Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. (Psalm 119:105)
Psalm 29 (NIV)
A psalm of David
1 Ascribe to the LORD, O mighty ones,
ascribe to the LORD glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;
worship the LORD in the splendour of his holiness.
3 The voice of the LORD is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the LORD thunders over the mighty waters.
4 The voice of the LORD is powerful;
the voice of the LORD is majestic.
5 The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars;
the LORD breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
Sirion like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the LORD strikes
with flashes of lightning.
8 The voice of the LORD shakes the desert;
the LORD shakes the Desert of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the LORD twists the oaks
and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, "Glory!"
10 The LORD sits enthroned over the flood;
the Lord is enthroned as King forever.
11 The LORD gives strength to his people;
the LORD blesses his people with peace.
Notes
1. Psalm 29 describes a severe storm that swept across the country leaving extensive damage in its path. The place names used and description of the country help our understanding of what actually happened. However, spiritual lessons are drawn, so it is not just a story of a tragic disaster.
2. The psalmist could have written a lament bewailing the damage and inevitable loss of life. He could have felt cowed and awed by the awesome power that is behind such a storm. Instead, he sees this as evidence of God’s power and a reason for God’s people to trust God’s rule and his ability to give strength and even peace to his people.
3. And God is addressed by name as Yahweh, though that is not readily apparent. God’s name is written as ‘the LORD’ in NIV and most English translations following a Jewish tradition that reflected a fear of breaking the third commandment. I prefer to follow Yahweh’s command to Moses (Exodus 3:15) and address Yahweh by the name he gave us to use.
4. Psalm 29 is classified as a praise psalm as its focus is on Yahweh and gives reasons why he should be honoured and praised. It is one of a small subgroup of 6 praise Psalms that focus on nature: 8, 19, 29, 65, 104 and 148.
5. There is an introduction of praise (1-2) when the ‘mighty ones,’ the angelic host, (cf Psalm 89:7 where the same word more clearly refers to heavenly beings) are called to give (ascribe) praise to Yahweh.
6. The ‘glory and strength’ (1) of Yahweh are seen in creation, the beauty and awesomeness of what he has formed, while ‘the glory due to his name’ (2) is about his character, as he has revealed himself to humankind.[1]
7. Yahweh is holy, separate, special and unique and we are to worship him as such. That is the ‘splendour of holiness’ (2). It is not about us being dressed up in any splendour of our creation as is implied by older translations such as KJV and RV.[2] We come in humility (‘worship’ means to bow down) to Yahweh, our God, in the everyday affairs of life as well as when we are in church.
8. There is reverse parallelism between these two lines and the concluding two lines. Yahweh ‘enthroned’ (10) corresponds with us giving Yahweh the ‘glory due to his name’ and worshipping him as Yahweh, ‘Always I am’ (2).
9. In verse 11 it is we, ‘his people,’ who correspond with the angelic chorus of verse 1 but rather than giving, we receive from Yahweh the strength we need. In the context of this psalm this is the strength to cope, and even rise above the tragedies and storms of life. And we have peace, not only the peace after the storm has blown itself out (Yahweh has never given his people a guarantee they will survive the storms of life) but also peace in the middle of the storm. We see beyond the storm to Yahweh who is in control of our lives and the world in which we live.
10. The storm is described in verses 3-10. It could be seen from the coast as it rose far out to sea: thunder and lightning, black rain clouds that darkened the day. Then came the wind and the surf crashing ashore – ‘Yahweh thunders over the mighty waters’ (3).
11. The storm made landfall at Lebanon north of the country. It moved eastward to Sirion (another name for Mount Hermon – see Deuteronomy 3:9) that is about 30 miles inland (6) and then swept the 200 mile length of the country to lose itself in the desert south of Kadesh Barnea (8).
12. It featured thunder (3-4) and lightning (7) that resulted in extensive tree destruction (5, 9) in the forests that existed in the time of David and during the few centuries following.
13. ‘Forest’ and associated words are used 57 time in the Old Testament and support evidence that the Plain of Sharon (the coastal plain south west of Galilee) and much of the hill-country was wooded.[3] Large trees such as oak, cypress, fir, poplar, sycamore and the magnificent cedars that could grow to 40m in height feature in a number of Bible stories and psalms.
