After pausing in verse 12 to build again the picture through intensification, the poet continues the progression of events. Note that Good News Translation makes this verse a continuation of the sentence that begins in the previous verse.

There is some uncertainty about the meaning of this verse, which is literally “from the brightness before him coals of fire were kindled.” But it is perhaps easier than the counterpart in Psa 18.12. The picture seems to be that of a storm that included lightning (brightness), which strikes the earth and causes fires. Coals of fire are not normally associated with a thunderstorm but can be the result of a lightning strike. New American Bible (“From the brightness of his presence coals were kindled to flame”) appears to follow the same general interpretation as Good News Translation. Contemporary English Version and New International Version, on the other hand, seem to see the lightning simply as lighting up the sky before Yahweh.

If the translator follows the imagery found in Good News Translation, it may be necessary to recast the sentence so that the lightning is the agent; for example, “The lightning before him caused fire to flame up [on the earth].”

Some Greek manuscripts and the Syriac have a reading at the end of the verse in agreement with the longer parallel text in Psa 18.12, but Critique Textuelle de l’Ancien Testament gives an {A} rating to the shorter Masoretic Text.

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Ellington, John E. A Handbook on the First and Second Books of Samuel, Volume 2. (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 2001. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .