Psalms 18:12 (DBY)

Passage

From the brightness before him his thick clouds passed forth: hail and coals of fire.

Nearby Context

Psalms 18:10 And he rode upon a cherub and did fly; yea, he flew fast upon the wings of the wind.

Psalms 18:11 He made darkness his secret place, his tent round about him: darkness of waters, thick clouds of the skies.

Psalms 18:12 From the brightness before him his thick clouds passed forth: hail and coals of fire.

Psalms 18:13 And Jehovah thundered in the heavens, and the Most High uttered his voice: hail and coals of fire.

Psalms 18:14 And he sent his arrows, and scattered [mine enemies]; and he shot forth lightnings, and discomfited them.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "brightness", "before", "thick", "clouds", "passed", "forth", "hail", and "coals". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "brightness" and "before", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "He made darkness his secret place his..." into verse 13's "And Jehovah thundered in the heavens and...", so "brightness" and "before" belong inside that flow. In Psalms context, the local focus is worship, trust, the LORD's kingship, and covenant mercy.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "brightness" and "before" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.