Psalmen 29:3

3 De stem des HEEREN is op de wateren, de God der ere dondert; de HEERE is op de grote wateren.

Psalmen 29:3 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 29:3

The voice of the Lord [is] upon the waters
What follows concerning thunder, the voice of the Lord, gives so many reasons why he should have glory given him and be worshipped; the Heathens F25 paid their devotion to thunder and lightning: but this should be done to the author of them; which may be literally understood of thunder, and is the voice of the Lord; see ( Psalms 18:13 ) ( Job 40:9 ) ; and which is commonly attended with large showers of rain, ( Jeremiah 10:13 ) ; and is very terrible upon the waters, and has its effect there, ( Psalms 104:7 ) ; and this is the rather mentioned, because that there is a God above, who is higher than the mighty, who are called upon to give glory to him, and because that thunder has been terrible to kings and great men of the earth; or this may be figuratively interpreted of the voice of Christ in the Gospel, which reaches to many nations and people, compared to waters, ( Revelation 17:15 ) . The disciples had a commission to preach it to all nations, and the sound of their words went into all the world, ( Romans 10:18 ) ;

the God of glory thundereth;
this shows that thunder may be meant by the voice of the Lord, who is glorious in himself, and in all his works; and may be applied to the Gospel of Christ, who is the Lord of glory, and whose ministers, at least some of them, are sons of thunder; see ( 1 Corinthians 2:8 ) ( Mark 3:17 ) ;

the Lord [is] upon many waters;
that is, his voice is, as before, which is thunder; and that this belongs to God, the Heathens were so sensible of, that they called their chief deity Jupiter Tonans F26.


FOOTNOTES:

F25 Pausan. Arcad. sive l. 8. p. 503.
F26 Horat. Epod. l. 5. Ode 2. v. 29. Martial. l. 2. Ep. 95.

Psalmen 29:3 In-Context

1 Een psalm van David. Geeft den HEERE, gij kinderen der machtigen! geeft den HEERE eer en sterkte.
2 Geeft den HEERE de eer Zijns Naams, aanbidt den HEERE in de heerlijkheid des heiligdoms.
3 De stem des HEEREN is op de wateren, de God der ere dondert; de HEERE is op de grote wateren.
4 De stem des HEEREN is met kracht, de stem des HEEREN is met heerlijkheid.
5 De stem des HEEREN breekt de cederen; ja, de HEERE verbreekt de cederen van Libanon.
The Dutch Staten Vertaling translation is in the public domain.