Scripture Breakdown for 2 Samuel 22:10-12 and Psalm 18:9-11
10 He bowed the heavens also, and
came down; and darkness
was under his feet.
11 And he rode upon a cherub, and did
fly: and he was seen upon the
wings of the wind.
12 And he made darkness pavilions round about him,
dark waters, and thick clouds
of the skies.
13 Through the brightness before him were coals of fire kindled.
2 Sam 22:10-13 (KJV)
BOWED
A. Verb.
natah ^5186^, "to stretch forth, spread out, stretch down, turn aside." This
verb also occurs in Arabic, late Aramaic, and postbiblical Hebrew. The Bible
attests it in all periods and about 215 times.
Natah connotes "extending something outward and toward" something or someone.
This verb also implies "stretching down toward" so as to reach something.
Earlier in the Bible Rebekah was asked to "let down thy pitcher,... that I may
drink" <Gen. 24:14>; she was asked to "stretch it down" into the water. This is
the nuance when God is said to have "inclined [stretched down] unto me, and
heard my cry" <Ps. 40:1>. Issachar is described as a donkey which "bowed his
shoulder to bear [burdens]" <Gen. 49:15>. In somewhat the same sense the heavens
are bowed; the heavens are made to come closer to the earth. This is a figure of
the
(from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words)
(Copyright (C) 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers)
HEAVENS
8064 shamayim dual of an unused singular shameh-
heaven, heavens, sky
a) visible heavens, sky
1) as abode of the stars
2) as the visible universe, the sky, atmosphere, etc.
b) Heaven (as the abode of God)
This describes the 3 different heavens in the same wording.
AND CAME DOWN
3381 yarad (yaw-rad');
a primitive root; to descend (literally, to go downwards; or conventionally
to a lower region, as the shore, a boundary, the enemy, etc.; or
figuratively, to fall); causatively, to bring down (in all the above
applications); -X abundantly, bring down, carry down, cast down, (cause to) come
(-ing) down, fall (down), get down, go (-ing) down (-ward), hang down, X indeed,
let down, light (down), put down (off), (cause to, let) run down, sink, subdue,
take down.
DARKNESS
6205 `araphel-
a cloud, a heavy or dark cloud, darkness, gross darkness, thick darkness
UNDER
8478 tachath (takh'-ath);
from the same as 8430; the bottom (as depressed); only adverbially, below
(often with prepositional prefix underneath), in lieu of, etc.:
HIS FEET
7272 regel-
a foot
a) a foot, a leg
b) used of God (anthropomorphic)
c) used of seraphim, cherubim, idols, animals, a table
d) according to the pace of (with a preposition)
e) three times (feet, paces)
Derived from the root word:
7270 ragal (raw-gal');
a primitive root; to walk along;
FOOT
In anthropomorphic expressions, God has "feet." Thus God revealed Himself with
a pavement of sapphire as clear as the sky under His "feet" <Exod.
(from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words)
(Copyright (C) 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers)
TO RIDE
RIDE
rakab ^7392^, "to ride, cause to ride." Already found in ancient Akkadian and
Ugaritic, this word is also common to both ancient and modern Hebrew. It occurs
approximately 70 times in the text of the Hebrew Bible and is found for the
first time in <Gen. 24:61>: "And Rebekah arose, and her damsels, and they rode
upon the camels...." In addition to camels, the biblical account records the
riding of mules <2 Sam. 13:29>, asses <1 Sam. 25:42>, horses <Zech. 1:8>, and
chariots <2 Kings 9:16>. "To ride" upon horses is symbolic of an alliance with
Assyria <Hos. 14:3>.
Isaiah's statement that "the Lord rideth upon a swift cloud" <Isa. 19:1> is an
interesting parallel to the Ugaritic text's reference to the god Baal as "a
rider on the clouds." This is not to equate Baal with God, but simply to note
the similar imagery which is used, and the apparent influence of one literature
on another.
(from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words)
(Copyright (C) 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers)
TO FLY
5774 `uwph-
as a verb:
1) to fly, to fly about, to fly away
a) (Qal)
1) to fly, to hover
2) to fly away
b) (Hiphil) to cause to fly, to light upon
DARKNESS
2822 choshek-
darkness, obscurity
a) darkness
b) a secret place
PAVILIONS
5521 cukkah-
a thicket, a covert, a booth
a) a thicket
b) a booth (a crude or temporary shelter)
From the root word:
5520 cok (soke);
from 5526; a hut (as of entwined boughs); also a lair:
ROUND ABOUT HIM
5439 cabiyb (saw-beeb');
or (feminine) cebiybah (seb-ee-baw'); from 5437; (as noun) a circle,
neighbour, or environs; but chiefly (as adverb, with or without preposition)
around:
From the Root Word:
5437 cabab (saw-bab');
a primitive root; to revolve, surround, or border; used in various
applications, literally and figuratively (as follows):
cabib ^5439^, "area round about;
circuit." This word appears about 336 times in biblical Hebrew. The word can
be used as a noun, but it usually occurs as an adverb or preposition. In <1 Chr.
11:8> cabib refers to the "parts round about": "And he built the city
round about, even from Millo round about...." The word may also be used for
"circuits": "...and the wind returneth again according to his circuits" <Eccl.
1:6>. The first biblical appearance of the word is in <Gen. 23:17>, and it
refers to "within the circuit of."
Other nouns are related to the verb cabab. Cibbah and necibbah both refer to
"turn of affairs"; cibbah is found in <1 Kings 12:15> and necibbah in <2 Chr.
10:15>. Mucab occurs once with the meaning of "circular passage": "...for
the winding about of the house went still upward round about the house..."
<Ezek. 41:7>. Mecab occurs 4 times, and it refers to "that which surrounds
or is round." Mecab refers to a "round table" <Song of Sol. 1:12> and to "places
round about" Jerusalem <2 Kings 23:5>.
(from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words)
(Copyright (C) 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers)
DARK
2841 chashrah (khash-raw');
from the same as 2840; properly, a combination or gathering, i.e. of
watery clouds:
The Same As:
2840 chishshur (khish-shoor');
from an unused root meaning to bind together; combined, i.e. the nave or
hub of a wheel (as holding the spokes together):
WATERS
4325 mayim-
water, waters
a) water
b) water of the feet, that is, urine
c) used of danger, violence, transitory things, refreshment (figurative)
WATER
Fourth, in Israel's cultus "water" was poured or sprinkled
Fifth, in proper names this word is used of springs, streams,
(from Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words)
(Copyright (C) 1985, Thomas Nelson Publishers)
THICK CLOUDS
5645 `ab (awb) (masculine and feminine);
from 5743; properly, an envelope, i.e. darkness (or density, 2
Chron. 4:17); specifically, a (scud) cloud; also a copse:
From the root word:
KJV-- clay, (thick) cloud, X thick, thicket. Compare 5672.
5743 `uwb (oob);
a primitive root; to be dense or dark, i.e. to becloud:
Can be compared to:
5672 `abiy (ab-ee');
or `obiy (ob-ee'); from 5666; density, i.e. depth or width:
KJV-- thick (-ness). Compare 5645.
5666 `abah (aw-baw');
a primitive root; to be dense:
KJV-- be (grow) thick (-er).