Psalm 29

Psalm 29 is the 29th psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning in English in the King James Version: "Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength". The Book of Psalms is part of the third section of the Hebrew Bible, and a book of the Christian Old Testament. In the slightly different numbering system used in the Greek Septuagint and Latin Vulgate translations of the Bible, this psalm is Psalm 28. In Latin, it is known as "Adferte Domino filii Dei".[1] The psalm is attributed to David. It is a hymn, describing the advent of Yahweh in a storm.

This article is about Psalm 29 in Hebrew (Masoretic) numbering. For Psalm 29 in Greek Septuagint or Latin Vulgate numbering, see Psalm 30.
Psalm 29
"Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty"
Hymn psalm
Interior of the Tykocin Synagogue, 2013
Other name
  • Psalm 28 (Vulgate)
  • "Adferte Domino filii Dei"
LanguageHebrew (original)
Psalm 29
BookBook of Psalms
Hebrew Bible partKetuvim
Order in the Hebrew part1
CategorySifrei Emet
Christian Bible partOld Testament
Order in the Christian part19

The psalm forms a regular part of Jewish, Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican and Nonconformist Protestant liturgies.

Origin

Psalm 29 is an example of an Enthronement Psalm wherein the supreme deity is described in Theophanic terminology as taking his place of rulership. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, scholars like Charles and Emilie Briggs argued that it "seems to belong to the Persian period subsequent to Nehemiah", that is, between 445 and 333 BCE.[2][3][4]

However, more recent scholarship has undermined this conclusion; archaic language and content have been identified in the Psalm, akin to other early strata such as the Song of the Sea, befitting an early pre-exilic context.[5]: 121–122  Cross opines that generations of scholars have firmly identified literary dependence on Canaanite mythology, particularly the Ba'al Cycle, and concludes on this basis that its present form is "no later than the 10th century BC."[5]: 151-152  Similarly, Freedman cites "considerable scholarly sentiment" supporting a pre-monarchic provenance, and suggests that Psalm 29 may be dated as early the 12th century BCE, making it among the oldest portions of literature in the Hebrew Bible.[6]

Text

Hebrew Bible version

Following is the Hebrew text of Psalm 29:[7]

Verse Hebrew
1 מִזְמ֗וֹר לְדָ֫וִ֥ד הָב֣וּ לַֽ֖יהֹוָה בְּנֵ֣י אֵלִ֑ים הָב֥וּ לַ֜יהֹוָ֗ה כָּב֥וֹד וָעֹֽז
2 הָב֣וּ לַֽ֖יהֹוָה כְּב֣וֹד שְׁמ֑וֹ הִשְׁתַּֽחֲו֥וּ לַֽ֜יהֹוָ֗ה בְּהַדְרַת־קֹֽדֶשׁ
3 ק֥וֹל יְהֹוָ֗ה עַל־הַ֫מָּ֥יִם אֵֽל־הַכָּב֥וֹד הִרְעִ֑ים יְ֜הֹוָ֗ה עַל־מַ֥יִם רַבִּֽים
4 קֽוֹל־יְהֹוָ֥ה בַּכֹּ֑חַ ק֥וֹל יְ֜הֹוָ֗ה בֶּֽהָדָֽר
5 ק֣וֹל יְ֖הֹוָה שֹׁבֵ֣ר אֲרָזִ֑ים וַיְשַׁבֵּ֥ר יְ֜הֹוָ֗ה אֶת־אַרְזֵ֥י הַלְּבָנֽוֹן
6 וַיַּרְקִידֵ֥ם כְּמוֹ־עֵ֑גֶל לְבָנ֥וֹן וְ֜שִׂרְי֗וֹן כְּמ֣וֹ בֶן־רְאֵמִֽים
7 קֽוֹל־יְהֹוָ֥ה חֹצֵ֗ב לַֽהֲב֥וֹת אֵֽשׁ
8 ק֣וֹל יְ֖הֹוָה יָחִ֣יל מִדְבָּ֑ר יָחִ֥יל יְ֜הֹוָ֗ה מִדְבַּ֥ר קָדֵֽשׁ
9 ק֚וֹל יְהֹוָ֨ה | יְחוֹלֵ֣ל אַיָּלוֹת֘ וַיֶּֽחֱשׂ֪ף יְעָ֫ר֥וֹת וּבְהֵֽיכָל֑וֹ כֻּ֜לּ֗וֹ אֹ֘מֵ֥ר כָּבֽוֹד
10 יְהֹוָה לַמַּבּ֣וּל יָשָׁ֑ב וַיֵּ֥שֶׁב יְ֜הֹוָ֗ה מֶ֣לֶךְ לְעוֹלָֽם
11 יְהֹוָ֗ה עֹ֖ז לְעַמּ֣וֹ יִתֵּ֑ן יְהֹוָ֓ה | יְבָרֵ֖ךְ אֶת־עַמּ֣וֹ בַשָּׁלֽוֹם

