Psalms 29:1-11·~1 min

Ascribe Glory to the LORD

David begins by calling the heavenly beings to ascribe glory and strength to the LORD and to give him the glory due his name. The summons ends in worship, directing all honor toward the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

A¹ Psalm of David. ²Ascribe to the LORD the glory due His name;

The center of the psalm describes the voice of the LORD as a storm of divine majesty moving over the waters, breaking cedars, shaking Lebanon and the wilderness, flashing out flames of fire, and stripping forests bare. Creation trembles under his utterance, and the fitting response in his temple is a single cry: glory.

³The voice of the LORD is over the waters; ⁴The voice of the LORD is powerful; ⁵The voice of the LORD breaks the cedars; ⁶He makes Lebanon skip like a calf, ⁷The voice of the LORD ⁸The voice of the LORD shakes the wilderness; ⁹The voice of the LORD twists the oaks

After the storm, the psalm fixes on the LORD seated enthroned over the flood as king forever. That same sovereign king gives strength to his people and blesses them with peace.

¹⁰The LORD sits enthroned over the flood; ¹¹The LORD gives His people strength;

Section summaryThe psalm opens with a call for the mighty ones to ascribe glory and worship to the LORD, then unfolds the power of his voice over waters, trees, mountains, desert, and animals. The climax reveals the LORD enthroned over the flood as eternal king, who gives strength and peace to his people.

Role in the chapterThis single section moves from summons, to storm theophany, to royal assurance. It teaches that the God whose voice shakes creation still rules in sovereign calm and turns his majesty toward the good of his people.