1 {A Psalm of David.} Give unto Jehovah, ye sons of the mighty ones, give unto Jehovah glory and strength;
2 Give unto Jehovah the glory of his name; worship Jehovah in holy splendour.
3 The voice of Jehovah is upon the waters: the ùGod of glory thundereth, -- Jehovah upon great waters.
4 The voice of Jehovah is powerful; the voice of Jehovah is full of majesty.
5 The voice of Jehovah breaketh cedars; yea, Jehovah breaketh the cedars of Lebanon:
6 And he maketh them to skip like a calf, Lebanon and Sirion like a young buffalo.
7 The voice of Jehovah cleaveth out flames of fire.
8 The voice of Jehovah shaketh the wilderness; Jehovah shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of Jehovah maketh the hinds to calve, and layeth bare the forests; and in his temple doth every one say, Glory!
10 Jehovah sitteth upon the flood; yea, Jehovah sitteth as king for ever.
11 Jehovah will give strength unto his people; Jehovah will bless his people with peace.
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Commentary on Psalms 29 Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
PSALM 29
Ps 29:1-11. Trust in God is encouraged by the celebration of His mighty power as illustrated in His dominion over the natural world, in some of its most terrible and wonderful exhibitions.
1. Give—or, "ascribe" (De 32:3).
mighty—or, "sons of the mighty" (Ps 89:6). Heavenly beings, as angels.
2. name—as (Ps 5:11; 8:1).
beauty of holiness—the loveliness of a spiritual worship, of which the perceptible beauty of the sanctuary worship was but a type.
3. The voice of the Lord—audible exhibition of His power in the tempest, of which thunder is a specimen, but not the uniform or sole example.
the waters—the clouds or vapors (Ps 18:11; Jer 10:13).
4. powerful … majesty—literally, "in power, in majesty."
5, 6. The tall and large cedars, especially of Lebanon, are shivered, utterly broken. The waving of the mountain forests before the wind is expressed by the figure of skipping or leaping.
7. divideth—literally, "hews off." The lightning, like flakes and splinters hewed from stone or wood, flies through the air.
8. the wilderness—especially Kadesh, south of Judea, is selected as another scene of this display of divine power, as a vast and desolate region impresses the mind, like mountains, with images of grandeur.
9. Terror-stricken animals and denuded forests close the illustration. In view of this scene of awful sublimity, God's worshippers respond to the call of Ps 29:2, and speak or cry, "Glory!" By "temple," or "palace" (God's residence, Ps 5:7), may here be meant heaven, or the whole frame of nature, as the angels are called on for praise.
10, 11. Over this terrible raging of the elements God is enthroned, directing and restraining by sovereign power; and hence the comfort of His people. "This awful God is ours, our Father and our Love."