Commentary - Psalm 29:3-9

Bird's-eye view

Psalm 29 is a majestic anthem to the power and glory of Yahweh, revealed in the thunderous voice of a storm. David, having called the "sons of God" to ascribe glory to the Lord in the opening verses, now provides the reason for this worship. He paints a vivid picture of God's voice as an irresistible, world-shaping force. This is not merely poetry about meteorology; it is a theological declaration. The storm is a theophany, a manifestation of God's personal and active rule over His creation. The psalm moves from the heavens, over the waters, across the mountains of Lebanon, and into the wilderness, showing that no part of creation is outside the sovereign decree and powerful word of God. It culminates in a scene of worship within God's temple, where the unified response to this display of power is a simple, profound declaration: "Glory!" This psalm teaches us that the raw power we see in nature is but a whisper of the authority of the God who speaks and it is done. For the Christian, this voice is ultimately the voice of Christ, the Logos through whom all things were made and by whom all things consist.

Outline

Commentary

3 The voice of Yahweh is upon the waters; The God of glory thunders, Yahweh is over many waters.

The psalm now begins to unpack the reasons why glory is due to God. It starts with His voice, which is to say, His active, powerful Word. This voice is not a quiet suggestion; it is a force that reverberates "upon the waters." The ancient world, particularly those in the Ancient Near East, saw the chaotic sea as a symbol of untamable power and primordial threat. But David here declares that Yahweh's voice is over it. He is not fighting the sea; He commands it. The "God of glory thunders." Thunder is not an impersonal atmospheric event; it is the audible glory of God. He is not a deistic watchmaker who wound things up and let them go. He is present, speaking, ruling. The repetition that "Yahweh is over many waters" reinforces His absolute sovereignty. This is the same God whose Spirit hovered over the waters in creation (Gen. 1:2) and the same Lord Jesus who would later command the wind and sea to be still (Mark 4:39). His authority has not diminished.

4 The voice of Yahweh is powerful, The voice of Yahweh is full of splendor.

Here David gives us two essential attributes of God's voice. First, it is powerful. The Hebrew word is koach, meaning strength, might, force. This is not the power of persuasion, but the power of effect. When God speaks, things happen. His Word has divine energy behind it. This is the power that spoke the universe into existence. Second, His voice is "full of splendor." The word is hadar, which conveys majesty, honor, and glory. There is a magnificent beauty in the power of God's voice. It is not the ugly, brute force of a tyrant, but the glorious, majestic power of a righteous King. The thunderclap that makes us jump is not just loud; it is a declaration of the sheer beauty and weight of our God. This is the voice that speaks in the gospel, a voice that is both powerful enough to raise the dead and splendid enough to be called the glorious gospel of our blessed God.

5 The voice of Yahweh breaks the cedars; Indeed, Yahweh breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.

The abstract description of power now becomes concrete. The storm moves inland, and its force is directed at the cedars of Lebanon. These were not just any trees. They were ancient symbols of strength, permanence, and pride. They were the finest building material, sought by kings like Solomon for the temple. For God's voice to break them, to shatter them into splinters, is a statement. What man considers his strongest and most enduring achievements are as nothing before the Word of God. The pride of nations, the loftiest of human institutions, will be broken. Yahweh does not just snap a few branches; He "breaks in pieces" the very emblem of created strength. This is a necessary precursor to true worship. Before we can say "Glory!", the glory of man must be shown for the fragile thing it is.

6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, And Sirion like a young wild ox.

The power of God's voice is so immense that it affects not just the trees, but the very mountains on which they grow. Lebanon and Sirion (another name for Mount Hermon) were massive, formidable mountain ranges. They were symbols of stability. Yet, before God, they "skip like a calf." The imagery is almost playful. The God of glory treats these immense geological formations like young, frolicking animals. He makes the ground itself tremble and dance. This is not an earthquake of random tectonic shifts; it is the personal power of God making the most stable things on earth move at His command. This reminds us that our security cannot be found in anything earthly. The ground beneath our feet is only solid because He commands it to be. When He speaks, the foundations of the world are shaken, so that what cannot be shaken may remain (Heb. 12:27).

7 The voice of Yahweh hews out flames of fire.

The storm continues, and now lightning is described. But it is not just lightning. The voice of Yahweh "hews out" or "cleaves" flames of fire. This is the language of a craftsman, a stonecutter. God is shaping, directing, and using the lightning with precision. It is not a random discharge of static electricity. It is a tool in His hand, a fiery axe. This is the fire of judgment and the fire of purification. It is the same fire that appeared on Sinai when the Law was given (Ex. 19:18) and the same "cloven tongues like as of fire" that rested on the disciples at Pentecost (Acts 2:3). God's Word is a consuming fire, judging sin and purifying His people.

8 The voice of Yahweh causes the wilderness to tremble; Yahweh causes the wilderness of Kadesh to tremble.

From the mountains of the north, the storm moves south to the wilderness of Kadesh. This was a significant place in Israel's history, a place of rebellion, wandering, and judgment. The voice of God makes this barren, desolate place tremble, or writhe as in childbirth. God's power is not limited to the fertile and populated places. He is Lord over the wastelands as well. His voice shakes the places of our wandering and sin. It is a fearful thing to be in the wilderness when the God of glory speaks. But it is also a hopeful thing, for the God who can make the desert tremble is the God who can make it bloom. His voice brings both judgment on rebellion and the birth pangs of new creation.

9 The voice of Yahweh makes the deer to calve And strips the forests bare; And in His temple everything says, “Glory!”

This final description of God's voice is a remarkable paradox. The same thunderous power that shatters cedars and shakes mountains also "makes the deer to calve." The terror of the storm induces premature birth. God's voice is so powerful it can bring forth new life, even in fear and trembling. At the same time, it "strips the forests bare," an image of utter devastation and judgment. His voice has the power of life and death, creation and de-creation. And what is the result of this awesome, terrifying, life-giving display? The scene shifts from the wilderness to the temple. "And in His temple everything says, 'Glory!'" After witnessing the raw, untamable, sovereign power of God's Word in creation, the only fitting response for those who are His is worship. Every created thing in His cosmic temple, and every redeemed saint in His heavenly temple, looks at this display and gives the only possible verdict: Glory. All of it, from the thunder over the sea to the cry of a newborn fawn, redounds to His glory. This is the end for which all things were made. And this is the great business of the church: to be that corner of creation that knowingly and joyfully says "Glory!" to the God who has spoken to us in His Son.

Application

Psalm 29 is a tonic for a timid church in a secular age. We are constantly tempted to think of God's power as something abstract, a dusty theological concept. This psalm rubs our noses in the raw, physical, untamable reality of it. The voice of God is not just a metaphor for the principles in the Bible. It is the active, energetic, world-governing power of the living Christ.

When our political foundations seem to be skipping like a calf, we are to remember that it is the voice of Yahweh that makes them do so. He is in charge. When the proud and mighty cedars of our culture seem invincible, we must remember that one word from God can shatter them to pieces. We must not put our trust in them.

And in our evangelism, we must remember that the voice we proclaim is powerful. The gospel is not a polite suggestion. It is the voice that makes the deer calve, that brings new birth in the midst of fear and trembling. It is the voice that strips the forests bare, humbling the sinner and bringing him to repentance. Our job is not to tame the voice or apologize for its thunder. Our job is to declare it faithfully, and then get out of the way.

Finally, all of this power should lead us to one place: the temple. It should lead us to worship. The end goal of theology is doxology. As we see the glory of God in His creation and in His Word, our only proper response is to join with all the saints and angels and say, "Glory!"