e W

IN PSALM 18:8

tip: In Logos Bible Software, you can go straight to Hebrew-based resources by double clicking the word in a reverse interlinear, which will open your preferred lexicon (dictionary based on a corpus of writings).

Screenshot of Logos Bible Software’s ESV English-Hebrew Reverse Interlinear Old Testament at Psa 18:8.

Reverse interlinear bibles align the original language texts of Scripture with an English translation.

Tip: In Logos Bible software, twot can be accessed through the menu that pops up when you right click the word ’ēsh in the reverse interlinear.

To learn more about the gods of Israel’s neighbors see the Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible (ddd). Logos.com/DDD

step 1: Make the Switch to Hebrew and establish a Preliminary definition

Dig into Hebrew, the original language of the Psalms, by looking up Psa 18:8 in the ESV English-Hebrew Reverse Interlinear Old Testament and locating the Hebrew word אׁש (’ēsh) below the English translation “fire.” Note that the Strong’s number (784) is also listed. By locating this number in the numerically keyed Hebrew-Aramaic Dictionary appended to Strongest Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, you’ll discover that this tool defines ’ēsh (אׁש) in three ways: “fire,” “flame,” and “lightning.”

step 2: Survey the usage of the Word in the Old Testament

Rather than thumb through your Bible to find each of the 377 occurrences of ’ēsh in the Old Testament, streamline the process by consulting the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament (twot). twot contains an index coded with Strong’s numbers.

twot tells us that God’s manifestations to humans (known as theophanies) frequently involved fire (compare Acts 2). In Exodus, God appears to Moses in a “flame of fire” (Exod 3:2), leads the Israelites in a “pillar of fire” (Exod 13:21), and ascends Mount Sinai “in fire” (Exod 19:18). Divine retribution is even enacted with fire (Gen 19:24; Lev 10:1–2; Num 16:35). God is at times portrayed as a battle-ready warrior with fire in hand (Deut 33:2–1; Judg 5:4–5; Psa 68:7–8). We can see how fire could be associated with divine presence.

In mortal danger, the psalmist cries out to God, “The ropes of death entangled me; floods of destruction swept over me” (Psa 18:6 nlt). God hears the distress call in Psa 18:8 and erupts onto the scene with smoke pouring out His nostrils and “fire” billowing from His mouth. Sounds more like a dragon than the creator of the universe. Let’s figure out what’s going on here by examining the symbolism associated with the Hebrew word behind the translation “fire.”

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Andrew B. Perrin is a candidate for an m.a. in Biblical Studies. He is the Research Assistant to the Canada Research Chair in Dead Sea Scrolls Studies.

step 3: Briefly Explore the Word in Other Ancient Semitic Literature

Ancient Israelites didn’t live in isolation; the neighboring peoples and cultures often wrote about the same concepts and themes, sometimes using the same words. To find out what Israel’s neighbors at the time had to say about fire, we turn to the Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament (tdot). Here we learn that the gods of Egypt and Mesopotamia are associated with fire in various ways. The Sumero-Akkadian god Enlil sent the fire gods Nusku and Gibil to exact his fiery revenge on a group of sorceresses (compare 1 Kgs 18). A Babylonian creation myth says of the god Marduk, “when he moved his lips, a fire was kindled.” The widely-circulated Epic of Gilgamesh (ca. 2100–1250 bc) describes the evil god Humbaba thus: “his roar is a flood; yea, his mouth is fire; his breath, death.”

These stories depict fire as both a divine weapon and part of a god’s body, especially the mouth. Similar fire imagery is used in the Psalms: as a manifestation of God (the fiery pillar, Pss 78:14; 105:39); as an emanation of God’s mouth or nostril (Pss 18:8–13; 29:7); as an expression of His wrath (Pss 78:21, 79:5, 89:46); as a means of divine retribution (Pss 11:6; 21:9; 46:9; 97:3; 106:18); and as part of His heavenly entourage (Pss 50:3; 104:4; compare Rev 4:5). The similarities are striking, but the differences more so: Fire in the Psalms is not a god, but an instrument of God.

step 4: Revisit the Passage to Determine the Meaning of the Word in Context

In Psalm 18:8 ( ) means, you guessed it, “fire.” Word studies are not just about the definition of a word, but the images that a word can evoke. God’s response to the psalmist’s desperation involved a display of “fire,” which suggests His immediate presence in the event and His command over not just the elements other gods supposedly controlled, but all the elements (the heavens, wind, rain clouds, lightning, waters and the earth; Pss 18:8–16, compare 148:1–10). He is the all-powerful God who reigns over heaven, earth and sea. The use of as a destructive weapon on the psalmist’s enemies paints a commanding image of a savior God who intervenes when called—a God who is all-powerful over all elements and all suppressive powers, whether supposed or real.

for further study:

1. Psalm 18 is paralleled in 2 Sam chapter 22, how does the psalm fit in this narrative?

2. What is the connection between fire symbolizing the divine presence and the “tongues of fire” at Pentecost in Acts 2:3?

For previous word studies, go to BibleStudyMagazine.com/WordStudy

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