Thunder

Concept

Thunder is described throughout Scripture as the voice of God (Job 40:9; Ps. 77:18; 104:7; John 12:29). It accompanied the theophany at Sinai when the law was given (Ex. 19:16) and was deployed as divine judgment against the Philistines at Mizpah during Samuel's time (1 Sam. 7:10). The seven thunders in Revelation 10:3-4 represent divine communications that John was commanded not to write down.

James and John received from Jesus the surname Boanerges, meaning sons of thunder (Mark 3:17), possibly reflecting their fiery temperament (Luke 9:54). In Israelite religion, thunder's association with divine power contrasted with the Canaanite storm god Baal's claim over rain and thunder, making it a theologically contested domain. The psalms celebrate YHWH's voice in the storm as supreme over all rival claimants (Ps. 29).