Original Word: רַעַם
Part of Speech: Noun Masculine
Transliteration: ra`am
Pronunciation: rah-am
Phonetic Spelling: (rah'am)
KJV: thunder
NASB: thunder
Word Origin: [from H7481 (רָעַם - roar)]

1. a peal of thunder

thunder

From ra'am; a peal of thunder -- thunder.

see HEBREW ra'am

Word Origin
from an unused word
Definition
thunder
NASB Translation
thunder (6).

רַ֫עַם noun [masculine] thunder; — ascribed to ׳׃ י ׳ר absolute Isaiah 29:6, בְּסֵתֶר רַ֑עַם Psalm 81:8 (Baer Gi; i.e. thunder-cloud); suffix קוֺל רַעַמְךָ Psalm 77:19; Psalm 104:7; construct רַעַם גבורתו Job 26:14 (figurative of ׳יs display of might; opposed to שֵׁמֶץ); figurative of captains, שָׂרִים ׳ר Job 39:25, i.e. thunderous shouting ( + תְּרוּעָה).

Meaning and Imagery

רַעַם evokes the deep, rolling rumble of thunder and any mighty, resonant roar that arrests human attention. In Scripture it is never a merely meteorological note; it signals awe, evokes holy fear, and frames revelatory moments in which the Creator makes Himself known or advances His purposes in history.

Occurrences and Contexts

• Job 26:14 – Thunder magnifies the disparity between God’s limitless power and humanity’s limited perception: “Who can understand the thunder of His power?”.
• Job 39:25 – The war-horse senses the “thunder of the captains,” portraying thunder as the stirring sound of impending conflict.
• Psalm 77:18 – During the Red Sea deliverance, “Your thunder resounded in the whirlwind,” a reminder that saving acts can arrive clothed in terrifying sound.
• Psalm 81:7 – Israel’s cry is met “from the thundercloud,” underscoring that covenant mercy issues from sovereign majesty.
• Psalm 104:7 – At Creation and in providence, God’s thunder directs the waters: His voice maintains cosmic order.
• Isaiah 29:6 – Future judgment on Jerusalem will come “with thunder and earthquake and loud noise,” linking thunder with eschatological shaking.

Divine Self-Revelation

Thunder repeatedly serves as an audible emblem of God’s voice. Whereas human speech is confined by air and breath, divine thunder transcends boundaries, asserting that the Lord communicates with all creation (compare Exodus 19:16, 19; 1 Samuel 7:10). רַעַם therefore teaches that revelation is both personal and overpowering: the same sound that comforts the redeemed unnerves the unrepentant.

Instrument of Deliverance and Judgment

In Psalm 77 the thunder that terrified Egypt simultaneously guided Israel. Similarly, Isaiah 29 portrays thunder as part of the arsenal of judgment against obstinate religion. Thus רַעַם carries a moral polarity: mercy and wrath reverberate together, each authenticated by the same divine voice.

Human Response

The appropriate reaction to רַעַם is humble fear (Psalm 77:16-18), repentance (Psalm 81:7-13), and confident praise (Psalm 104:31-35). Job’s contemplation moves from wonder to silence, modeling reverence rather than presumption in the face of mysteries “too wonderful” (Job 42:3).

Role in Hebrew Poetry and Wisdom

Poetic literature exploits the auditory power of thunder to create parallelism between sight and sound—lightning and thunder, roar and quaking. Wisdom texts use רַעַם to contrast divine omnipotence with human fragility, a pedagogical strategy that encourages dependence on God’s wisdom rather than human insight.

Typological and Eschatological Lines

Revelation echoes the Old Testament pattern: “From the throne came flashes of lightning, and rumblings, and peals of thunder” (Revelation 4:5). The heavenly liturgy draws on רַעַם imagery to portray God’s unchanging holiness. Each eschatological thunderclap assures believers that history is moving toward consummation under the same sovereign voice heard at Sinai and in Zion’s prophetic warnings.

Practical Ministry Application

1. Preaching – Thunder texts invite proclamation of God’s transcendence alongside His covenant fidelity.
2. Worship – Musical settings can incorporate thunder imagery to foster awe.
3. Pastoral Care – When believers face chaos, Psalm 77:18 and Psalm 104:7 provide assurance that every turbulent sound is under divine command.
4. Evangelism – Isaiah 29:6 warns that God’s thunder will one day silence all human pride, urging timely repentance.

Key Insights

• רַעַם portrays the voice of God as irresistibly authoritative yet redemptively purposeful.
• Thunder is both historical (Exodus, Sinai, Meribah) and eschatological (Isaiah 29, Revelation), binding past deliverance to future hope.
• The same sound that judges also saves, revealing the consistent moral character of God across the canon.

בְּרַ֥עַם ברעם וְרַ֥עַם ורעם רַ֑עַם רַ֥עַם רַֽ֝עַמְךָ֗ רַעַמְךָ֨ ׀ רעם רעמך bə·ra·‘am bəra‘am beRaam ra‘am ra‘amḵā ra·‘am ra·‘am·ḵā Raam raamCha veRaam wə·ra·‘am wəra‘amInterlinear Greek • Interlinear Hebrew • Strong's Numbers • Englishman's Greek Concordance • Englishman's Hebrew Concordance • Parallel Texts