14. Then came a flood (10). Kidner believes the word used is significant as it is only used in reference to Noah’s flood (except in Job 20:28) thus emphasising the severity of the flood and Yahweh’s control.[4] The description that starts with the ‘mighty waters’ (3) and ends with the flood suggests it was the most significant aspect of the storm. This fits with the modern scientific study of thunderstorms. The National Severe Storms Laboratory of the USA reports, ‘Rainfall from thunderstorms causes flash flooding, killing more people each year than hurricanes, tornadoes or lightning.’[5]
15. Israel has about 15 rivers that drain into the Mediterranean and 21 that drain into the Jordan valley. Many would be seasonal but very quickly could become raging torrents even if the rainfall was miles away in the hills. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S02RRTlWDPM [27 August 2017] for an illustration. In actuality ‘flood’ means multiple floods affecting most if not all of the rivers. Towns and villages needed to be close to a good water supply and as happens even today housing encroaches onto flood plains so such a huge storm causing multiple floods would inevitably result in loss of life, both human and animal, destruction of homes and other buildings, vineyards and crops.
16. Such a national disaster would lead to destitution and starvation as people existed only a season at a time. Few would have food reserves for more than a few months and only the very rich would be able to afford to import supplies. The psalmist could have focussed on such calamities and written a lament but instead he sees the overwhelming power of the storm as a metaphor for Yahweh.
17. A thunderstorm is noisy. There is the rolling roar or crack of thunder which is the noise created by lightning strikes, either at a distance or close by, the drumming of rain and the sound of the wind in the trees or around buildings. Trees splitting and falling, buildings collapsing and the tumbling, rushing water all add to the confusion of sound. The noise can be deafening and overwhelming, frightening and mind-numbing.
18. And David knew his trees, according to Professor Julian Evans, for oaks are singled out as they ‘twist’ while other trees are ‘stripped.’ Oaks are brittle. Whereas many trees will be uprooted in a storm (‘strips the forest bare’) it is more likely that oaks will have branches torn off. Furthermore, oaks featured in pagan worship (Isaiah 1:29, 57:5) so this text emphasises that they too are subject to Yahweh.[6]
19. Yet the psalmist heard something else. In the tumultuous cacophony of noises he heard ‘the voice of Yahweh.’ The phrase occurs seven times indicating its importance in what the psalmist wishes to impart.
20. It is not that he heard the voice of Yahweh in spite of the noise. Rather Yahweh was in the noise: ‘the God of glory thunders’ (3). His voice was the lightning strikes (7). It was powerful and majestic (4) and was the reason the forests were destroyed (5, 9), and the change to the desert contour that could be dramatically changed by wind erosion[7] is summarised in the word ‘shaken’ (8).
21. But the storm was not Yahweh. It was his voice. It was how he expressed himself. The distinction may seem inconsequential to us but the God of Scripture was not the storm-god of the surrounding nations who was said to express himself in irrational anger in storms or when absent, droughts resulted.[8] The God of Scripture was still, ‘a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness’ (Psalm 86:15 and in eight other passages) and sending such a storm did not invalidate his character.
22. That is about as far as we can go in understanding Psalm 29 in its English poetic structure. To go further we need to read the Psalm according to its Hebrew poetic structure.
23. However, one feature has been transposed into the NIV structure. This is the poetic line structure which has two parts (except there are three parts in verses 3 and 9) with the subsequent parts inset and repeating the idea expressed in the first part (but see note 29 for the exception).
24. We have already noticed the parallelism between the first two and last two verses. This suggests a similar parallel arrangement will continue throughout the psalm. And this is the case, as shown below with the key words in bold.
25. Furthermore, there is a single line in the centre, the poetic chiasmus (meaning ‘crossing’). This is a common structure in Hebrew poetry and the central, X line, carries the ‘punch line’ of the psalm. This contrasts with English poetry where poems traditionally reach their climax at the end.
26. Attention to this chiastic structure is emphasised with the repeated phrase, ‘the voice of Yahweh,’ featuring in lines C-D-E and E1-D1-C1.
27. Here is the psalm showing its Hebrew poetic structure with the main parallel words in bold:
Psalm 29
Yahweh can be trusted in the storms of life
| A | 1 Ascribe to Yahweh, O mighty ones, ascribe to Yahweh glory and strength. |
| B | 2 Ascribe to Yahweh the glory due his name; worship Yahweh in the splendour of his holiness. |
| C | 3 The voice of Yahweh is over the waters; the God of glory thunders, Yahweh thunders over the mighty waters. |
| D | 4 The voice of Yahweh is powerful; the voice of Yahweh is majestic. |
| E | 5 The voice of Yahweh breaks the cedars; Yahweh breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon. |
| X | 6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, Sirion like a young wild ox. |
| E1 | 7 The voice of Yahweh strikes with flashes of lightning. |
| D1 | 8 The voice of Yahweh shakes the desert; Yahweh shakes the Desert of Kadesh. |
| C1 | The voice of Yahweh twists the oaks and strips the forests bare. And in his temple all cry, “Glory!“ |
| B1 | 10 Yahweh sits enthroned over the flood; Yahweh is enthroned as King forever. |
| A1 | 11 Yahweh gives strength to his people; Yahweh blesses his people with peace. |
28. Other parallelism features include:
Line C matches C1 as the only pair with a three part line and both refer to ‘glory.’ The ‘power’ and ‘majesty’ of line D is expressed by the duplicated shaking of the desert in line D1. The breaking of cedars in line E is at least partly due to the lightning strikes of line E1.
