Psalm 29:1-11

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Psalm 29

1Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength.

2Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

3The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters.

4The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.

5The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon.

6He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn.

7The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire.

8The voice of the LORD shaketh the wilderness; the LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.

9The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.

10The LORD sitteth upon the flood; yea, the LORD sitteth King for ever.

11The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.

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PSALM 29

A Psalm of David,

1. Give to jehovah, O you sons of the gods, give to jehovah glory and strength.
2. Give to jehovah the glory of his name; bow down to jehovah in the ornament of holiness.
3. The voice of jehovah is upon the waters; the god of glory thunders; jehovah is on great waters.
4. The voice of jehovah is full of power; the voice of jehovah is full of majesty.
5. The voice of jehovah breaks the cedars, yea, jehovah breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
6. And he makes them skip like a calf, Lebanon and Sirion like the young of Unicorns.
7. The voice of jehovah divides the flames of fire.
8. The voice of jehovah shakes the wilderness; jehovah shakes the wilderness of Kadish.
9. The voice of jehovah makes the hinds to bring forth; and makes bare the forests; and in his temple does every one speak of glory.
10. jehovah sits on the flood, yea, jehovah sits a king for ever.
11. jehovah gives strength to his people; jehovah will bless his people with peace.

The Internal Sense

That they who are in truths from the Word will adore the lord, who is the Word, verses 1 to 4; of the power of Divine Truth from the lord, verses 5 to 11.

Exposition

Verses 3 to 9. The voice of jehovah is upon the waters, the god of glory thunders, jehovah is on great waters; the voice of jehovah breaks the cedars, jehovah breaks the cedars of Lebanon, and makes them to dance as a calf; Lebanon and, Sirion as a son of Unicorns; the voice of jehovah divides the flames of fire; the voice of jehovah makes the wilderness to tremble, makes to tremble the wilderness of Kadish; the voice of jehovah makes the hinds to bring forth, and makes bare the forests; but in his temple every one says glory. He who is not aware that singular things in the above words, as to every expression, are holy and divine, may say within himself, if he be a mere natural man, what can this mean, that jehovah sits on the waters, that, by his voice he breaks the cedars, makes them to dance us a calf, and Lebanon as a son of unicorns; that he makes the lands to bring forth, with several other particulars; for he knows not that the power of Divine Truth, or the Word, is described by those things in the spiritual sense; for in that sense, by the voice of jehovah, which is there thunder, is meant Divine Truth or the Word in its power; by the great waters, on which jehovah sits, are meant its truths; by the cedars and by Lebanon, which he breaks, are meant the false principles of the rational man; by a calf and a son of unicorns the false principles of the natural and sensual man; by a flame of fire the affection of what is false; by a wilderness and the wilderness of Kadish the church where there is neither truth nor good; by hinds which jehovah makes to bring forth are meant the Gentiles who are in natural good; and by the forests which he makes bare are meant the sciences and knowledges which the Word opens to them; wherefore it follows, “In his temple every one says glory,” by which is meant, that in singular the things of the Word there are Divine Truths, for temple signifies the lord, and hence the Word, also heaven and the church, and glory signifies Divine Truth. From these considerations it is evident, that in the Word there is not an expression which does not describe the Divine power of the Word against false principles of every kind amongst natural men, and the Divine power of reforming the nations. S. S. 18.

Verse 9. The voice of jehovah makes the hinds to bring forth, etc. That there is an internal sense in this expression, is manifest from this consideration, that immediately afterwards it is said, In his temple every one says glory, which words, without a spiritual sense, do not cohere with the preceding. AC 6413.

The subject treated of in the above Psalm is concerning the Divine Truth which destroys falses and evils; this Divine Truth is the voice of jehovah; but the glory which is said is the Divine Truth which is in heaven and the church. AC 9926. see also AC 10182; sec also AE 201.

