Psalms 29:1

1 Honor the LORD, you heavenly beings ; honor the LORD for his glory and strength.

Psalms 29:1 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 29:1

Give unto the Lord, O ye mighty
The Targum refers this to the angels,

``give praise before the Lord, ye companies of angels, sons of the Mighty;''

these are mighty ones, and excel all other creatures in strength; and are the sons of the Mighty, or of God; it is their duty and their business to glorify and to worship him and his Son Jesus Christ, as they do continually; but rather the princes and great men of the earth are here meant, who are so called, ( Psalms 82:1 Psalms 82:6 Psalms 82:7 ) ( Psalms 89:6 Psalms 89:7 ) ( 1 Corinthians 1:26 ) ; and these, as they receive much honour and glory, both from God and man; and because they are apt to seek their own glory, and ascribe too much to themselves, are called upon particularly to give glory to God; and the more, inasmuch as they may be the means of engaging their subjects, by their influence and example, to do the same, and who may be included in them; for this is not to be understood of them exclusive of others, as appears from ( Psalms 96:7-9 ) ; moreover, all the saints and people of God may be intended, who are all princes and kings; and may be said to be mighty, especially those who are strong in faith; and these are they who give most glory to God;

give unto the Lord glory and strength;
give glory to Jehovah the Father, by celebrating the perfections of his nature; by commending the works of his hands, the works of creation; by acquiescing in his providential dispensations; by returning thanks to him for mercies received, temporal and spiritual; particularly for salvation by Christ, and, above all, for Christ himself; by exercising faith in him as a promising God; by living becoming his Gospel, and to the honour of his name: give glory to the Son of God, by ascribing all divine perfections to him, by attributing salvation to him, and by trusting in him alone for it: give glory to the Spirit of God, by asserting his deity, by referring the work of grace and conversion to him, and by depending upon him for thee performance of the good work begun: give "strength" to each person, by acknowledging that power belongs to them, which is seen in creation, redemption, and the effectual calling; or else strength may mean the same thing as praise and glory; see ( Psalms 8:2 ) , compared with ( Matthew 21:16 ) ; and both may design strong praise and glory, expressed in the strongest and with the greatest vigour and vehemency of spirit.

Psalms 29:1 In-Context

1 Honor the LORD, you heavenly beings ; honor the LORD for his glory and strength.
2 Honor the LORD for the glory of his name. Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness.
3 The voice of the LORD echoes above the sea. The God of glory thunders. The LORD thunders over the mighty sea.
4 The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is majestic.
5 The voice of the LORD splits the mighty cedars; the LORD shatters the cedars of Lebanon.

Footnotes 1

  • [a]. Hebrew you sons of God.
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.