Psalm Category: Hymn of Praise

Central Thought: Psalm 29 reveals the glory of our God through the powerful imagery of a theophanic storm.

Key Word: Qol (vv. 3-5, 7-9). Qol may be translated “voice,” “sound,” or “noise.” It is translated as “voice” in Psalm 29 and appears 7 times in this psalm (once in vv. 3, 5, 7, 8, 9 and twice in v. 4). Seven is the number of perfection. Psalm 29 tells us that God’s perfect voice echoes like thunder throughout this world. God has spoken to this world through His creation and the Bible. His voice truly thunders! Jesus tells us that one of the marks of His sheep is that they hear His voice (John 10:27). Do you hear, and heed, the voice of the King?

Psalm 29

One of the plot lines of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings is the transformation of Aragorn from a rough-edged ranger to a glorious king. In the final volume of the trilogy, Tolkien describes Aragorn’s enthronement: “When Aragorn arose all that beheld him gazed in silence, for it seemed to them that he was revealed to them now for the first time. Tall as the sea-kings of old, he stood above all that were near; ancient of days he seemed and yet in the flower of manhood; and wisdom sat upon his brow, and strength and healing were in his hands, and a light was about him. And then Faramir cried: ‘Behold the King!’”

Similarly, Psalm 29 describes the enthronement of God in awe-inspiring and poetic language.

The Theophanic Storm (vv. 1-9). Psalm 29 begs to be read in the midst of a thunderstorm, for this psalm compares God’s procession to His throne to a thunderstorm that amasses over the Mediterranean Sea, makes landfall in the forests of Lebanon, and proceeds through the desert of Kadesh. Essentially, Psalm 29 describes a theophanic storm—God appearing to mankind through a tempest.

The psalmist describes God’s glory through a variety of poetic devices. For example, there is a powerful use of repetition. The phrase “voice of the Lord” is employed seven times, and “ascribe to the Lord” three times. The divine name Yahweh is repeated four times in the first two and last two verses.

In addition to the beauty of these repetitive phrases the psalmist employs vivid word pictures. He compares God’s voice to thunder that shatters the mighty cedars of Lebanon (v. 5), shakes both mountains and desert (vv. 6, 8), twists the great oak trees, and strips the forest bare (v. 9). What an awesome God!

The point of all this poetry is to call everyone and everything to worship God. In verses 1-2 the psalmist issues a call to worship to the “mighty ones.” Although the identity of these “mighty ones” is debated (some consider this a reference to pagan deities, others to angels), what is clear is that this is a cosmic call to worship. However, the psalmist’s call to worship is not limited to the heavens. As the psalm builds to the crescendo of verse 9, the call to worship crosses from heaven to earth. There the throng of Israel, gathered in the temple, cry out “Glory!” Psalm 29 reminds us that we worship God because He is worthy.

The King Takes His Throne (vv. 10-11). Whereas verses 3-9 describe the procession of the King, verses 10-11 describe the nature of His rule. Verse 10 recalls the imagery of the Genesis flood by declaring that God “sits enthroned over the flood.” Genesis reveals to us that God restrained the waters (Gen. 1:7-9), and that He can also release them as He did in the time of Noah (Gen. 7:11-12). The psalmist’s point is that God is not subject to creation but rather is sovereign over it. Verse 10 declares that God is a sovereign King, and His rule shall have no end.

Verse 11 reveals how God rules over His people. The first 10 verses of this psalm reveal the awesome destructive power of God; but, when He gets to His throne, He does not turn to His people and splinter them like the cedars of Lebanon. Rather, He turns to them and grants them strength and peace.

The most amazing thing about Psalm 29 is that this God who chose to reveal His regal glory through a thunderstorm revealed that glory in an even more striking way when He sent His Son (Heb. 1:3). The Bible reveals that it is Jesus who calms the waters (Mark 4:39-41), gives His people strength (Phil. 4:13), and gives His people peace (Eph. 2:14; Luke 2:14). Psalm 29 ultimately calls us to behold King Jesus, and our response is to cry “Glory!”

—Anthony Selvaggio