29. You may have noticed that the third part of C1 breaks the poetic pattern. It still mentions ‘glory,’ and ‘cry’ parallels Yahweh’s thunder in C but the idea is about heavenly worship rather than earthly destruction. Such a pattern break is not uncommon in the psalms. It redirects attention to Yahweh and away from the skill and insight of the psalmist and the aesthetic beauty and harmony of the poetry. And that seems to be its purpose.
30. The poetic crux line, X, carries the key message of a chiastic psalm so needs particular attention. The psalmist compares Sirion (Mount Hermon) to a skipping young wild ox so the parallel reference to Lebanon as a skipping calf presumably must refer to the mountains of Lebanon. These stretch the 100mile length of the country. They rise to 10,000 foot peaks with an average elevation of 8,000 feet. The name Lebanon, derived from ‘white,’ is thought to refer to the snow that covers the heights seasonally. Mount Hermon is in a smaller and lower mountain range 20 miles to the east across the valley of the upper reaches of the River Jordan.
31. Such mountains stretching beyond the northern extent of Israel are higher than elsewhere in Israel until the Negev desert is reached even further south than Kadesh. They symbolise steadfastness and security so are used to emphasise that Yahweh is even more dependable and secure. This is illustrated in scriptures such as:
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging (Psalm 46:1-3).
As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so Yahweh surrounds his people both now and forevermore (Psalm 125:1-2).
“Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says Yahweh, who has compassion on you (Isaiah 54:10).
32. It is not that Yahweh is as equally dependable as the mountains, rather he is greater for he created those mountains and they are subject to his will:
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? Who has understood the mind of Yahweh, or instructed him as his counsellor? (Isaiah 40:12-13).
He rebukes the sea and dries it up; he makes all the rivers run dry. Bashan and Carmel wither and the blossoms of Lebanon fade. The mountains quake before him and the hills melt away. The earth trembles at his presence, the world and all who live in it. Who can withstand his indignation? Who can endure his fierce anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; the rocks are shattered before him (Nahum 1:4-6).
33. So Yahweh can, as it were, call on the mountains as witnesses against his people who have wilfully sinned and disobeyed his commands:
Listen to what Yahweh says: “Stand up, plead your case before the mountains; let the hills hear what you have to say. Hear, O mountains, Yahweh’s accusation; listen, you everlasting foundations of the earth. For Yahweh has a case against his people; he is lodging a charge against Israel” (Micah 6:1-2).
34. The closest parallel with Psalm 29, however, is Psalm 114 which is a very short celebration of the exodus from Egypt and the entry to the promised land, presented as a rhetorical riddle that gives the answer in verse 1, ‘Judah became God’s sanctuary, Israel his dominion’:
The sea looked and fled, the Jordan turned back; the mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs. Why was it, O sea, that you fled, O Jordan, that you turned back, you mountains, that you skipped like rams, you hills, like lambs? (Psalm 114:3-6).
35. The psalmist of Psalm 114 was so excited at what Yahweh had done his imagination was stimulated to express it in these preposterous word pictures of mountain and hills skipping like the carefree young animals that he would see in the fields every spring. Could the same imagery be intended in Psalm 29?
36. In the light of the multiple tragedies arising from such a monstrous storm that could have a deleterious effect on the whole nation for years to come, that seems callous and irrational. And yet. And yet. Here is humour, pleasure and fun centred within the awe, amazement and worship expressed in the psalm’s introduction and conclusion.
37. Psalm 29 is not a lament. There are plenty of them, for nearly 70 psalms are in that category and two, 77 and 90, may relate to natural tragedies. Psalm 29 does not focus on the tragedy but instead on the awesome power of Yahweh. He is in charge so why not express appreciation in joyful humour?
38. Believers cannot claim any right to favours in escaping tragedies due to natural disasters or sickness leading to death or serious disability. It is outrageously incredible but in the middle of tragedies we can be moved to humour and joy for our security is not in Yahweh’s gifts, mercy and favour but in Yahweh’s character, the very essence of his being.
39. And that may be the whole purpose of the Psalm – encouraging us, the reader, to recognise and rejoice in Yahweh’s power and blessing in our lives, even in our storms, knowing we can do so with confidence in his power and willingness to help.
