Psalm 29:3-6

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 29:3

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 Pausan. Arcad. sive l. 8. p. 503. 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 Psalm 18:13 ; and which is commonly attended with large showers of rain, Jeremiah... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 29:4

The voice of the Lord is powerful ,.... Or "with power" F1 בכח "in potentia", Pagninus, Montanus; "cum potentia", Cocceius, Michaelis; "with able power", Ainsworth. ; as thunder, in the effect of it, shows; and so is the Gospel, when it comes, not in word only, but is attended with the power of God to the conversion and salvation of souls; it is then quick and powerful, Hebrews 4:12 ; and the word of Christ personal, when here on earth, was with power, Luke 4:32 ; the voice... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 29:5

The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars ,.... Such an effect thunder has upon the tallest, strongest, and largest trees, as to break them into shivers; yea, the Lord breaketh the cedars of Lebanon ; a mountain in the north part of the land of Judea, so called from its whiteness, both by reason of the snow with which some part of it is covered in summer, as Tacitus observes F2 Hist. l. 5. c. 6. ; and partly from the colour of the earth that has no snow on it, which looks as white... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Psalms 29:6

He maketh them also to skip like a calf ,.... That is, the cedars, the branches being broken off, or they torn up by the roots, and tossed about by the wind; which motion is compared to that of a calf that leaps and skips about; Lebanon and Sirion, like a young unicorn ; that is, these mountains move and skip about through the force of thunder, and the violence of an earthquake attending it; so historians report that mountains have moved from place to place, and they have met and dashed... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 29:3

The voice of the Lord - Thunder, so called, Exodus 9:23 , Exodus 9:28 , Exodus 9:29 ; Job 37:4 ; Psalm 18:13 ; Isaiah 30:30 . On this subject see the note on Job 37:4 , where there is a particular description of the nature and generation of thunder; and of the lightning, clap, rain, and other phenomena which accompany it. Upon many waters - The clouds, which Moses calls the waters which are above the firmament. read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 29:4

Is powerful - There is no agent in universal nature so powerful as the electric fluid. It destroys life, tears castles and towers to pieces, rends the strongest oaks, and cleaves the most solid rocks: universal animate nature is awed and terrified by it. To several of these effects the psalmist here refers; and for the illustration of the whole I must refer to the above notes on Job. Full of majesty - No sound in nature is so tremendous and majestic as that of thunder; it is the most fit... read more

Adam Clarke

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 29:5

Breaketh the cedars - Very tall trees attract the lightning from the clouds, by which they are often torn to pieces. Woods and forests give dreadful proof of this after a thunderstorm. read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 29:3

Verse 3 3.The voice of Jehovah is upon the waters. David now rehearses the wonders of nature which I have previously referred to; and well indeed does he celebrate the power of God as well as his goodness, in his works. As there is nothing in the ordinary course of nature, throughout the whole frame of heaven and earth, which does not invite us to the contemplation of God, he might have brought forward, as in Psalms 19:1, the sun and the stars, and the whole host of heaven, and the earth with... read more

John Calvin

John Calvin's Commentary on the Bible - Psalms 29:5

Verse 5 5.The voice of Jehovah breaketh the cedars. We see how the prophet, in order to subdue the stubbornness of men, shows, by every word, that God is terrible. He also seems to rebuke, in passing, the madness of the proud, and of those who swell with vain presumption, because they hearken not to the voice of God in his thunders, rending the air with his lightnings, shaking the lofty mountains, prostrating and overthrowing the loftiest trees. What a monstrous thing is it, that while all the... read more

Group of Brands