◄ Psalm 29:3 ►
The voice of the LORD is over the waters; the God of glory thunders; the LORD is heard over many waters.
Study Bible
The voice of the LORD
The phrase "the voice of the LORD" in Hebrew is "קוֹל יְהוָה" (qol Yahweh). This phrase is a powerful depiction of God's authority and presence. In the ancient Near Eastern context, a king's voice was a symbol of power and command. Similarly, the voice of the LORD signifies His sovereign power over creation. Theologically, it represents God's self-revelation and His active involvement in the world. The voice of the LORD is not just a sound but a dynamic force that accomplishes His will, as seen in the creation narrative where God speaks the world into existence.

is over the waters
The Hebrew word for "waters" is "מַיִם" (mayim), which often symbolizes chaos and disorder in ancient literature. In the context of Psalm 29, the phrase "is over the waters" suggests God's dominion over chaos and His ability to bring order. This imagery is reminiscent of Genesis 1:2, where the Spirit of God hovers over the waters, preparing for creation. Historically, water was a source of life and a symbol of the unknown, and God's control over it reassures believers of His supreme authority and protection.

the God of glory
The term "glory" in Hebrew is "כָּבוֹד" (kabod), which conveys the idea of weightiness or significance. "The God of glory" emphasizes God's majestic and awe-inspiring nature. In the biblical context, God's glory is often associated with His presence, as seen in the tabernacle and the temple. This phrase reminds believers of the transcendence and holiness of God, who is worthy of worship and reverence. It calls us to recognize His splendor and to respond with awe and adoration.

thunders
The Hebrew word for "thunders" is "רָעַם" (ra'am), which can also mean to roar or to make a loud noise. Thunder is a natural phenomenon that evokes fear and respect, symbolizing God's power and might. In the ancient world, thunder was often associated with divine activity. Here, it illustrates the overwhelming and commanding presence of God. This imagery serves to remind us of God's omnipotence and the awe-inspiring nature of His voice, which can shake the very foundations of the earth.

the LORD is heard
The phrase "the LORD is heard" underscores the accessibility and communicative nature of God. Unlike the silent idols of the nations, the God of Israel speaks and is heard by His people. This phrase assures believers that God is not distant or indifferent but actively engages with His creation. It invites us to listen attentively to His voice, which is revealed through Scripture and the Holy Spirit. The hearing of the LORD's voice is a call to obedience and faith, as His words are life-giving and transformative.

Persons / Places / Events
1. The LORD (Yahweh)
The covenant name of God, emphasizing His eternal existence and His relationship with His people.

2. The Waters
Symbolic of chaos and the unknown, often representing the forces of nature that God controls.

3. The God of Glory
A title emphasizing God's majesty and power, highlighting His supreme authority over creation.

4. Thunder
A natural phenomenon used here to symbolize God's powerful and awe-inspiring voice.

5. Many Waters
Could refer to the seas or large bodies of water, symbolizing the vastness and power of God's creation.
Teaching Points
God's Sovereignty Over Creation
God's voice over the waters signifies His control over all creation, reminding us of His ultimate authority and power.

The Power of God's Voice
Just as thunder is powerful and awe-inspiring, so is the voice of God. It commands attention and demands reverence.

God's Presence in Chaos
The imagery of God's voice over the waters reassures us that He is present and sovereign even in the midst of life's chaos and uncertainty.

Reverence for God's Majesty
Recognizing the God of glory should lead us to worship and revere Him, acknowledging His greatness and majesty.

Trust in God's Control
Understanding that God is over the waters encourages us to trust Him in the storms of life, knowing He is in control.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does the imagery of God's voice over the waters in Psalm 29:3 enhance your understanding of His power and authority?

2. In what ways can you see God's sovereignty over creation in your daily life?

3. How does the concept of God's voice as thunder challenge or comfort you in your current circumstances?

4. What other biblical events or passages come to mind when you think of God's voice being powerful and authoritative?

5. How can you apply the understanding of God's control over chaos to a specific situation you are facing today?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Genesis 1:2
The Spirit of God hovering over the waters during creation, showing God's authority over chaos and His creative power.

Exodus 19:16-19
God's voice as thunder on Mount Sinai, demonstrating His power and presence to the Israelites.

