Psalms 29:1-7

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.
6 He makes Lebanon’s mountains skip like a calf; he makes Mount Hermon leap like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the LORD strikes with bolts of lightning.

Psalms 29:1-7 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.

Footnotes 2

  • [a]. Hebrew you sons of God.
  • [b]. Hebrew Sirion, another name for Mount Hermon.
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