Psalms 29

KJV · Chapter 29/150

1Give unto the Lord, O ye mighty, give unto the Lord glory and strength.

2Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

3The voice of the Lord is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the Lord is upon many waters.

4The voice of the Lord is powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.

5The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars; yea, the Lord breaketh the cedars of Lebanon.

6He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn.

7The voice of the Lord divideth the flames of fire.

8The voice of the Lord shaketh the wilderness; the Lord shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.

9The voice of the Lord maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.

10The Lord sitteth upon the flood; yea, the Lord sitteth King for ever.

11The Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

The psalm calls the mighty to give glory to the LORD, describing His powerful voice manifested in a storm — breaking cedars, shaking the wilderness — and ending with the promise that God will give strength and peace to His people.

Explanation

This psalm is one of the most vivid descriptions of theophany (a visible manifestation of God) through a natural phenomenon: a storm that moves from Lebanon to the wilderness of Kadesh, showing God's power over all creation. The sevenfold repetition of the phrase 'the voice of the LORD' is a poetic device that emphasizes totality and completeness. Many scholars note similarities with Canaanite hymns dedicated to the storm god Baal, suggesting that the psalmist deliberately attributed to Yahweh the power that neighboring peoples attributed to other deities. Today's application: even the most impressive natural phenomena point to a Creator greater than themselves.

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