Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded

What does Psalms Chapter 29 mean?

This psalm begins with an appeal from David: for the angels to speak of the Lord’s glory and strength. He tells these spiritual beings to give God the glory He deserves and to worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness (Psalm 29:1–2).

David then draws attention to the Lord’s power, speaking often of “the voice of the LORD.” God’s voice is not simply His speech or how He communicates. When God speaks, He wills something to be (Genesis 1:1–3; Psalm 33:6). When David speaks of the power of God’s voice, he refers to the omnipotent power held by the Creator. This passage may have been inspired by powerful storms coming into Israel from the Mediterranean Sea. In that sense, God’s voice shatters trees, moves mountains, shakes deserts, and strips forests bare (Psalm 29:3–9). Those in the temple—possibly meaning the angels in heaven (Psalm 11:4)—shout out God’s glory.

In all these things, God is sovereign. Even over the greatest of all natural disasters—the flood of Noah (Genesis 7:4)—God was seated on His throne. The psalm closes as David asks for strength. In this context, that likely means courage and conviction (Hebrews 10:23), maintaining faith by relying on God’s power instead of our own (Psalm 29:10–11).

Chapter Context
This psalm of David magnifies the Lord’s attribute of omnipotence. David draws pictures from nature to illustrate God’s power. The psalm parallels Psalm 8 in its revelation of God through nature. Based on the imagery, David may have witnessed a potent thunderstorm moving from the Mediterranean Sea across the region. The theme of trust in God, thanks to His demonstrated power, is common in Scripture (Hebrews 11).

Verse by Verse

Verse 1. Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.

This first and last verses of Psalm 29 mention the Lord’s strength. Omnipotent—literally meaning “all-powerful”—is one of God’s descriptors. Anything which can be done, He can do. Nothing is too hard for Him. God is also glorious. “Glory” is typically used to describe something that makes God’s nature and wonder apparent. In some cases, this means the visible manifestation of His divine power. David calls upon the heavenly beings to attribute glory and strength to the Lord.

Similarly, Psalm 96:6 refers to strength and beauty as being in the Lord’s sanctuary. Wherever the Lord is, strength and glory accompany Him. Heavenly beings associate glory and honor and thanks with God, according to Revelation 4:8–11, where twenty-four elders join in their praise. They say, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created” (Revelation 4:11).

It should comfort and encourage believers to know the Lord has unlimited strength and glory. Paul was uplifted by knowing this fact. He writes in Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

Context Summary
Psalm 29:1–2 call on angels to credit God for his glory and power. Three times David uses a word translated “ascribe” to direct the angels. In response to all that the Lord stands for, these spiritual beings should worship Him in the splendor of holiness. These two verses are an apt introduction. What follows is the psalmist’s description of the Lord’s power and sovereign control of nature.

Verse 2. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.

In this verse David summons the heavenly host—angels—to credit the Lord with the glory He deserves. His “name,” in this verse, stands for all that the Lord is. Believers as well as angels are called upon to glorify the Lord. First Corinthians 10:31 admonishes believers to “do all to the glory of God.”

David also instructs the angels to “worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.” This phrase might also be translated as “in holy attire.” In Old Testament times Israel received countless reminders that God is holy, and that His people must come before Him in holiness. Aaron, the high priest, wore a turban with a pure gold plate on its front that read, “Holy to the LORD” (Exodus 28:36). First Chronicles 16:29 instructed Israel to “worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.”

Isaiah caught a vision of the Lord on His throne and heard angels calling out to the Lord, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!” (Isaiah 6:3). This psalm lifts up God’s perfect and absolute worthiness to be praised in the strongest terms.

Verse 3. The voice of the Lord is over the waters;the God of glory thunders,the Lord, over many waters.

Judging by the imagery used in this passage, David might have seen an exceptional storm breaking over the Mediterranean Sea. He uses those symbols to attribute power to the voice of God. The thunderstorm is evidence of the Lord’s might. He commands thunder to appear and clap loudly. Certainly, the God who created everything by His spoken word (Hebrews 11:3) is powerful enough to control nature. He is not a disinterested, distant god, as deism insists. He did not simply create the world and then let it run down by itself. His hand is on nature, and it is His to command.

Jesus, the Son of God, provided incontrovertible proof of His power over nature. He stilled a storm that arose over the Sea of Galilee (Mark 4:39). He turned water into wine (John 2:6–11). He brought a great catch into nets that were empty after a night-long attempt to harvest fish, twice (Luke 5:1–11; John 21:1–14). He fed 5,000 hungry men, plus women and children, with five barley rolls and two small fish (Matthew 14:13–21). He rode into Jerusalem on an unbroken colt (Mark 11:2, 7).

