Psalm 18 (17):13Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The proclamation of the Word shines forth before Him, resembling lightning in the brilliance of His image. The clouds passed by, yet the bearers of His message were not confined to the territories of Judea; they reached out to the Gentiles. Hail and fiery coals represent symbolic warnings, whereby, akin to hail, hardened hearts are struck. However, when the ground is cultivated and softened, meaning when a devout spirit embraces the message, the hardness of the hailstones transforms into water. The terrifying brilliance of the sharp denunciation is changed into life-giving instruction, invigorating hearts ignited by the flame of divine love.

From the pouring forth of the clouds before Him emerged the clouds. The brilliance of His arrival illuminated the prophecies. In these prophecies, there are also warnings, which He conveyed through the imagery of ‘hail and coals of fire.’ Just as the apostles passed before Him illuminated by His message, like clouds sprinkled over the earth, the hail symbolizes the diverse afflictions destined for the unbelievers, which truly came upon His adversaries after His ascension—specifically, their spiritual adversaries. For just as He sent hail and fire during the liberation of the Israelites from Egypt, so too did He bring forth hail and coals of fire when redeeming all nations from demonic oppression. These elements represented the punitive forces through which He overcame the spiritual Egyptians.

He speaks of God's Providence, which is infallible, and acknowledges our inability to grasp the depth of God's wisdom. Just as our physical eyes cannot see the depths of the abyss, we are also unable to fully perceive the magnitude or insight of God.

The phrase "put His tabernacle in darkness" conveys the hiddenness of God's nature, while "around Him is His village" denotes the illumination that surrounds Him. This is why the blessed Paul affirmed, "He alone hath immortality, and in the light He liveth unapproachable" (1 Tim. 6:16). "Dark is the water in the clouds of the air." The clouds emerge from clouds before Him, much like how the thick clouds cause the atmosphere to darken as they produce flashes of lightning. In a similar way, the Creator of all humanity, being unseen, radiates beams of divine wisdom and, through punishing fire, corrects those who engage in wrongdoing. These ideas are emphasized by the Prophet when he mentions "hail and coals of fire."

With the manifestation of God’s glory upon the earth, illuminating not only what is near but also what lies distant, the dark utterances have come to an end, having reached their fulfillment. This is akin to the morning fog lifting as the sun rises, revealing the clear expanse of the sky that was previously obscured from our view. Alternatively, the clouds may symbolize the veil of the Mosaic Law—those figures that foreshadowed Jesus Christ—which with His coming have dissipated, becoming evident to all. In this interpretation, we shall modify the phrasing to emphasize that from His unveiling, or simply His earthly presence, the hidden meanings of the Old Testament revelations were made evident.

The eradication of idolatry occurs as He ascends upon the cherubim and takes flight, soaring on the wings of the wind (Ps 17:11). After a descent, He rises with the cherubim, having shattered the silence of the heavens with His thunder. The Lord, traversing on the cherubim, unleashes hail and fiery coals upon the Egyptians, symbolizing divine retribution against the wicked. Consequently, these manifestations of judgment and punishment serve to support the divine will in combatting the deceptions of polytheism and driving back those who promote such falsehoods. As a result, the oracles will fall silent, prophecies will be rendered false, temples will stand abandoned, and sanctuaries will suffer decay under unseen, covert powers, all enacted by the Lord following His ascension into glory.

He describes how the Lord engages in battle against adversaries, using clouds akin to chariots of war. He notes that at God's word, the clouds assemble and emit flashes of lightning, which appear to our eyes as if they were burning coals. This occurred in Egypt under Pharaoh's reign, as documented in the book of Exodus, and also during Joshua's confrontation with the five kings of the Amorites.

The apostles of the saints, adorned with the brilliance of God's grace, journeyed throughout the world, proclaiming the truth of the Gospel with passionate voices ignited by the Holy Spirit, instilling fear in sinners with the reality of God's Last Judgment.

You observe a thick, dark cloud enveloping your senses, leaving the natural world in an enigmatic stillness; everything appears dreary, and despite your desire to see, your vision is clouded, as though you are drifting into slumber. Then, in an instant, lightning illuminates the sky, and thunder reverberates through the atmosphere; this sudden display revitalizes the earth and stirs the life of nature, awakening you as well. You begin to perceive a light beckoning you from the earthly realm to the heavenly one. This mirrors the process of our redemption: faith, akin to an opaque cloud, conceals from you the mysteries of eternal life; it weighs on your mind, stifling its capacity to perceive; everything seems obscured and bewildering.