Annotations Upon the Books of Poetry, Psalms · Psalm 29
PSALM XXIX.
Verſ. 1. GIve unto the Lord, (O ye mighty) give unto the Lord glory and ſtrength.] That is, Confeſſe how glorious and ſtrong the Lord is, & that both by word and deed, to the praiſe of his name; (and ſtrength is here the rather mentioned, becauſe thoſe works of God, of which he ſpeaks afterward, do ſingularly manifeſt his mighty power and ſtrength) or, acknowledge that all the glory and ſtrength you have, yea all glory and ſtrength whatſoever, is of God. His intention in theſe words is, that the great ones of the world, that in their pride are wont above others to exalt themſelves againſt God, ſhould humble themſelves under the hand of God, who is of ſuch infinite power, and hath all things ſubject to him, as he ſheweth in the following verſes: ſee alſo the Note Pſal. 8.2.
Verſ. 2. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name, &c.] That is, due to him, or ſuch glory as is due to a God of ſuch Majeſty, the acknowledgement of his infinite excellencies, or the worſhip which he hath preſcribed in his Word: worship the Lord in the beauty of holineſſe, that is, in his beautifull holy place, in his glorious Sanctuary, as it is in the margin. See the Notes Pſal. 27.4, and 1 Chro. 16.29.
Verſ. 3. The voice of the Lord is upon the waters, &c.] The thunder is called the voice of the Lord, becauſe it comes out of heaven, and is an effect of Gods mighty power: and ſome think that it is ſaid to be upon the waters, that is, upon the ſea, becauſe it maketh a noiſe, and runneth as it were upon the ſea a long time together. But I rather underſtand theſe words thus, The voice of the Lord is upon the waters, that is, in the watry clouds: for ſo alſo Pſal. 18.11. the clouds are called dark waters. And becauſe in ſuch ſtorms of thunder there uſeth to be abundance of rain, therefore in the laſt clauſe it is ſaid, the Lord is upon many waters. Having in the beginning of the Pſalm called upon the mighty men of the world not to exalt themſelves againſt God, but to humble themſelves before him, here he puts them in mind of this mighty work of God; becauſe nothing doth more terrify the moſt atheiſticall men, convincing them that there is a God that is higher then the higheſt, then the thunder doth. And ſome conceive that it was ſome extraordinary tempeſt, perhaps ſome tempeſt that helped to the foyling of Davids enemies, that was the occaſion of compoſing this Pſalm.
Verſ. 4. The voice of the Lord is powerfull, &c.] That is, of mighty force: the voice of the Lord is full of majesty, to wit, both in regard of the dreadfull noiſe it makes, and of the bright flaſhes of lightening that goe along with it. Yet ſome conceive that it is ſaid to be powerfull and full of majeſty, becauſe Gods mighty power and glorious majeſty is thereby ſo clearly diſcovered.
Verſ. 5. The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedars, &c.] To wit, by the thunderbolts, which are caſt down upon the earth in the thunder claps; or by the tempeſtuous winds which do many times accompany the thunder. However herein and that which follows is covertly implyed, how ſtrange it would be, if men that have reaſon and underſtanding ſhould not be deeply affected with this terrible voice, which works ſo mightily upon the very unreaſonable and ſenſleſſe creatures.
Verſ. 6. He maketh them alſo to skip like a calf, &c.] Either it is in regard of the bowing and tumbling of the cedars this way and that by the force of the winds in ſuch tempeſts, that they are ſaid here to skip like a calf; or elſe in regard of the violent rending and hurling of theſe trees up by the roots; or elſe in regard of the leaping and flying of the ſplinters and broken pieces of the trees ſeverall waies, when they are thunder-ſtrucken, and violently torn in pieces thereby. As for the following words, Lebanon and Sirion (of which ſee the Note Deut. 3.9.) like a young unicorn, either they are meant of the trees that grow on thoſe mountains, (and indeed that ſeems to me the moſt probable;) or if they be meant of the mountains themſelves, they muſt be taken as an hyperbolicall expreſſion of the violence of ſuch tempeſts, that it is ſuch, that they make the very foundations of mountains to tremble; like that Pſal 114.4. The mountains skipped like rams, and the little hills like lambs. Some, I know, underſtand it of earthquakes: but why they ſhould be mentioned in this deſcription of thunder-ſtorms, I cannot conceive.
Verſ. 7. The voice of the Lord divideth the flames of fire.] The thunder is ſaid to divide the flames of fire, either becauſe by breaking the clouds it cauſeth the lightening to break forth in ſeverall flaſhes one after another; or becauſe the lightening doth diſperſe it ſelf ſeverall waies throughout the aire; or becauſe the claps of thunder do ſtill come between the flaſhes of lightening; and then too the doing of this in the midſt of powring ſhowres, where the fire and water is in a manner mingled together, makes it the more wonderfull.