Context Summary
Psalm 29:3–9 uses the phrase “the voice of the LORD” seven times. Each time, the designation precedes an example of God’s power over nature. God’s speech represents His will: that which He commands to happen will always happen. These examples offer a strong reason to associate God with glory and to give Him worship. Psalm 8 also expresses wonder at God’s creative power.

Verse 4. The voice of the Lord is powerful;the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.

David describes the voice of the Lord as powerful and full of majesty. This expression points out that God is king with the power to command all His subjects—every person and all nature.

How powerful is God’s voice? At creation, the Lord said, “‘Let there be light,’ and there was light” (Genesis 1:3). He spoke, and waters separated from waters (Genesis 1:6). He spoke dry land into existence (Genesis 1:9). His spoken word created vegetation, seed-bearing plants, and fruit trees (Genesis 1:11). By His word He created the sun, moon, and stars (Genesis 1:14). Marine life, birds, and animals of all sorts owe their existence to God’s spoken word (Genesis 1:20–25). Finally, God spoke man into existence as He formed Him from dust (Genesis 1:26–27).

During His earthly ministry Jesus healed many by just saying a word (John 5:8–9). He even commanded the dead to rise, and they arose (John 11:43–44). Someday, the dead will hear His voice, “and those who hear will live” (John 5:25).

Verse 5. The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.

In this psalm, David compares God’s voice—representing His will and His power—to a colossal storm (Psalm 29:3–4). A measure of power for any storm is damage to trees; when especially large trees are brought down, it implies the storm was intense.

Cedar trees of the Lebanon mountain range in the northern region of Israel were prized for their size and strength. According to 2 Chronicles 1:15, Solomon imported so much cedar that it became as plentiful as the sycamore fig trees in Israel’s western foothills. Hiram, Tyre’s king, provided cedar and cypress timber for Solomon’s temple. He recognized that the Lord had bestowed wisdom on Solomon and promised to load it onto rafts and ship it to Israel. First Kings 5:10 reports: “So Hiram supplied Solomon with all the timber of cedar and cypress that he desired.”

Cedar was also used in the construction of David’s palace (2 Samuel 5:11; 1 Chronicles 17:1), in the building of Solomon’s palace (1 Kings 7:2), in the rebuilding of the temple when the Jews returned from captivity (Ezra 3:7), and in purification (Leviticus 14:4, 6, 49, 52).

Verse 6. He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf,and Sirion like a young wild ox.

Vivid imagery continues after David likens God’s voice to a potent storm (Psalm 29:3–5). Here, the Lord’s power is depicted as moving the earth. Sirion was the name the Sidonians applied to Mount Hermon (Deuteronomy 3:9). The Lebanon mountain range, considered by the Canaanites to be the dwelling place of their gods, stood high but could not withstand earthquakes sent by God. At God’s voice, these massive mountains jump like running animals. They rupture and rise as if they were calves or young ox jumping into the air.

Earthquakes will strike the earth in the tribulation period. Revelation 11:13 mentions a cataclysmic earthquake leveling a tenth of Jerusalem and killing 7,000 people. An earthquake will also split the Mount of Olives in two when Jesus returns to earth (Zechariah 14:4). One half of the mountain will shift to the north; the other half will move southward.

Verse 7. The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.

In this psalm, David celebrates God’s power. In poetic form he described God’s voice as a potent thunderstorm or series of earthquakes (Psalm 29:3–8). This verse refers to lightning, often described in the Bible as a form of “fire” (Exodus 9:23).

Perhaps it was lightning that consumed Elijah’s sacrifice at Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:38). It may have been fiery lightning that consumed the men whom the king of Samaria sent to Elijah (2 Kings 1:9–14). In Job’s description of God’s works he credits God with decreeing rain and a way for lightning (Job 28:26). In his description of four heavenly beings, Ezekiel writes that they had the appearance of torches. When they moved, their appearance resembled “a flash of lightning” (Ezekiel 1:14).

Jesus compared His second coming to the lightning that comes from the east and shines as far as the west (Matthew 24:27). When God judges the city of Babylon in the tribulation period, flashes of lightning will strike it (Revelation 16:18). God controls all things, including lightning!

Verse 8. The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.

To depict God’s incredible power, David speaks of the Lord’s voice as a raging thunderstorm or an earthquake (Psalm 29:3–7). This verse seems to blend both images. God’s “voice” is not merely a matter of speech or communication. What God “speaks” is that which He wills (Genesis 1:1–3; Psalm 33:6). God’s voice, per this psalm, shatters mighty trees and makes mountains leap like playful calves.

Here, David refers to the wilderness of Kadesh. This was desert territory near a town about 75 miles or 120 kilometers north of Damascus. “Shaking” could mean the emotional impact of desert-dwellers seeing divine power, or a literal physical experience (Acts 4:31). It could also refer to the results of a huge storm or earthquake (Acts 16:26).

