Mazmur 29:1

Psalm 29 ¹ 

A psalm of David.

29:1 Acknowledge the Lord, you heavenly beings, ² 

acknowledge the Lord’s majesty and power! ³ 

Mazmur 66:2

66:2 Sing praises about the majesty of his reputation! ⁴ 

Give him the honor he deserves! ⁵ 

Mazmur 96:7

96:7 Ascribe to the Lord, O families of the nations,

ascribe to the Lord splendor and strength!

Mazmur 99:2

99:2 The Lord is elevated ⁶  in Zion;

he is exalted over all the nations.

Mazmur 106:20

106:20 They traded their majestic God ⁷ 

for the image of an ox that eats grass.

Mazmur 117:1

Psalm 117 ⁸ 

117:1 Praise the Lord, all you nations!

Applaud him, all you foreigners! ⁹ 

Mazmur 145:3

145:3 The Lord is great and certainly worthy of praise!

No one can fathom his greatness! ¹⁰ 

[29:1]  ¹ sn Psalm 29. In this hymn of praise the psalmist calls upon the heavenly assembly to acknowledge the royal splendor of the Lord. He describes the Lord’s devastating power as revealed in the thunderstorm and affirms that the Lord exerts this awesome might on behalf of his people. In its original context the psalm was a bold polemic against the Canaanite storm god Baal, for it affirms that the Lord is the real king who controls the elements of the storm, contrary to pagan belief. See R. B. Chisholm, Jr., “The Polemic against Baalism in Israel’s Early History and Literature,” BSac 150 (1994): 280-82.

[29:1]  ² tc Heb “sons of gods,” or “sons of God.” Though אֵלִים (’elim) is vocalized as a plural form (“gods”) in the MT, it is likely that the final mem is actually enclitic, rather than a plural marker. In this case one may read “God.” Some, following a Qumran text and the LXX, also propose the phrase occurred in the original text of Deut 32:8.

[29:1]  tn The phrase בְּנֵי אֵלִים (bÿney ’elim, “sons of gods” or “sons of God”) occurs only here and in Ps 89:6 (89:7 HT). In Ps 89 the “sons of gods/God” are also called “the assembly of the holy ones” and “council of the holy ones.” The heavenly assembly, comprised of so-called “angels” and other supernatural beings, appears to be in view. See Job 5:1; 15:15 and Zech 14:5, where these supernatural beings are referred to as “holy ones.” In Canaanite mythological texts the divine council of the high god El is referred to as “the sons of El.” The OT apparently borrows the Canaanite phrase and applies it to the supernatural beings that surround the heavenly throne.

[29:1]  ³ tn Or “ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.”

[66:2]  ⁴ tn Heb “his name,” which here stands metonymically for God’s reputation.

[66:2]  ⁵ tn Heb “make honorable his praise.”

[99:2]  ⁶ tn Heb “great.”

[106:20]  ⁷ tn Heb “their glory.” According to an ancient Hebrew scribal tradition, the text originally read “his glory” or “my glory.” In Jer 2:11 the Lord states that his people (Israel) exchanged “their glory” (a reference to the Lord) for worthless idols.

[117:1]  ⁸ sn Psalm 117. The psalmist tells the nations to praise the Lord for his loyal love and faithfulness.

[117:1]  ⁹ tn Or “peoples” (see Ps 108:3).

[145:3]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “and concerning his greatness there is no searching.”