Verſ. 8. The voice of the Lord shaketh the wilderneſse, &c.] That is, It maketh the trees in the deſerts to ſhake, yea the very earth there to tremble: ſee the former Note verſ. 6. Or it may be very probably referred to the wild beaſts in thoſe waſt wilderneſſes, to wit, that it maketh them to quake and tremble; which may ſeem the more probable, becauſe of that which immediately follows in the next verſe, that it maketh the hindes to calve: and ſo hereby may be intimated, for the greater advancement of Gods glory, that his terrours ſtrike even thoſe deſart places, whether the power and dread of man doth not reach. Yet ſome would have this referred to the trembling of men as they travell through thoſe deſarts, who indeed in ſuch vaſt wilderneſſes, that are dreadfull in themſelves, are apt to be the more terrified with ſuch horrid tempeſts.
Verſ. 9. The voice of the Lord maketh the hindes to calve, &c.] That is, the thunder helps forward their calving, (ſee the Note Job 39.1.) or rather, it cauſeth them through fear to caſt their calves: and diſcovereth the forrests, that is, it pierceth the thickeſt forreſts, and by the light of the flaſhes of lightening that ſtrike through the trees, it makes thoſe places to be ſeen therein, which were before hidden in darkneſſe: or by beating off the leaves of the trees, and by caſting down the trees in ſeverall places, it layes the ground bare, and expoſeth both it and the wild beaſts therein to open view, which before could not be ſeen. As for the laſt clauſe, and in his temple doth everyone ſpeak of his glory, it may be render'd, as it is in our Bibles, and in his temple every whit of it uttereth his glory; and then the meaning muſt be, that in the aſſemblies of Gods people in his Sanctuary every whit of that, which is before ſpoken of, is alledged for the ſetting forth of Gods glory. But if we read it, as moſt Interpreters do indeed render it, and in his Temple doth every one ſpeak of his glory, then either theſe words are added to ſhew, that when God ſent ſuch ſtorms of thunder, the people of God were wont to meet together in the Tabernacle, there to praiſe God by the acknowledgement of his mighty power, and to pray to God that herein he would be mercifull unto them; (And indeed the rather might they be ſaid therein to praiſe God, becauſe this voice of God, though only terrible to others, might well yield to them matter of comfort, as diſcovering what a mighty God they had to protect them, and confound their enemies) Or elſe they are added to ſhew, that though God do thus manifeſt himſelf by theſe works of his to the whole world, yet none do truly advance his glory, but only his people: the world is often little moved with theſe glorious diſcoveries of Gods power; or if they be, they are rather driven from God, then drawn to God thereby; but now to his people God hath revealed himſelf by his word in a far more eminent manner then he hath unto the world, and ſo when they are affected with theſe dreadfull works of Gods providence, yet they can then draw nigh to God as to a father, and can ſpeak much more abundantly of the glory of God. And ſo alſo the drift of theſe words may be, both to bewail as it were that the world will not praiſe God as the Church doth; and likewiſe to ſtir them up to joyn with the Church herein, ſince it is indeed the work of ſalvation that muſt encourage us to draw nigh unto God, and open our mouths in a right manner to praiſe his name.
Verſ. 10. The Lord ſitteth upon the floud, &c.] That is, God hath the command of thoſe inundations of water that are cauſed by theſe mighty tempeſts: though they may ſeem to threaten ruine to all where they come, yet God rules and orders them by his providence, both for the puniſhment of the wicked, and the preſervation and good of the righteous: yea, the Lord ſitteth king for ever; that is, He is and ſhall for ever be the Lord and governour of the whole world. The moſt Expoſitours, I know, refer this to Noahs floud, thus: that as the Lord did by his ſovereign all-ruling power bring the floud upon the old world, for the puniſhment of their ſins, ſo he ſtill as King rules all things, and alwaies ſhall doe. But the firſt Expoſition is beſt.
Verſ. 11. The Lord will give ſtrength unto his people, the Lord will bleſſe his people with peace.] This alſo may be referred to thoſe thunder-ſtorms of which he hath ſpoken, to wit, that God will preſerve and hearten his people againſt the danger and terrour thereof: or it may be underſtood more generally of the Lords ſtrengthening his people every way, and of his affording them all kind of peace and proſperity: and yet it may be added too as in relation to that which went before, to wit, as being inferred thus, that his people may take comfort in thoſe works of his providence which are ſo terrible to others, the mighty power of God diſcovered therein being to them a ground of full aſſurance, that he was able to ſtrengthen them and confer upon them all proſperity and peace.