Those who have been in earthquake zones are aware of the devastation an earthquake can cause. However, nothing happens by chance. The Lord commands weather and nature, and He uses both to accomplish His purposes. He allowed lightning to fall (Job 1:16) as part of the testing Job endured to demonstrate the genuineness of his faith in the Lord. The apostle Peter writes: “In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:6–7).

Verse 9. The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birthand strips the forests bare,and in his temple all cry, “Glory!”

God’s power and glory are being described using terms referring to thunderstorms and earthquakes (Psalm 29:3–8). God’s will is represented by His voice (Genesis 1:1–3; Psalm 33:6). His voice has the power to shatter great trees, uproot mountains, and shake deserts.

Here, David implies the fear that God’s unlimited power can cause: a terror that would cause premature labor in deer. Pet owners know how terrified of thunder and lightning their pets may be. Young children—even some adults—dread a storm’s thunder and lightning. Under a tornado warning, many adults seek shelter in closets or basements.

Some scholars note that the Hebrew phrase used here, often interpreted as deer going into premature labor, can also be pronounced in a way that implies “making the oaks to shake.” That would dovetail with the next phrase, where David continues the storm imagery, speaking of forests being stripped bare. A strong wind may take some leaves from trees, but only a tremendous blast would rip every leaf from a forest. The terminology used here, in fact, echoes Joel 1:7, which suggests trees having their bark blasted from the trunk.

As the storm David describes caused fear and defoliation, those who watch give praise. The reference to the temple may mean the heavenly “temple” of God (Psalm 11:4; Revelation 11:19), where the angels are. The cry of “Glory!’” follows David’s earlier plea for heaven to praise God (Psalm 29:1–2). Angels rejoiced in God’s creative power and artistry. Job 38:7 states: “The morning stars [angels] sang together and all the sons of God [angels] shouted for joy.” First Timothy 3:16 points out that angels observed Jesus’ life and ministry. Believers today can follow the example of the angels mentioned in this psalm by giving glory to God for His wonderful works.

Verse 10. The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.

David rightly perceived the Lord as sovereign over the Mediterranean Sea—this psalm seems to be inspired by the awesome power of a thunderstorm (Psalm 29:3–5). This verse seems to speak of the aftermath of such storms, in the form of a flood. It’s possible David has in mind the overflow and storm surge which comes with some natural disasters.

More likely, this is a reference to the flood of Noah’s day (Genesis 7:4). Like the storm depicted in this psalm, that was an act of nature over which God had sovereign control. It was the Lord who sent the rain, opened fountains of the deep, and eventually stopped the flood. That absolute control is captured by David’s image of God seated on His throne above the deluge. He rules everything. He is the eternal King.

God’s people should be encouraged to know their lives are not ruled by randomness or pure luck. All things are in the hands of this same eternal King. Believers have steadfast hope (2 Corinthians 1:10; Hebrews 6:19) that someday Jesus will reign over all the earth as King of kings and Lord of lords. The world may experience calamity, conflicts, and near chaos now, but peace will prevail when King Jesus takes His place on the throne of David.

Context Summary
Psalm 29:10–11 is the closing section of David’s proclamation. He lifts up the Lord as King forever and prays the King will strengthen and bless His people with peace. This is a fitting conclusion to a psalm that extols the Lord’s omnipotent power over nature. The eternal King, who is strong enough to control nature, is strong enough to empower and calm His people.

Verse 11. May the Lord give strength to his people!May the Lord bless his people with peace!

David concludes Psalm 29 with a benediction. He asks the Lord, the eternal King, to give His people strength. David has already alluded to the Lord’s strength in His display of control of nature (Psalm 29:3–10). Now David asks the Lord to impart strength to His people. In this context, that “strength” is mostly about perseverance: the ability to maintain faith in God, trusting His power rather than our own (Hebrews 10:23).

Isaiah 40 promises strength to the Lord’s weary people. Isaiah 40:30–31 promises: “Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” However, the Lord is not just the source of power for His people, but also the source of peace. David asks the Lord to “bless his people with peace.” The world cannot capture peace. Political peace treaties rarely last long and new threats are constantly emerging, health deteriorates, accidents happen, relationships are broken, economies crumble; there seem to be no end of reasons a person could be anxious. But those who love the Word of God and the God of the Word have great peace (Psalm 119:65; Isaiah 26:3; John 14:27). Our hope is not in this world or the things of this world, but in the very God who created the world and who adopts all who put their faith in Jesus Christ as His own (Galatians 4:4–7; John 1:12). We will still experience hardship, but we have God’s promise of peace in the midst (John 16:33; James 1:2–4; 1 Peter 1:3–9; 5:7), and we know we will one day be with Him forever.

End of Psalm 29

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