Ps. 29 THE ARGUMENT It is supposed that this Psalm was made upon the occasion of some terrible tempest of thunder and rain; which God might possibly send in the time of battle to assist David, and discomfit his enemies; as he had done formerly upon like occasions.

O ye mighty; ye potentates and rulers of the earth. To these he addresseth his speech; partly because they are most apt to forget and contemn God, and insolently to assume a kind of deity to themselves; and partly because their conviction and conversion was likely to have a great and powerful…

The glory due unto his name, i.e. the honour which he deserves; which is to prefer him before all other gods, and to forsake all others, and to own him as the Almighty, and the only true God.

The voice of the Lord, i.e. thunder, as is manifest from the next clause, and the following effects; which is oft called the Lord’s voice, as Ex. 9:23, Ex. 9:28–29, Job 37:4–5, Ps. 18:14, Ps. 46:6. Upon the waters; either, 1.

Is an evident proof of God’s glorious majesty.

By thunder-bolts; which have oft thrown down trees and towers. Lebanon; a place famous for strong and lofty cedars. See 2 Chron. 2:8, Song 3:9, Song 5:15.

He maketh them; the cedars last mentioned; which being broken by the thunder, the parts of them are suddenly and violently hurled about hither and thither. Sirion; a high mountain beyond Jordan joining to Lebanon; of which see Deut. 3:9, Deut. 4:48.

Divideth, Heb. heweth out, i.e. it breaketh out of the clouds, and thereby makes way for the lightnings, which are suddenly dispersed over the face of the earth.

The wilderness, i.e. either the trees, or rather the beasts of the wilderness, by a metonymy, as before, Ps. 29:6. Compare this with the next verse. Kadesh; which he mentions as an eminent wilderness, vast and terrible, and well known to the Israelites, Num. 20:1, Num.

Maketh the hinds to calve, through the terror which it causeth, which hastens the birth in these and other places: see 1 Sam. 4:19. He nameth the hinds, because they bring forth their young with difficulty, Job 39:1–2. Discovereth, Heb.

He moderateth and ruleth (which is oft signified by sitting, this being the posture of a judge, or ruler; of which see Ps. 9:7–9, Ps. 47:8, Joel 3:12) the most abundant and violent inundations of waters, which sometimes fall from the clouds upon the earth; where they would do much mischief if God…

The Lord will give strength, to support and preserve them in the most dreadful tempests, and consequently in all other dangers, and against all their enemies. The Lord will bless his people with peace, though now he sees fit to exercise them with some troubles.