Psalm 29:1-8

1 A psalm of David: Give ADONAI his due, you who are godly; give ADONAI his due of glory and strength;

2 give ADONAI the glory due his name; worship ADONAI in holy splendor.

3 The voice of ADONAI is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, ADONAI over rushing waters,

4 the voice of ADONAI in power, the voice of ADONAI in splendor.

5 The voice of ADONAI cracks the cedars; ADONAI splinters the cedars of the L'vanon

6 and makes the L'vanon skip like a calf, Siryon like a young wild ox.

7 The voice of ADONAI flashes fiery flames;

8 the voice of ADONAI rocks the desert, ADONAI convulses the Kadesh Desert.

Psalm 29:1-8 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO PSALM 29

\\<>\\. In the Vulgate Latin version is added, "at the finishing of the tabernacle"; suggesting that this psalm was composed at that time, and on that occasion; not at the finishing of the tabernacle by Moses, but at the finishing of the tent or tabernacle which David made for the ark in Zion, 2Sa 6:17. The title in the Arabic version is, ``a prophecy concerning the incarnation, ark, and tabernacle.'' In the Septuagint version, from whence the Vulgate seems to have taken the clause, it is, at the "exodion", "exit", or "going out of the tabernacle"; that is, of the feast of tabernacles; and which was the eighth day of the feast, and was called true, which word the Septuagint renders exodion, the word here used, Le 23:36, Nu 29:35; though it was on the first of the common days of this feast that this psalm was sung, as Maimonides {w} says. Some think it was composed when the psalmist was in a thunder storm, or had lately been in one, which he in a very beautiful manner describes. Kimchi thinks it refers to the times of the Messiah; and it may indeed be very well interpreted of the Gospel, and is very suitable to Gospel times. {w} Hilchot Tamidin, c. 10. s. 11.