King James Version
Psalms 29
11 verses with commentary
Ascribe to the Lord Glory
A Psalm of David. Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty , give unto the LORD glory and strength. ye mighty: Heb. ye sons of the mighty
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength.</strong> Psalm 29 opens with thunderous call to worship directed to "the mighty"—a phrase of interpretative significance. This psalm celebrates God's voice in the storm, moving from heavenly worship (v.1-2) through cosmic display (v.3-9) to God's eternal reign (v.10-11).<br><br>"Give unto the LORD" (הָבוּ לַיהוָה/<em>h...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(1) **Ye mighty.**—Heb., *benê-elîm. *Literally, *sons of gods *(not *sons of God, *since *elîm *is never used by itself like *Elohîm *for God). If, however, which is possible, it is used in a general sense for beings of supernatural power, but inferior to God, the expression *benê-elîm *for angels would be intelligible, *i.e., *for angels (comp. Job 1:6; Isaiah 6:3) in the widest sense as ministe...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
19-38. The marvels in heaven. "What is the way (to the place wherein) light dwelleth?" The origin of light and darkness. In Ge 1:3-5, 14-18, "light" is created distinct from, and previous to, light-emitting bodies, the luminaries of heaven.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 29
Chapter Outline
Job's former comforts.(1-6)
The honour paid to Job, His usefulness.(7-17)
His prospect of prosperity.(18-25)
**Verses 1-6**
Job proceeds to contrast his former prosperity with his present misery, through God's withdrawing from him. A gracious soul delights in God's smiles, not in the smiles of this world. Four things were then very pleasant to holy ...
Read full commentary →Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. the glory: Heb. the honour of his name in: or, in his glorious sanctuary
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.</strong> This verse continues the summons to worship, specifying what glory means and how worship should be conducted. The threefold "give unto the LORD" (v.1-2) creates liturgical rhythm, emphasizing worship's centrality.<br><br>"Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name" (הָבוּ לַיהוָה כְּבוֹ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **In the beauty of holiness.**—Better, *in holy attire; *an image borrowed from the splendid vestments of the priests and Levites (2Chronicles 20:21; Psalm 110:3). So the presences that attend the courts of heaven are bidden to be robed in their most magnificent attire, as for a high and sacred ceremony.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
19-38. The marvels in heaven. "What is the way (to the place wherein) light dwelleth?" The origin of light and darkness. In Ge 1:3-5, 14-18, "light" is created distinct from, and previous to, light-emitting bodies, the luminaries of heaven.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 29
Chapter Outline
Job's former comforts.(1-6)
The honour paid to Job, His usefulness.(7-17)
His prospect of prosperity.(18-25)
**Verses 1-6**
Job proceeds to contrast his former prosperity with his present misery, through God's withdrawing from him. A gracious soul delights in God's smiles, not in the smiles of this world. Four things were then very pleasant to holy ...
Read full commentary →The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters. many: or, great
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters.</strong> The psalm transitions from call to worship (v.1-2) to demonstration of why God deserves such worship—His powerful voice revealed in nature. The phrase "voice of the LORD" appears seven times (v.3-9), symbolizing completeness and perfection.<br><br>"The voice of the LORD" (קוֹל יְהו...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **The voice.**—The invocation to the angels over, the storm bursts, and seven successive peals of thunder mark its course of fury and destruction. It is first heard rolling over the waters from the west (comp. 1Kings 18:44), unless the “waters” and “many waters,” as in Psalm 18:11-12, refer to the gathered masses of rain-cloud, when we might compare
“Then broke the thunder
Like a whole sea ove...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
19-38. The marvels in heaven. "What is the way (to the place wherein) light dwelleth?" The origin of light and darkness. In Ge 1:3-5, 14-18, "light" is created distinct from, and previous to, light-emitting bodies, the luminaries of heaven.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 29
Chapter Outline
Job's former comforts.(1-6)
The honour paid to Job, His usefulness.(7-17)
His prospect of prosperity.(18-25)
**Verses 1-6**
Job proceeds to contrast his former prosperity with his present misery, through God's withdrawing from him. A gracious soul delights in God's smiles, not in the smiles of this world. Four things were then very pleasant to holy ...
Read full commentary →The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty. powerful: Heb. in power full: Heb. in majesty
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KJV Study Commentary
The declaration 'The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty' describes divine speech's authority and glory. God's voice creates (Gen. 1), commands (Ex. 19), and judges (Rev. 1:10-11). Reformed theology emphasizes that Scripture is God's powerful, majestic voice—efficacious and authoritative. When God speaks, things happen (Heb. 4:12). The repetition emphasizes cert...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **Powerful; full of majesty.**—Better literally, as in LXX. and Vulg., in might, in majesty.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
19-38. The marvels in heaven. "What is the way (to the place wherein) light dwelleth?" The origin of light and darkness. In Ge 1:3-5, 14-18, "light" is created distinct from, and previous to, light-emitting bodies, the luminaries of heaven.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 29
Chapter Outline
Job's former comforts.(1-6)
The honour paid to Job, His usefulness.(7-17)
His prospect of prosperity.(18-25)
**Verses 1-6**
Job proceeds to contrast his former prosperity with his present misery, through God's withdrawing from him. A gracious soul delights in God's smiles, not in the smiles of this world. Four things were then very pleasant to holy ...
