Verse 7
7. Secret place of thunder That is, the recesses of Sinai, at this time the mysterious seat of divinity. See the fundamental passage, Exodus 19:19. In other theophanies the pavilion of God is located “in darkness,” “dark waters and thick clouds of the sky.” Psalms 18:11; Psalms 68:7-8. The unwonted terror of thunderstorms on Mount Sinai is attested by travellers, but at this time the “thunder” and earthquake were supernatural. God is represented as thus speaking from the clouds and the storm, to teach us that the answer of prayer is not from earth, but from Heaven; from the same great Power that rules the forces of created nature. The physical scenery and awful phenomena of Sinai were adapted to impress the people with the majesty and power of God.
Waters of Meribah Both Meribah-Kadesh (Numbers 20:13) and Rephidim, called “Massah and Meribah, [ temptation and strife, ] because of the chiding of the children of Israel, and because they tempted the Lord, saying, Is the Lord among us or not?” Exodus 17:7. See on Psalms 78:15-16. This latter was the scene of the most signal temptation and miracle since the passage of the Red Sea. See on Psalms 78:15-16; Psalms 106:32. This last clause forms the link between the joyful retrospections of the previous section of the psalm and the admonitory address of God to his people which follows.
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