Verse 10. jehovah sits on the flood. Walkings and journeyings relate to the movements of man, and thence signify progressions of life, or progressions of the thought from the intention of the thought from the intention of the will; but standings and sittings appertain to the rest of man, and thence signify the esse of life, from which is the existere thereof, thus to cause to live: wherefore to sit upon thrones, when predicated of judgement, signifies to be in operation to judge, consequently also to judge, whence comes the expression of sitting in judgement, which denotes to do judgement; to sit upon a throne likewise, when treating of a kingdom, signifies to he king or to reign. Inasmuch as jehovah, that is, the lord, is the very esse of the life of all, therefore to sit is predicated of him in various parts of the Word, as in David, “jehovah shall sit upon the flood, and he shall sit a king to eternity.” Psalm 29:10.

Verse 11. jehovah will bless his people with peace. Here is described the peace which they have who are in conjunction with the lord by the reception of Divine Good and Divine Truth from him, and that it is peace in which and from which is heavenly joy. AE 365.

The Translator’s Notes and Observations

The above is one of those Psalms, which leave no doubt on the well-disposed mind respecting the spiritual and internal sense contained in and conveyed by the sense of the letter. For in the description here given of what is called the voice of jehovah, how plain it is to see, that it cannot be true, if its meaning be limited to the mere literal expressions by which it is announced? Whilst then the interpretation of this Psalm is earnestly recommended to the reader’s attention as a satisfactory proof of the heavenly light by which the mind of the interpreter was illuminated, it is further pressed on his observation as a decisive and full demonstration, that the word of the most high is replete with a wisdom worthy of its divine author, and at the same time is calculated to elevate the human understanding to see by a light at once clear, edifying, and highly conducive to the promotion of its eternal happiness.

Verse 1. Give to jehovah, O you sons of the gods, give to jehovah glory and strength. What is here rendered O you sons of the gods, is expressed, in the received English version of the Psalms, by the term, mighty; but in the original Hebrew there is no such term, and it is merely said, O you sons of the gods. What is the proper sense and meaning of this expression, cannot perhaps be better understood than by the explanation of the original term, which is here rendered gods, as it is given in n. AC 8301 of the Arcana Coelestia. The words of the enlightened author are as follows:—” By gods, are meant the truths of good, and the reason is because by gods in a good sense are meant the angels, who are called gods, because they are substances or forms receptive of truth, in which is good from the lord. The angels, consequently the truths of good which are from the lord, are also meant by gods in the following passages:— ‘god stands in the company of god, in the midst of the gods he shall judge: I said you are gods, and you are all the sons of the Most High.’ Psalm 82:1, 6. That the truths which proceed from the lord are what are here meant by gods, is manifest from the consideration that it is first said, the company of god, and afterwards, in the midst of gods; That the term, god, is used in the word, where truth is treated of, see AC 2769, 2807, 2822, and that god in the supreme sense is the Divine Truth proceeding from the lord, AC 7268. Again, “I will confess to you in my whole heart, before the gods I will sing psalms to you,” Psalm 138:1; again, “There is none as you amongst the gods, O lord,” Psalm 86:8; again, “The great god is jehovah, and a great king over all gods,” Psalm 14:3. The reason why it is so often said that jehovah is above all gods, and that he is god of Gods, is because at that time several gods were worshipped, and the nations were distinguished by the gods whom they worshipped, and each nation believed that its own god was the supreme of all, and because hence a plurality of gods had a place in all minds.

The intelligent reader will not fail to discover, in the glory and strength which he is here required to give to jehovah, evident traces of that Marriage of the good and the true, which has been so repeatedly referred to in the preceding pages, for he will see intuitively, that glory has more immediate reference to the divine truth, and strength to the divine good.

PSALMS 29    Other translations  –  previous  –  next  –  meaning  –

Psalms;

A collection of 150 psalms, whose Hebrew name is “The Book of Praise.” Authors of individual psalms include David, Solomon, Moses, Asaph, and others who are anonymous. The variety and unity of Psalms have given this book a unique place in the devotional life of the individual and the Church. Almost every aspect of man’s relation to God is depicted in these poems: simple trust, the sense of sin, appeal to a higher power in time of trouble, and the conviction that the world is in the hands of a loving God.

Related articles

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• Psalm 29:1-11 (vidblogdotcom.wordpress.com)

Worlds People: Serve The Lord As Well

One of NFL’s football commercials says: Serve those who serve. My life is what it is today because of our men and women in the Armed Forces. It is essential. There is nothing wrong with service to the men and women that protect this country. This country wouldn’t be the country it is, if it wasn’t for our men and women in the Armed Forces. We wouldn’t have the freedom that we have. There is also freedom in our Lord. My life is to serve our Lord, Jesus Christ.