Revelation 14:2
The voice of God likened to the sound of many waters, emphasizing His majestic and overwhelming presence.
Sermons
The Glorious Sceptre of Universal PowerC. Clemance Psalm 29:1-11
The Glory of God's Government in the Natural WorldJohn Mitchell, D. D.Psalm 29:1-11
The ThunderstormC. Short Psalm 29:1-11
The Works and the Word of GodW. Forsyth Psalm 29:1-11
The Majestic VoicePsalm 29:3-4
The Voice of Jehovah Upon the WatersJoseph Irons.Psalm 29:3-4
The Voice of the LordJames Parsons.Psalm 29:3-4
People
David, Psalmist
Places
Jerusalem
Topics
Glory, Mighty, Thundered, Thundereth, Thundering, Thunders, Voice, Waters
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Psalm 29:3

     1670   symbols
     4852   thunder

Psalm 29:2-3

     1045   God, glory of

Psalm 29:3-9

     1193   glory, revelation of
     1210   God, human descriptions
     1355   providence
     1454   theophany
     5196   voice
     5548   speech, divine

Library
March 25. "The Beauty of Holiness" (Ps. xxix. 2).
"The beauty of holiness" (Ps. xxix. 2). Some one remarked once that he did not know more disagreeable people than sanctified Christians. He probably meant people that only profess sanctification. There is an angular, hard, unlovely type of Christian character that is not true holiness; at least, not the highest type of it. It is the skeleton without the flesh covering; it is the naked rock without the vines and foliage that cushion its rugged sides. Jesus was not only virtuous and pure, but He was …
Rev. A. B. Simpson—Days of Heaven Upon Earth

Note C. The Holiness of God.
There is not a word so exclusively scriptural, so distinctly Divine, as the word holy in its revelation and its meaning. As a consequence of this its Divine origin, it is a word of inexhaustible significance. There is not one of the attributes of God which theologians have found it so difficult to define, or concerning which they differ so much. A short survey of the various views that have been taken may teach us how little the idea of the Divine Holiness can be comprehended or exhausted by human …
Andrew Murray—Holy in Christ

The Majestic Voice
"The God that rules on high, And thunders when he please, That rides upon the stormy sky And manages the seas; This awful God is ours, Our Father and our love, He shall send down his heavenly powers To carry us above." He is our God, and I like to sing that, and think of it: but there is something so terrible in the tone of that voice when God is speaking, something so terrific to other men, and humbling to the Christian, that he is obliged to sink very low in his own estimation; then he looks up …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 2: 1856

A Song of the Temple
"In His Temple doth every one speak of His glory."--Ps. xxix. 9. R. Rolle, 1349. tr., Emma Frances Bevan, 1899 In Thy tabernacle, Lord, I offer Sacrifice of psalmody and song-- Thine uncounted mercies there recalling, Praising Thee with music sweet and strong. With a marvellous, a mighty gladness, For the love of Christ is shed abroad In the soul that is His holy temple, And she singeth therefore unto God. She ascends aloft to join the singing, Heard afar from God's Jerusalem-- [2] Blessed music …
Frances Bevan—Hymns of Ter Steegen and Others (Second Series)

Of Meditation Upon the Hidden Judgments of God, that we May not be Lifted up Because of Our Well-Doing
Thou sendest forth Thy judgments against me, O Lord, and shakest all my bones with fear and trembling, and my soul trembleth exceedingly. I stand astonished, and remember that the heavens are not clean in thy sight.(1) If Thou chargest Thine angels with folly, and didst spare them not, how shall it be unto me? Stars have fallen from heaven, and what shall I dare who am but dust? They whose works seemed to be praiseworthy, fell into the lowest depths, and they who did eat Angels' food, them have …
Thomas A Kempis—Imitation of Christ

Appendix xvi. On the Jewish views About Demons' and the Demonised,' Together with Some Notes on the Intercourse Between Jews and Jewish Christians in the First Centuries.
IT is not, of course, our purpose here to attempt an exhaustive account of the Jewish views on demons' and the demonised.' A few preliminary strictures were, however, necessary on a work upon which writers on this subject have too implictly relied. I refer to Gfrörer's Jahrhundert des Heils (especially vol. i. pp. 378-424). Gfrörer sets out by quoting a passage in the Book of Enoch on which he lays great stress, but which critical inquiries of Dillmann and other scholars have shown to be …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

