Psalms 29:3-11

3 The voice of the Lord is heard on the seas; the glorious God thunders, and his voice echoes over the ocean.

4 The voice of the Lord is heard in all its might and majesty.

5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars, even the cedars of Lebanon.

6 He makes the mountains of Lebanon jump like calves and makes Mount Hermon leap like a young bull.

7 The voice of the Lord makes the lightning flash.

8 His voice makes the desert shake; he shakes the desert of Kadesh.

9 The Lord's voice shakes the oaks and strips the leaves from the trees while everyone in his Temple shouts, "Glory to God!"

10 The Lord rules over the deep waters; he rules as king forever.

11 The Lord gives strength to his people and blesses them with peace.

Psalms 29:3-11 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

• [a]. [Probable text] shakes the oaks; [Hebrew] makes the deer give birth.