If this worlds people would serve Our Lord as it does the Armed Forces, this world would also be a better place. I believe if the worlds people would respect and give service and acknowledge our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ as they do to service men and women, we would have less problems. I take no credit away from our Armed Forces. I believe more credit should be given to Jesus Christ, as well.

And if it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites,, in whose land ye dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15). And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found, of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever. )I Chronicles 28:9).

If any man serve me, let him follow me: and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour. (St. John 12:26). Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them. (Revelation 7:15).

Joshua 24 (King James Version)

Joshua 24

 ¹And Joshua gathered all the tribes of Israel to Shechem, and called for the elders of Israel, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers; and they presented themselves before God.

²And Joshua said unto all the people, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time, even Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods.

³And I took your father Abraham from the other side of the flood, and led him throughout all the land of Canaan, and multiplied his seed, and gave him Isaac.

⁴And I gave unto Isaac Jacob and Esau: and I gave unto Esau mount Seir, to possess it; but Jacob and his children went down into Egypt.

⁵I sent Moses also and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to that which I did among them: and afterward I brought you out.

⁶And I brought your fathers out of Egypt: and ye came unto the sea; and the Egyptians pursued after your fathers with chariots and horsemen unto the Red sea.

⁷And when they cried unto the LORD, he put darkness between you and the Egyptians, and brought the sea upon them, and covered them; and your eyes have seen what I have done in Egypt: and ye dwelt in the wilderness a long season.

⁸And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, which dwelt on the other side Jordan; and they fought with you: and I gave them into your hand, that ye might possess their land; and I destroyed them from before you.

⁹Then Balak the son of Zippor, king of Moab, arose and warred against Israel, and sent and called Balaam the son of Beor to curse you:

¹⁰But I would not hearken unto Balaam; therefore he blessed you still: so I delivered you out of his hand.

¹¹And you went over Jordan, and came unto Jericho: and the men of Jericho fought against you, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites; and I delivered them into your hand.

¹²And I sent the hornet before you, which drave them out from before you, even the two kings of the Amorites; but not with thy sword, nor with thy bow.

¹³And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them; of the vineyards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat.

¹⁴Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD.

¹⁵And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.

¹⁶And the people answered and said, God forbid that we should forsake the LORD, to serve other gods;

¹⁷For the LORD our God, he it is that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage, and which did those great signs in our sight, and preserved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people through whom we passed:

¹⁸And the LORD drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land: therefore will we also serve the LORD; for he is our God.

¹⁹And Joshua said unto the people, Ye cannot serve the LORD: for he is an holy God; he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your transgressions nor your sins.

²⁰If ye forsake the LORD, and serve strange gods, then he will turn and do you hurt, and consume you, after that he hath done you good.

²¹And the people said unto Joshua, Nay; but we will serve the LORD.

²²And Joshua said unto the people, Ye are witnesses against yourselves that ye have chosen you the LORD, to serve him. And they said, We are witnesses.

²³Now therefore put away, said he, the strange gods which are among you, and incline your heart unto the LORD God of Israel.

²⁴And the people said unto Joshua, The LORD our God will we serve, and his voice will we obey.

²⁵So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem.

²⁶And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God, and took a great stone, and set it up there under an oak, that was by the sanctuary of the LORD.

²⁷And Joshua said unto all the people, Behold, this stone shall be a witness unto us; for it hath heard all the words of the LORD which he spake unto us: it shall be therefore a witness unto you, lest ye deny your God.

²⁸So Joshua let the people depart, every man unto his inheritance.

²⁹And it came to pass after these things, that Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old.

³⁰And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnathserah, which is in mount Ephraim, on the north side of the hill of Gaash.

³¹And Israel served the LORD all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders that overlived Joshua, and which had known all the works of the LORD, that he had done for Israel.

³²And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for an hundred pieces of silver: and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.

³³And Eleazar the son of Aaron died; and they buried him in a hill that pertained to Phinehas his son, which was given him in mount Ephraim.