King James Version
  1. Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength.
  2. Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
  3. The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters.
  4. The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.
  5. The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon.
  6. He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn.
  7. The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire.
  8. The voice of the LORD shaketh the wilderness; the LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.
  9. The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.
  10. The LORD sitteth upon the flood; yea, the LORD sitteth King for ever.
  11. The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.

Verse 2
Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.[8]

The same words as verse 2b, worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness, arise in Psalm 96:9. These words form the title of a hymn by Irish clergyman John Samuel Bewley Monsell.[9] Alexander Kirkpatrick comments that

Suggestive as this rendering is, it can hardly be right; and the true sense is that given in [the] Revised Version margin, in holy array.[10]

Theme

Psalm 29 is "a hymn, describing the advent of Yahweh in a storm. (1) The angels worship Yahweh in the heavenly temple (v.1-2); (2) the thunder of Yahweh's voice is a great power (a) on the waters (v.3-4); (b) upon Lebanon and its cedars (v.5-6); (c) upon the wilderness and its forests (v.8-9); (3) Yahweh, enthroned over the Flood, reigns forever and bestows blessings on his people (v.10-11)."[11]

Uses

Judaism

Book of Common Prayer

In the Church of England's Book of Common Prayer, this psalm is appointed to be read on the evening of the fifth day of the month.[20]

Musical settings

Heinrich Schütz wrote a setting of a metric paraphrase of Psalm 28 in German, "Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Gott, mein Hort", SWV 125, for the Becker Psalter, published first in 1628.

References
  1. Parallel Latin/English Psalter / Psalmus 28 (29) Archived 10 October 2016 at the Wayback Machine medievalist.net
  2. For the quote see Charles Augustus Briggs; Emilie Grace Briggs (1960) [1906]. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Psalms. International Critical Commentary. Vol. 1. Edinburgh: T & T Clark. p. 252.
  3. For the date of Nehemiah, see James D. G. Dunn (19 November 2003). Eerdmans Commentary on the Bible. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. p. 321. ISBN 978-0-8028-3711-0.
  4. For the end of the Persian period, see Mark J. Boda; J. Gordon McConville (14 June 2013). Dictionary of the Old Testament: Prophets. InterVarsity Press. p. 415. ISBN 978-0-8308-9583-0.
  5. Cross, Frank Moore (1997-09-01). Canaanite Myth and Hebrew Epic: Essays in the History of the Religion of Israel. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. ISBN 978-0-674-09176-4.
  6. Freedman, David Noel Freedman (1987). Miller, Hanson and McBride, Patrick D, Paul D and Samuel Dean (ed.). Ancient Israelite Religion: Essays in Honor of Frank Moore Cross. Fortress Press. pp. 315–317. ISBN 978-0-8006-0831-6.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: editors list (link)
  7. "Tehillim - Psalms - Chapter 29". Chabad.org. 2018. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
  8. Psalm 29:2: King James Version
  9. Jubilate Hymns Ltd., O worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness, accessed 23 October 2021
  10. Kirkpatrick, A. (1906), Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges on Psalm 29, accessed 23 October 2021
  11. Quoted from Charles Augustus Briggs; Emilie Grace Briggs (1960) [1906]. A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Book of Psalms. International Critical Commentary. Vol. 1. Edinburgh: T & T Clark. p. 251.
  12. The Complete Artscroll Siddur, page 314
  13. The Complete Artscroll Siddur, page 458
  14. The Complete Artscroll Siddur, page 592
  15. The Artscroll Tehillim, page 329
  16. The Complete Artscroll Siddur, page 479
  17. The Complete Artscroll Siddur, page 195
  18. The Complete Artscroll Siddur, page 607
  19. The Complete Artscroll Siddur, page 759
  20. Church of England, Book of Common Prayer: The Psalter as printed by John Baskerville in 1762, pp. 196ff
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