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Psalm 29[a]

The Lord of Majesty Acclaimed as King of the World

A psalm of David.

I

Give to the Lord, you sons of God,[b]
    give to the Lord glory and might;
Give to the Lord the glory due his name.
    Bow down before the Lord’s holy splendor!(A)

II

The voice of the Lord[c] is over the waters;
    the God of glory thunders,
    the Lord, over the mighty waters.
The voice of the Lord is power;
    the voice of the Lord is splendor.(B)
The voice of the Lord cracks the cedars;
    the Lord splinters the cedars of Lebanon,
Makes Lebanon leap like a calf,
    and Sirion[d] like a young bull.
The voice of the Lord strikes with fiery flame;
    the voice of the Lord shakes the desert;
    the Lord shakes the desert of Kadesh.
[e]The voice of the Lord makes the deer dance
    and strips the forests bare.
    All in his Temple say, “Glory!”

III

10 The Lord sits enthroned above the flood![f](C)
    The Lord reigns as king forever!
11 May the Lord give might to his people;[g]
    may the Lord bless his people with peace!(D)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 29 The hymn invites the members of the heavenly court to acknowledge God’s supremacy by ascribing glory and might to God alone (Ps 29:1–2a, 9b). Divine glory and might are dramatically visible in the storm (Ps 29:3–9a). The storm apparently comes from the Mediterranean onto the coast of Syria-Palestine and then moves inland. In Ps 29:10 the divine beings acclaim God’s eternal kingship. The Psalm concludes with a prayer that God will impart the power just displayed to the Israelite king and through the king to Israel.
  2. 29:1 Sons of God: members of the heavenly court who served Israel’s God in a variety of capacities.
  3. 29:3 The voice of the Lord: the sevenfold repetition of the phrase imitates the sound of crashing thunder and may allude to God’s primordial slaying of Leviathan, the seven-headed sea monster of Canaanite mythology.
  4. 29:6 Sirion: the Phoenician name for Mount Hermon, cf. Dt 3:9.
  5. 29:9b–10 Having witnessed God’s supreme power (Ps 29:3–9a), the gods acknowledge the glory that befits the king of the divine and human world.
  6. 29:10 The flood: God defeated the primordial waters and made them part of the universe, cf. Ps 89:10–13; 93:3–4.
  7. 29:11 His people: God’s people, Israel.

Psalm 29

A psalm of David.

Ascribe to the Lord,(A) you heavenly beings,(B)
    ascribe to the Lord glory(C) and strength.
Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
    worship the Lord in the splendor of his[a] holiness.(D)

The voice(E) of the Lord is over the waters;
    the God of glory(F) thunders,(G)
    the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.(H)
The voice of the Lord is powerful;(I)
    the voice of the Lord is majestic.
The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
    the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.(J)
He makes Lebanon leap(K) like a calf,
    Sirion[b](L) like a young wild ox.(M)
The voice of the Lord strikes
    with flashes of lightning.(N)
The voice of the Lord shakes the desert;
    the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh.(O)
The voice of the Lord twists the oaks[c](P)
    and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, “Glory!”(Q)

10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;(R)
    the Lord is enthroned as King forever.(S)
11 The Lord gives strength to his people;(T)
    the Lord blesses his people with peace.(U)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 29:2 Or Lord with the splendor of
  2. Psalm 29:6 That is, Mount Hermon
  3. Psalm 29:9 Or Lord makes the deer give birth

19 The thunder of your chariot wheels resounded;
    your lightning lit up the world;
    the earth trembled and quaked.(A)

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19 Your path(A) led through the sea,(B)
    your way through the mighty waters,
    though your footprints were not seen.

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19 The blast of the shofar grew louder and louder, while Moses was speaking and God was answering him with thunder.

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19 As the sound of the trumpet grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and the voice(A) of God answered(B) him.[a]

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 19:19 Or and God answered him with thunder

Everywhere under the heavens he sends it,
    with his light, to the ends of the earth.
Again his voice roars,
    his majestic voice thunders;
    he does not restrain them when his voice is heard.

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He unleashes his lightning(A) beneath the whole heaven
    and sends it to the ends of the earth.(B)
After that comes the sound of his roar;
    he thunders(C) with his majestic voice.(D)
When his voice resounds,
    he holds nothing back.

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