Psalm 29:8

8 A voice of the Lord who shakes the wilderness; the Lord will shake the wilderness of Cades.

Psalm 29:8 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 29:8

The voice of the Lord shaketh the wilderness
The ground of it, the trees in it, and the beasts that harbour there; and causes them to be in pain, and to bring forth their young, as the ^F7 word signifies, and as it is rendered in ( Psalms 29:9 ) ; all which effects thunder produces, and may mystically signify the preaching of the Gospel among the Gentiles, and the consequence of it. The Gentile world may be compared to a wilderness, and is called the wilderness of the people, ( Ezekiel 20:35 ) ; the inhabitants of it being ignorant, barren, and unfruitful; and the conversion of them is expressed by turning a wilderness into a fruitful land, ( Isaiah 35:1 Isaiah 35:2 Isaiah 35:6 Isaiah 35:7 ) ( Isaiah 41:18 Isaiah 41:19 ) ; and the Gospel being sent thither has been the means of shaking the minds of many with strong and saving convictions; which made them tremble and cry out, what shall we do to be saved?

the Lord shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh;
which was the terrible wilderness that the children of Israel passed through to Canaan's land; the same with the wilderness of Zin, ( Numbers 33:36 ) ; and was called Kadesh from the city of that name, on the borders of Edom, ( Numbers 20:1 Numbers 20:16 ) ; the Targum paraphrases it,

``The word of the Lord shaketh the wilderness of Rekam;''

in the Targum in the King's Bible it is,

``makes the serpents in the wilderness of Rekam to tremble;''

but that thunder frightens them, I have not met with in any writer.

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FOOTNOTES:

F7 (lyxy) "parturire faciet", Pagninus, Montanus, Vatablus, Michaelis; "dolore parturientis afflicit", Piscator.

Psalm 29:8 In-Context

6 And he will beat them small, even Libanus itself, like a calf; and the beloved one is as a young unicorn.

7 There is a voice of the Lord who divides a flame of fire.

8 A voice of the Lord who shakes the wilderness; the Lord will shake the wilderness of Cades.

9 The voice of the Lord strengthens the hinds, and will uncover the thickets: and in his temple every one speaks of his glory.

10 The Lord will dwell on the waterflood: and the Lord will sit a king for ever.