Psalm 29:9

Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - Psalms 29:1-11

In this psalm we have, I. A demand of the homage of the great men of the earth to be paid to the great God. Every clap of thunder David interpreted as a call to himself and other princes to give glory to the great God. Observe, 1. Who they are that are called to this duty: ?O you mighty (Ps. 29:1), you sons of the mighty, who have power, and on whom that power is devolved by succession and inheritance, who have royal blood running in your veins!? It is much for the honour of the great God that... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 29:9

The voice of the Lord maketh the hinds to calve ,.... Which being timorous creatures, the bringing forth of their young, which is naturally very painful and difficult, is lessened and facilitated by thunder; they being either so frightened with it that they feel not their pains; or their pains, being hastened by it, become more easy; and naturalists observe, that the time of bringing forth their young is at that season of the year when thunder is most frequent; see Job 39:1 . Thunder has a... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 29:9

Maketh the hinds to calve - Strikes terror through all the tribes of animals; which sometimes occasions those which are pregnant to cast their young. This, I believe, to be the whole that is meant by the text. I meddle not with the fables which have been published on this subject both by ancients and moderns. Discovereth the forests - Makes them sometimes evident in the darliest night, by the sudden flash; and often by setting them on fire. And in his temple - Does this refer to the... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 29:9

Verse 9 9.The voice of Jehovah maketh the hinds to bring forth (615) A tacit comparison, as I have said, is here made. It is worse than irrational, it is monstrous, that men are not moved at God’s voice, when it has such power and influence on wild beasts. It is base ingratitude, indeed, in men not to perceive his providence and government in the whole course of nature; but it is a detestable insensibility that at least his unusual and extraordinary works, which compel even wild beasts to obey... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 29:1-11

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 29:1-11

The glorious sceptre of universal power. There are many productions of poets and poetesses, celebrating the grandeur of nature, and the glory of God as manifested in the works of his hands; but there are none which, even in a poetical point of view, surpass those in Job 26:1-14 ; Job 28:1-28 ; Job 38:1-41 .; Isaiah 40:1-31 .; Psalms 104:1-35 ; Psalms 19:1-14 ; Psalms 147:1-20 ; and that in the psalm before us now, which rises to the very noblest heights of Hebrew poetry, in... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 29:1-11

The works and the Word of God should not be separated. They are both revelations, and the one is necessary to the right interpretation of the other. If we study God's works by themselves, we are apt to forget God's Word, and so forget God himself. If, on the other hand, we confine ourselves to God's Word, we are in danger of falling into a similar error—that of forgetting God's presence in his works, and so turning the world without us into a world without God. The psalmist shows us a more... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 29:1-11

The thunderstorm. Compare this with the nineteenth and eighth psalms—all nature psalms. This is a wonderful description of a thunderstorm. I. THE OMNIPOTENCE OF GOD IN NATURE INSPIRES THE DEVOUT MIND WITH THE SPIRIT OF WORSHIP . Inspires the common mind with fear. The scientific mind with inquiry. Inflames the imagination of the poetic mind. But fills the devout mind with the spirit of worship of the great invisible Creator. "Give unto the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - Psalms 29:9

The voice of the Lord maketh the hinds to calve. Plutarch says, "Shepherds accustom their flocks in a thunderstorm to keep together, and put their heads in the same direction; for such as are left alone and separated from the rest through terror cast their young" ('Sympos.,' Quest. 2.). And Pliny, "Solitary sheep cast their lambs in thunderstorms; the remedy is to keep the flock together, since it helps them to have company." A traveller in South Africa observes, "In Bechuanaland, when there... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Psalms 29:9

The voice of the Lord maketh the hinds to calve - The deer. The object of the psalmist here is to show the effects of the storm in producing consternation, especially on the weak and timid animals of the forest. The effect here adverted to is that of fear or consternation in bringing on the throes of parturition. Compare Job 39:1, Job 39:3. No one can doubt that the effect here described may occur in the violence of a tempest; and perhaps no image could more vividly describe the terrors of the... read more

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