How the Preacher, when He Has Accomplished all Aright, Should Return to Himself, Lest Either his Life or his Preaching Lift Him Up.
But since often, when preaching is abundantly poured forth in fitting ways, the mind of the speaker is elevated in itself by a hidden delight in self-display, great care is needed that he may gnaw himself with the laceration of fear, lest he who recalls the diseases of others to health by remedies should himself swell through neglect of his own health; lest in helping others he desert himself, lest in lifting up others he fall. For to some the greatness of their virtue has often been the occasion …
Leo the Great—Writings of Leo the Great

Period ii. The Church from the Permanent Division of the Empire Until the Collapse of the Western Empire and the First Schism Between the East and the West, or Until About A. D. 500
In the second period of the history of the Church under the Christian Empire, the Church, although existing in two divisions of the Empire and experiencing very different political fortunes, may still be regarded as forming a whole. The theological controversies distracting the Church, although different in the two halves of the Graeco-Roman world, were felt to some extent in both divisions of the Empire and not merely in the one in which they were principally fought out; and in the condemnation …
Joseph Cullen Ayer Jr., Ph.D.—A Source Book for Ancient Church History

The History Books
[Illustration: (drop cap T) Assyrian idol-god] Thus little by little the Book of God grew, and the people He had chosen to be its guardians took their place among the nations. A small place it was from one point of view! A narrow strip of land, but unique in its position as one of the highways of the world, on which a few tribes were banded together. All around great empires watched them with eager eyes; the powerful kings of Assyria, Egypt, and Babylonia, the learned Greeks, and, in later times, …
Mildred Duff—The Bible in its Making

Exegetic.
(i) As of the De Spiritu Sancto, so of the Hexæmeron, no further account need be given here. It may, however, be noted that the Ninth Homily ends abruptly, and the latter, and apparently more important, portion of the subject is treated of at less length than the former. Jerome [472] and Cassiodorus [473] speak of nine homilies only on the creation. Socrates [474] says the Hexæmeron was completed by Gregory of Nyssa. Three orations are published among Basil's works, two on the creation …
Basil—Basil: Letters and Select Works

Man's Chief End
Q-I: WHAT IS THE CHIEF END OF MAN? A: Man's chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him for ever. Here are two ends of life specified. 1: The glorifying of God. 2: The enjoying of God. I. The glorifying of God, I Pet 4:4: That God in all things may be glorified.' The glory of God is a silver thread which must run through all our actions. I Cor 10:01. Whether therefore ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.' Everything works to some end in things natural and artificial; …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

The Acceptable Sacrifice;
OR, THE EXCELLENCY OF A BROKEN HEART: SHOWING THE NATURE, SIGNS, AND PROPER EFFECTS OF A CONTRITE SPIRIT. BEING THE LAST WORKS OF THAT EMINENT PREACHER AND FAITHFUL MINISTER OF JESUS CHRIST, MR. JOHN BUNYAN, OF BEDFORD. WITH A PREFACE PREFIXED THEREUNTO BY AN EMINENT MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL IN LONDON. London: Sold by George Larkin, at the Two Swans without Bishopgates, 1692. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. The very excellent preface to this treatise, written by George Cokayn, will inform the reader of …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3

Peace
Grace unto you and peace be multiplied. I Pet 1:1. Having spoken of the first fruit of sanctification, assurance, I proceed to the second, viz., Peace, Peace be multiplied:' What are the several species or kinds of Peace? Peace, in Scripture, is compared to a river which parts itself into two silver streams. Isa 66:12. I. There is an external peace, and that is, (1.) (Economical, or peace in a family. (2.) Political, or peace in the state. Peace is the nurse of plenty. He maketh peace in thy borders, …
Thomas Watson—A Body of Divinity

Among the People, and with the Pharisees
It would have been difficult to proceed far either in Galilee or in Judaea without coming into contact with an altogether peculiar and striking individuality, differing from all around, and which would at once arrest attention. This was the Pharisee. Courted or feared, shunned or flattered, reverently looked up to or laughed at, he was equally a power everywhere, both ecclesiastically and politically, as belonging to the most influential, the most zealous, and the most closely-connected religions …
Alfred Edersheim—Sketches of Jewish Social Life

Psalms
The piety of the Old Testament Church is reflected with more clearness and variety in the Psalter than in any other book of the Old Testament. It constitutes the response of the Church to the divine demands of prophecy, and, in a less degree, of law; or, rather, it expresses those emotions and aspirations of the universal heart which lie deeper than any formal demand. It is the speech of the soul face to face with God. Its words are as simple and unaffected as human words can be, for it is the genius …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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