Psalms 18:11-12
He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him, thick clouds dark with water. Out of the brightness before him hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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What's often missed is that this isn't just God hiding from people, but that the thick, watery clouds serve as a visible, though mysterious, "tent" or "pavilion" around Him. It suggests that even in His awe-inspiring, veiled presence, God is actively present and engaged in His powerful actions.
The psalm describes God descending from heaven to deliver David, pictured as a dramatic storm. Before this, the earth shook and heavens thundered, leading into this verse where God is depicted as cloaking Himself in the dense, stormy clouds and darkness, making it His "tent" or hiding place. This imagery sets the stage for God's powerful, yet veiled, appearance to enact justice.
Ever felt like God was hidden during a difficult time? This verse speaks to that feeling, but with a powerful twist.
The verse paints a picture of God intentionally cloaking Himself in darkness and storm clouds. It's not that He's absent, but rather that His presence is so intense, so overwhelming, it's like a physical veil.
A Divine Hiding Place
This 'darkness' wasn't emptiness, but a 'secret place' or 'pavilion.' Think of it like the dark, swirling clouds before a storm breaks – they conceal the dazzling lightning and the immense power within. God uses these natural phenomena as his tent, his shelter, around him. This imagery helps us understand that even when God's presence feels overwhelming or hidden, it's still a place of divine dwelling.
Why would God choose to cover Himself with darkness? This isn't just poetic language; it carries deep theological meaning.
This imagery is crucial because it speaks to the transcendence of God. His ways and thoughts are higher than ours. The 'dark waters' and 'thick clouds' represent aspects of God's being and actions that are beyond human comprehension.
Beyond Our Sight
God's power is often revealed in ways that are not immediately apparent or easily understood. Just as a storm carries both destructive power and life-giving rain, God's hiddenness can precede a powerful act of deliverance. This verse reminds us that God's presence is not always comfortable or visible in ways we expect. It challenges us to trust in His sovereignty even when His actions seem obscure.
Understand the original words
choshek · Hebrew Noun
A state of lightlessness often associated in Scripture with the hiddenness, mystery, or judgment of God. It signifies the place where God dwells beyond human comprehension or where His presence brings terror to the wicked.
nogah · Hebrew Noun
A term used to describe the overwhelming and often awe-inspiring manifestation of God’s glory, holiness, or power. It is frequently associated with the 'glory of the LORD' (Shekinah) which is too brilliant for human eyes to behold directly.
Psalm 18 recounts David's deliverance from numerous enemies and dangers, framing his experiences as God's powerful intervention. The imagery of darkness and storm clouds reflects how God's presence could be both terrifying to His enemies and a protective veil for David during his perilous journeys and battles.
c. 1020-1000 BC— this verse
David's Flight from Saul
David, pursued by the jealous King Saul, spent years as a fugitive, hiding in caves and wilderness areas. This period was marked by intense danger and reliance on God for deliverance.
c. 1010 BC
David Anointed King of Israel
Despite being anointed king years earlier, David was not established on the throne until Saul's death. His ascent to power was fraught with conflict and consolidation.
c. 1004 BC
David Captures Jerusalem
David conquered the Jebusite stronghold of Jerusalem, establishing it as his capital city and bringing the Ark of the Covenant there. This marked a significant moment of national unity and divine presence.
c. 1000 BC
David's Reign in Jerusalem
David ruled as king over a united Israel from Jerusalem, leading the nation in military victories and establishing religious and governmental structures.
This passage describes God leading the Israelites through the wilderness with a pillar of cloud by day, a tangible manifestation of His presence that also served as a covering, much like the 'darkness' and 'clouds' in Psalm 18.
Job 38:9Here, God questions Job about His power over the clouds, describing how He clothed them with darkness and wrapped them in thick clouds, echoing the imagery of Psalm 18:11.
Nahum 1:3This prophetic passage describes God's power and wrath, stating that the clouds are the dust of His feet, and that He makes a way in the whirlwind and storm, similar to the depiction of God moving within a storm in Psalm 18.
Matthew 17:5During the Transfiguration, a cloud overshadowed Jesus, from which a voice spoke, illustrating how God can use clouds and darkness as a sign of His presence and divine revelation.
ellicottPsalms 18:11: "He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies."
(11 ) Secret place. —Better, veil. Comp. Job 22:14 ; Lamentations 3:44 . A better arrangement of the members of this verse is, He made darkness His veil round about Him; His tent He made of dark waters and black clouds. Literally, darkness of waters and blacknesses of clouds. (Comp. Psalm 97:2 ; Job 36:29 .) In Samuel, instead of “blacknesses” of clouds, the expression…
barnesPsalms 18:11: "He made darkness his secret place; his pavilion round about him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies."
He made darkness his secret place - Herder has beautifully rendered this verse, "Now he wrapped himself in darkness; Clouds on clouds enclosed him round." The word rendered "secret place" - סתר sêther - means properly a hiding; then something hidden, private, secret. Hence, it means a covering, a veil. Compare Job 22:14; Job 24:15. In Psalm 81:7 it is applied to thun…
What's often missed is that this isn't just God hiding from people, but that the thick, watery clouds serve as a visible, though mysterious, "tent" or "pavilion" around Him. It suggests that even in His awe-inspiring, veiled presence, God is actively present and engaged in His powerful actions.
The psalm describes God descending from heaven to deliver David, pictured as a dramatic storm. Before this, the earth shook and heavens thundered, leading into this verse where God is depicted as cloaking Himself in the dense, stormy clouds and darkness, making it His "tent" or hiding place. This imagery sets the stage for God's powerful, yet veiled, appearance to enact justice.
The psalm describes God descending from heaven to deliver David, pictured as a dramatic storm. Before this, the earth shook and heavens thundered, leading into this verse where God is depicted as cloaking Himself in the dense, stormy clouds and darkness, making it His "tent" or hiding place. This imagery sets the stage for God's powerful, yet veiled, appearance to enact justice.
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"He made darkness his covering, his canopy around him, thick clouds dark with water. Out of the brightness before him hailstones and coals of fire broke through his clouds." — What's often missed is that this isn't just God hiding from people, but that the thick, watery clouds serve as a visible, though mysterious, "tent" or "pavilion" around Him. It suggests that even i…