Read full commentary →The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon.
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KJV Study Commentary
The imagery 'The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon' depicts divine power over nature's strongest elements. Lebanon's cedars were ancient symbols of strength and permanence. God's voice shatters them effortlessly. Reformed theology sees omnipotence—nothing in creation resists God's power. If His voice breaks cedars, how much more should humans submi...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5*)* **The voice of the Lord breaketh.**—Better more literally, *The voice of Jehovah breaking the cedars, and Jehovah hath shivered the cedars of Lebanon. *(The verb in the second clause is an intensive of that used in the first.) The range of Lebanon receives the first fury of the storm. Its cedars, mightiest and longest-lived of Eastern trees, crash down, broken by the violence of the wind. (F...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
19-38. The marvels in heaven. "What is the way (to the place wherein) light dwelleth?" The origin of light and darkness. In Ge 1:3-5, 14-18, "light" is created distinct from, and previous to, light-emitting bodies, the luminaries of heaven.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 29
Chapter Outline
Job's former comforts.(1-6)
The honour paid to Job, His usefulness.(7-17)
His prospect of prosperity.(18-25)
**Verses 1-6**
Job proceeds to contrast his former prosperity with his present misery, through God's withdrawing from him. A gracious soul delights in God's smiles, not in the smiles of this world. Four things were then very pleasant to holy ...
Read full commentary →He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn.
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KJV Study Commentary
The description 'He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn' uses playful imagery to depict God's effortless control over massive mountains. Lebanon and Sirion (Mt. Hermon) 'skip like calves'—enormous mountains move at God's command. Reformed theology sees transcendence and immanence: God is so far above creation that mountains are toys, yet He stoops to engag...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) Those trees that are not snapped off, bending to the storm, and swaying in the wind, seem to bound like wild buffaloes. (Comp. Psalm 114:4.)**
Sirion, **according to Deuteronomy 3:9 (which see), was the Sidonian name of Hermon. Here the whole of the range of Anti-Libanus.
**Unicorn.**—See Psalm 22:21, Note.
There is some ambiguity about the suffix, *them. *It may relate to the mountains instea...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
19-38. The marvels in heaven. "What is the way (to the place wherein) light dwelleth?" The origin of light and darkness. In Ge 1:3-5, 14-18, "light" is created distinct from, and previous to, light-emitting bodies, the luminaries of heaven.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 29
Chapter Outline
Job's former comforts.(1-6)
The honour paid to Job, His usefulness.(7-17)
His prospect of prosperity.(18-25)
**Verses 1-6**
Job proceeds to contrast his former prosperity with his present misery, through God's withdrawing from him. A gracious soul delights in God's smiles, not in the smiles of this world. Four things were then very pleasant to holy ...
Read full commentary →The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire. divideth: Heb. cutteth out
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KJV Study Commentary
The statement 'The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire' depicts divine control over destructive natural forces. Lightning ('flames of fire') obeys God's voice. Reformed theology sees providence—God governs all natural phenomena down to individual lightning bolts. Nothing occurs outside His decree. This assures believers that even chaotic, destructive forces serve God's purposes. Sovereig...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **The voice . . .**—Literally, *the voice of Jehovah cleaving flames of fire. *The word is used of hewingstone and wood (Isaiah 10:15). The reference to lightning in this verse is universally admitted, some even seeing an allusion to the brief and sudden flash in the single clause of which the sentence is composed. But the most various explanations are given of the image employed. One of these...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
19-38. The marvels in heaven. "What is the way (to the place wherein) light dwelleth?" The origin of light and darkness. In Ge 1:3-5, 14-18, "light" is created distinct from, and previous to, light-emitting bodies, the luminaries of heaven.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-17**
All sorts of people paid respect to Job, not only for the dignity of his rank, but for his personal merit, his prudence, integrity, and good management. Happy the men who are blessed with such gifts as these! They have great opportunities of honouring God and doing good, but have great need to watch against pride. Happy the people who are blessed with such men! it is a token fo...
Read full commentary →The voice of the LORD shaketh the wilderness; the LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.
