Lightning in the Bible

Editor/Photographer

Lightning? Biblical? You bet! The meteorological light shows that we enjoy here on earth are one of God's own ideas, and His Word mentions the phenomenon quite often - in historical accounts, in poetry, and as descriptive comparisons where no other thing was appropriate.

In fact, the Bible says that once man (that includes you and me, by the way) has seen the magnificence, the intricacies, and the beauties of what has been created, we then have no excuse for not knowing that God exists. And if God is for real, then we should be very interested in what He has to say about where we are now, and where we are going.

For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse;.... - Romans 1:20

Do you want a small taste of what it will be like standing before the God of the Universe on judgement day? Go outside and stand in a severe thunderstorm - and think about where you stand with Him.

Are you ready for it?

The following is a list of all verses in Scripture that make mention of lightning. All references are from the New International Version (NIV):

Exodus 9:23
When Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, the Lord sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the ground. So the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt.

Exodus 9:24
Hail fell and lightning flashed back and forth. It was the worst storm in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation.

Exodus 19:16
On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled.

Exodus 20:18
When the people saw the thunder and lightning and heard the trumpet and saw the mountain in smoke, they trembled with fear. They stayed at a distance

2 Samuel 22:13
Out of the brightness of his presence bolts of lightning blazed forth.

2 Samuel 22:15
He shot arrows and scattered the enemies , bolts of lightning and routed them.

Job 36:30
See how he scatters his lightning about him, bathing the depths of the sea.

Job 36:32
He fills his hands with lightning and commands it to strike its mark.

Job 37:3
He unleashes his lightning beneath the whole heaven and sends it to the ends of the earth.

Job 37:11
He loads the clouds with moisture; he scatters his lightning through them.

Job 37:15
Do you know how God controls the clouds and makes his lightning flash?

Job 38:24
What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed, or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth?

Job 38:35
Do you send the lightning bolts on their way? Do they report to you, 'Here we are'?

Psalm 18:12
Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced, with hailstones and bolts of lightning.

Psalm 18:14
He shot his arrows and scattered the enemies , great bolts of lightning and routed them.

Psalm 29:7
The voice of the Lord strikes with flashes of lightning.

Psalm 77:18
Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind, your lightning lit up the world; the earth trembled and quaked.

Psalm 78:48
He gave over their cattle to the hail, their livestock to bolts of lightning.

Psalm 97:4
His lightning lights up the world; the earth sees and trembles.

Psalm 105:32
He turned their rain into hail, with lightning throughout their land;

Psalm 135:7
He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth; he sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.

Psalm 144:6
Send forth lightning and scatter {the enemies}; shoot your arrows and rout them.

Psalm 148:8
lightning and hail, snow and clouds, stormy winds that do his bidding,

Jeremiah 10:13
When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.

Jeremiah 51:16
When he thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; he makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth. He sends lightning with the rain and brings out the wind from his storehouses.

Ezekiel 1:4
I looked, and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north-an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal,

Ezekiel 1:13
The appearance of the living creatures was like burning coals of fire or like torches. Fire moved back and forth among the creatures; it was bright, and lightning flashed out of it.

Ezekiel 1:14
The creatures sped back and forth like flashes of lightning.

Ezekiel 21:10
sharpened for the slaughter, polished to flash like lightning! " 'Shall we rejoice in the scepter of my son Judah ? The sword despises every such stick.

Ezekiel 21:15
So that hearts may melt and the fallen be many, I have stationed the sword for slaughter at all their gates. Oh! It is made to flash like lightning, it is grasped for slaughter.

Ezekiel 21:28
"And you, son of man, prophesy and say, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says about the Ammonites and their insults: " 'A sword, a sword, drawn for the slaughter, polished to consume and to flash like lightning!

Daniel 10:6
His body was like chrysolite, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude.

Hosea 6:5
Therefore I cut you in pieces with my prophets, I killed you with the words of my mouth; my judgments flashed like lightning upon you.

Nahum 2:4
The chariots storm through the streets, rushing back and forth through the squares. They look like flaming torches; they dart about like lightning.

Habakkuk 3:11
Sun and moon stood still in the heavens at the glint of your flying arrows, at the lightning of your flashing spear.

Zechariah 9:14
Then the Lord will appear over them; his arrow will flash like lightning. The Sovereign Lord will sound the trumpet; he will march in the storms of the south,

Matthew 24:27
For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.

Matthew 28:3
His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.

Luke 9:29
As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.

Luke 10:18
He replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

Luke 17:24
For the Son of Man in his day will be like the lightning, which flashes and lights up the sky from one end to the other.

Luke 24:4
While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them.

Revelation 4:5
From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God.

Revelation 8:5
Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and hurled it on the earth; and there came peals of thunder, rumblings, flashes of lightning and an earthquake.

Revelation 11:19
Then God's temple in heaven was opened, and within his temple was seen the ark of his covenant. And there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a great hailstorm.

Revelation 16:18
Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake.

Storm chaser and photographer Dan Robinson

About the Author: Dan Robinson has been a storm chaser, photographer and cameraman for 30 years. His career has involved traveling around the country covering the most extreme weather on the planet including tornadoes, hurricanes, lightning, floods and winter storms. Dan has been extensively published in newspapers, magazines, web articles and more, and has both supplied footage for and appeared in numerous television productions and newscasts. He has also been involved in the research community, providing material for published scientific journal papers on tornadoes and lightning. Dan also holds an active Remote Pilot Certificate from the FAA (Part 107) for commercial drone operation.