40. A similar message is at the climax of the book of Job. There are two stories entwined in Job. One story that is explained to us readers is that godly Job was being tested to see if tragedies would turn him away from Yahweh. He survived the test but Job never knew that this was what was happening. The second story provides the details of Job’s suffering and the failure of his friends and wife to understand and empathise. In the last few chapters Yahweh appears to Job who complains about his sufferings. Yahweh appears to him ‘in a storm’ and Job’s complaints shrivel and die as he recognises Yahweh in the power of the storm. He is moved to repent. He repents not of sin as rebellion against Yahweh, but of his failure to recognise Yahweh’s power and grace and his lack of trust. Life went on. Job’s circumstances changed for good but he never learned the reason for his sufferings. Is that another example for us? The evidence of Yahweh in the storm caused both the psalmist and Job to stop questioning and to start worshipping.
41. A related message is in the New Testament too, for both Paul and Peter recount stories of God’s people during times of severe distress being filled with joy! Paul wrote to the church in Corinth about 55 AD, some 25 years after Jesus’ resurrection, about how the believers in Macedonia responded to the ‘severe trial’ they went through:
And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will (2 Corinthians 8:1-5).
42. About seven years later Peter wrote to the churches throughout what we now know as Turkey who were being punished, it seems, similar to how, ‘a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler,’ was treated (1 Peter 4:15). Such punishment depended on the status of the accused. Slaves were beaten or given the roughest and toughest work to do. They were not usually killed as they were valuable property. However, this could happen when their deaths were ‘needed’ for mass ‘entertainment’ or in order to exert communal control. Citizens of the local area could be killed, beaten or fined while Roman citizens were more likely to be fined or banished. Imprisonment was not used as a punishment but only for those who were ‘on remand’ awaiting trial.
43. Fifty years later when Pliny was a Roman governor in this area the test for a Christian was whether or not they would sacrifice to the emperor thus acknowledging him as god.[9] We do not know if the suffering Peter referred to was the same as they suffered but it likely would be similarly devastating. Peter wrote to them:
In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls (1 Peter 1:6-9).
44. The sufferings of these early believers were definitely not joyful but their experience of joy that Paul and Peter refer to had nothing directly to do with their circumstances. Rather, it was due to the presence of God in their lives. That so totally changed their attitude to trouble and suffering that they could face their appalling situations with a powerful welling up of joy.
45. James goes even further when he says, ‘Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds’ (James 1:2). James’ expectation was that the believers would be so overwhelmed by God’s presence that the threat or actuality of suffering severely for their faith, even being killed, was inconsequential.
46. Paul, Peter and James surely understood the message of Psalm 29 as the final phrase reminds us, ‘Yahweh blesses his people with peace’ not by taking us out of the storm but being with us in it.
47. Shalom! Truly, Yahweh can be trusted joyfully even in the storms of life.
Endnotes
[1] Derek Kidner, Psalms 1-72, (Aylesbury: IVP Academic, 2008), p. 143.
[2] Rev. Dr. A. Cohen, The Psalms: Hebrew Text, English Translation and Commentary, (Chesham: The Soncino Press, 1945) p. 83, compared with Kidner, Psalms 1-72, p. 143.
[3] Prof. Julian Evans, God’s Trees: Trees, forests and wood in the Bible. An illustrated commentary and compendium, 2nd. ed., (Leominster, Day One Publications, 2018), p. 160 and J. M. Houston, ‘Palestine’ in The Illustrated Bible Dictionary ed. By J. D. Douglas and others, (Leicester: Inter-Varsity Press, 1980), p. 1138 and map on p. 1136.
[4] Kidner, Psalms 1-72, p. 145.
[5] <http://www.nssl.noaa.gov/education/svrwx101/thunderstorms/faq/> [Accessed 28 Aug 2017].
[6] Evans, God’s Trees: Trees, forests and wood in the Bible, p. 79.
[7] <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aeolian_processes>, [accessed 23 February 2023].
[8] Herrmann, Wolfgang, ‘Baal’ in Karel van der Toorn, Bob Becking, Pieter Willem van der Horst, (eds.), Dictionary of Deities and Demons in the Bible, 2nd ed., (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1999), pp. 132–139. <https://www.academia.edu/30069945/Dictionary_of_Deities_and_Demons_in_the_Bible> [Accessed 25 October 2022]
[9] Henry Bettenson and Chris Maunder, eds., Documents of the Christian Church, 3rd ed., ( Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999), pp. 3-4.
Written: 22 October 2021
Published: 13 January 2023
Updated: 28 February 2023