Voice

"voice; sound; noise." This word also appears in Ugaritic ("sound"), Akkadian ("call"), Arabic ("say"), and in Phoenician, Ethiopic, and old South Arabic ("voice"). Qôl appears about 506 times in the Bible and in all periods. In its first meaning the word denotes a "sound" produced by vocal cords. This includes the human "voice": "And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the Lord fought for Israel" (Josh 10:14). The word also includes vocal "sounds" produced by animals: "And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating [literally, sound] of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing [literally, sound] of the oxen which I hear?" (1Sam 15:14). In this regard qôl is used of the "voice" of personified inanimate objects or things: "And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground" (Gen 4:10).

The second meaning, "sound" or "noise," appears especially in poetical passages and covers a great variety of "noises and sounds," such as the "noise or sound" of battle: "And when Joshua heard the noise of the people as they shouted, he said unto Moses, There is a noise of war in the camp" (Exod 32:17). It can be used of the "sound" of words (Deut 1:34), water (Ezek 1:24), weeping (Isa 65:19), and thunder (Exod 9:23).

The word can also represent the thing that is spoken: "And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee …" (Gen 3:17). In an extended nuance qôl signifies the thing said, even though it is written down: "Then he wrote a letter the second time to them, saying, If ye be mine, and if ye will hearken unto my voice …" (2Kings 10:6). There are several special phrases related to qôl. "To lift up one's voice and weep" signifies many things including crying out for help (Gen 39:14), mourning for present or anticipated tragedy (Gen 21:16), and the "sound" of disaster (Num 16:34) or joy (Gen 29:11).

"To hearken to one's voice" means such things as taking note of something and believing it (Gen 4:23), following another's suggestions (Gen 3:17), complying with another's request (Gen 21:12), obeying another's command (Gen 22:18), and answering a prayer (2Sam 22:7).

Theologically the word is crucial in contexts relating to prophecy. The prophet's "voice" is God's "voice" (Exod 3:18; cf. Exod 7:1; Deut 18:18-19). God's "voice" is sometimes the roar of thunder (Exod 9:23, 29) or a "still small voice" (1Kings 19:12). Thunder demonstrated God's tremendous power and evoked fear and submission. In covenantal contexts God stipulates that His "voice," heard in both the roar of thunder and the prophetic message, is authoritative and when obeyed brings reward (Exod 19:5; 1Sa 12:14-18). The blast ("sound") of a trumpet is used to signify divine power (Josh 6:5) and presence (2Sam 6:15).

Interestingly the first biblical appearance of qôl (Gen 3:8) is a highly debated passage. Exactly what did Adam and Eve hear in the garden? Was it the sound of God walking (cf. 1Kings 14:6)?

"a sound," is used of the voice (a) of God, Mat 3:17, Joh 5:37, Joh 12:28, Joh 12:30, Act 7:31, Act 10:13, Act 10:15, Act 11:7, Act 11:9, Heb 3:7, Heb 3:15, Heb 4:7, Heb 12:19, Heb 12:26, 2Pe 1:1-18, Rev 18:4, Rev 21:3; (b) of Christ, (1) in the days of His flesh, Mat 12:19 (negatively); Joh 3:29, Joh 5:25, Joh 1:10-4, Joh 10:16, Joh 10:27, Joh 11:43, Joh 18:37; (2) on the Cross, Mat 27:46, and parallel passages; (3) from heaven, Act 9:4, Act 9:7, Act 22:7, Act 22:9, Act 22:14, Act 26:14, Rev 1:10, Rev 1:12 (here, by metonymy, of the speaker), Rev 1:15, Rev 3:20; (4) at the resurrection "to life," Joh 5:28, 1Th 4:16, where "the voice of the archangel" is, lit., "a voice of an archangel," and probably refers to the Lord's voice as being of an archangelic character; (5) at the resurrection to judgment, Joh 5:28 [not the same event as (4)]; (c) of human beings on earth, e.g., Mat 2:18, Mat 3:3, Luk 1:42, in some texts, AV, "voice," and frequently in the Synoptists; (d) of angels, Rev 5:11, and frequently in the Apocalypse; (e) of the redeemed in heaven, e.g., Rev 6:10, Rev 18:22, Rev 19:1, Rev 19:5; (f) of a pagan god, Act 12:22; (g) of things, e.g., wind, Joh 3:8, RV, "voice" (AV, "sound"). See SOUND.

Notes: (1) In Luk 1:42 (1st part), AV, anaphoneo, "to lift up one's voice," is rendered "spake out," RV, "lifted up (her) voice." (2) In Act 26:10, AV, "I gave my voice" (RV, "... vote"): see STONE, No. 2.