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KJV Study Commentary
The declaration 'The voice of the LORD shaketh the wilderness; the LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh' describes divine power causing earthquakes. Even desolate wilderness trembles at God's voice. Kadesh was significant in Israel's history (Num. 13-14)—location of rebellion and judgment. Reformed theology sees God's voice as both creative and judicial—it creates order and executes judgment. Geo...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **The voice of the Lord shaketh.**—Literally, *maketh to tremble. *The allusion is, doubtless, to the effect of the storm on the sands of the desert. The tempest has moved southward over Palestine, and spends its last fury on the southern wilderness, and the poet seizes on what is one of the most striking phenomena of a storm in such a district—the whirlwind of sand. “But soon Red Sea and all ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
19-38. The marvels in heaven. "What is the way (to the place wherein) light dwelleth?" The origin of light and darkness. In Ge 1:3-5, 14-18, "light" is created distinct from, and previous to, light-emitting bodies, the luminaries of heaven.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-17**
All sorts of people paid respect to Job, not only for the dignity of his rank, but for his personal merit, his prudence, integrity, and good management. Happy the men who are blessed with such gifts as these! They have great opportunities of honouring God and doing good, but have great need to watch against pride. Happy the people who are blessed with such men! it is a token fo...
Read full commentary →The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory. to calve: or, to be in pain doth: or, every whit of it uttereth, etc
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KJV Study Commentary
The description 'The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory' connects divine power over nature to worship. God's voice affects birth ('hinds calve') and revelation ('discovers forests'). The result: universal doxology in God's temple. Reformed theology sees providence producing praise—recognizing God's hand in a...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9) **Maketh the hinds to calve.**—Literally, *maketh the hinds writhe *(*with pain*)*. *(See margin. Comp. Job 39:1, where the hind’s habit of hiding its young for safety is alluded to, a habit which the violence of the storm makes it forget.) Both Plutarch and Pliny notice the custom of shepherds to collect their flocks during a thunderstorm, for such as are left alone and are separated, are apt...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
19-38. The marvels in heaven. "What is the way (to the place wherein) light dwelleth?" The origin of light and darkness. In Ge 1:3-5, 14-18, "light" is created distinct from, and previous to, light-emitting bodies, the luminaries of heaven.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-17**
All sorts of people paid respect to Job, not only for the dignity of his rank, but for his personal merit, his prudence, integrity, and good management. Happy the men who are blessed with such gifts as these! They have great opportunities of honouring God and doing good, but have great need to watch against pride. Happy the people who are blessed with such men! it is a token fo...
Read full commentary →The LORD sitteth upon the flood; yea, the LORD sitteth King for ever.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>The LORD sitteth upon the flood; yea, the LORD sitteth King for ever.</strong> This verse concludes the psalm's dramatic storm imagery by revealing theology behind the display—God's eternal reign over chaos. After describing the storm's devastating power (v.3-9), the psalmist declares God's sovereign position above it all.<br><br>"The LORD sitteth upon the flood" (יְהוָה לַמַּבּוּל יָשָׁב/...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **The Lord sitteth.**—Better, *Jehovah was throned upon the flood, and Jehovah will be throned a king for ever. *The word translated “flood” is exclusively, except in this place, applied to the Deluge (Genesis 6, 7). Hence we must suppose that the poet was recalled to the thought of the great Flood by the torrents of rain now falling. Jehovah sat then upon the waters as their King, and so He ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
19-38. The marvels in heaven. "What is the way (to the place wherein) light dwelleth?" The origin of light and darkness. In Ge 1:3-5, 14-18, "light" is created distinct from, and previous to, light-emitting bodies, the luminaries of heaven.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-17**
All sorts of people paid respect to Job, not only for the dignity of his rank, but for his personal merit, his prudence, integrity, and good management. Happy the men who are blessed with such gifts as these! They have great opportunities of honouring God and doing good, but have great need to watch against pride. Happy the people who are blessed with such men! it is a token fo...
Read full commentary →The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.</strong> The psalm concludes with pastoral promise, shifting from cosmic storm (v.3-9) and eternal reign (v.10) to covenant care for God's people. This closing verse applies the preceding theology to believers' lives—God's power serves His people's welfare.<br><br>"The LORD will give strength unto his p...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **The Lord will give.**—This verse appears to have been a liturgic addition, to give the poem a religious tone. (See Introduction.)
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
19-38. The marvels in heaven. "What is the way (to the place wherein) light dwelleth?" The origin of light and darkness. In Ge 1:3-5, 14-18, "light" is created distinct from, and previous to, light-emitting bodies, the luminaries of heaven.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 7-17**
All sorts of people paid respect to Job, not only for the dignity of his rank, but for his personal merit, his prudence, integrity, and good management. Happy the men who are blessed with such gifts as these! They have great opportunities of honouring God and doing good, but have great need to watch against pride. Happy the people who are blessed with such men! it is a token fo...
Read full commentary →