"... In Old Testament and Jewish tradition “silence” is associated both with Egypt’s defeat and Israel’s redemption at the Red Sea. This likely derives from Exodus 14:14 LXX, where Moses commands the Israelites to “be silent” [sigaō] and not fight, because the Lord would destroy the Egyptians. Wisdom of Solomon 18–19 is especially interesting. A “quiet silence” (18:14) immediately precedes God’s judgment of the firstborn in Egypt—this just after Moses’ intercessory prayer, which appears to be equated with a propitiation of incense (18:21). The deliverance of Israel is then repeatedly described as a new creation (19:6–8, 11, 18–21). For related descriptions of the judgment of Egypt, we may compare Targum Exodus 15; Psalm 76:6–9; Mekilta deRabbi Ishmael 7:20–23. Finally, there is a Jewish tradition that in the fifth heaven angelic servants praise God at night but become silent during the day so that the praises offered by Israel could be heard by God (b. Chagigah 12b; b. Avoda Zara 3b). A partial basis for both this Jewish tradition and Revelation 8:1 may be Psalm 65:1–2: “There will be silence before Thee, [even] praise in Zion ... O Thou who dost hear prayer” (compare Midrash Psalms 65:1; b. Eruvn 19a; Midrash Psalms 31 on Psalm 31:18; Testament of Adam 1:11–12; 4Q405 20 II, 7). A variant of this theme is reflected in Targum Ezekiel 1:24–25, which asserts that when the guardian cherubs were in motion, they “were blessing and thanking” God, but “when they stood still, [they] became silent” in order to hear God’s revelatory word, which in the context of Ezekiel 1–2 is a pronouncement of judgment on Israel ..."