John Calvin Commentary Psalms 29

Give to Jehovah, you sons of the mighty. It was no doubt David’s design to lead all men to worship and reverence God; but as it is more difficult to bring great men, who excel in rank, to order, he expressly addresses himself to them. It is obvious that the LXX, in giving the translation, sons of rams, were led into a mistake by the affinity of the Hebrew words.

Indeed, concerning the signification of the word, the Jewish commentators are all agreed; but when they proceed to speak of its meaning, they pervert and obscure it with the most chilling comments. Some interpret it as the angels, some as the stars; and others will have it that the great men referred to are the holy fathers.

But David only intended to humble the princes of this world, who, being intoxicated with pride, lift up their horns against God. This, accordingly, is the reason why he introduces God, with a terrifying voice, subduing by thunders, hailstorms, tempests, and lightnings, these stubborn and stiff-necked giants, who, if they are not struck with fear, refuse to stand in awe of any power in heaven.

We see, therefore, why, passing over others, he directs his discourse particularly to the sons of the mighty. The reason is that there is nothing more common than for them to abuse their lofty station with impious deeds, while they madly arrogate to themselves every divine prerogative. So that they might at least modestly submit to God and, mindful of their frailty, place their dependence upon His grace, it is necessary, so to speak, to compel them by force.

David, therefore, commands them to give strength to Jehovah, because, deluded by their treacherous imaginations, they think that the power they possess is supplied to them from some source other than heaven. In short, he exhorts them to lay aside their haughtiness and their false opinion about their own strength, and to glorify God as he deserves.

By the glory of God’s name (verse 2), he means that which is worthy of his majesty, of which the great men of this world are accustomed to deprive him. The repetition also shows that they must be vehemently urged before a proper acknowledgment is extorted from them. By the brightness of God’s sanctuary is to be understood not as heaven, as some think, but as the tabernacle of the covenant, adorned with the symbols of the divine glory, as is evident from the context.

And the prophet intentionally mentions this place, in which the true God had manifested himself, so that all men, abandoning superstition, should turn to the pure worship of God. It would not be sufficient to worship any heavenly power, but the one and unchangeable God alone must be worshipped; this cannot happen until the world is reclaimed from all foolish inventions and services forged in the minds of men.

The voice of Jehovah is upon the waters. David now recounts the wonders of nature to which I have previously referred; and indeed, he celebrates well the power of God, as well as His goodness, in His works.

Since there is nothing in the ordinary course of nature—throughout the whole frame of heaven and earth—that does not invite us to the contemplation of God, he might have presented, as in Psalm 19:1, the sun, the stars, the whole host of heaven, and the earth with its riches.

But he selects only those works of God that not only prove the world was at first created by Him and is governed by His power, but also awaken the lethargic and, as it were, drag them in spite of themselves to humbly adore Him.

Thus, even Horace was compelled—though he was not only a pagan poet but also an Epicurean and a vile scorner of Deity—to say of himself in one of his Odes (Book I, Ode 34):

“A fugitive from heaven and prayer,
I mocked at all religious fear,
Deeply learned in the bewildering lore
Of mad philosophy; but now
I hoist sail, and steer my voyage back
To that blessed harbor I had left before.

“For behold! that awe-inspiring heavenly Sire,
Who often splits the clouds with fire,
Parent of day, immortal Jove;
Lately, through the floating fields of air,
And over heaven's serene and fair face,
He drove His thundering steeds and winged chariot,” etc.

Experience also tells us that those who are most daring in their contempt of God are most afraid of thunder, storms, and similar violent disturbances. Therefore, the prophet very appropriately invites our attention to these events, which strike the ignorant and insensitive with some sense of God’s existence and rouse them to action, however lethargic and indifferent they are.

He does not say that the sun rises from day to day, spreading its life-giving beams, nor that the rain gently descends to fertilize the earth with its moisture. Instead, he presents thunder, violent tempests, and such things as strike human hearts with dread by their violence.

God, it is true, speaks in all His creatures, but here the prophet mentions those sounds that rouse us from our drowsiness, or rather our lethargy, by the loudness of their noise. We have said that this language is chiefly directed to those who, with stubborn recklessness, cast away from themselves, as far as they can, all thought of God.

The very figures of speech he uses sufficiently show that David’s design was to subdue by fear the obstinacy that does not otherwise yield willingly. Three times he repeats that God’s voice is heard in great and violent tempests, and in the subsequent verse, he adds that it is full of power and majesty.

The voice of Jehovah breaks the cedars. We see how the prophet, in order to subdue the stubbornness of men, shows, by every word, that God is terrible. He also seems to rebuke, in passing, the madness of the proud and of those who swell with vain presumption, because they do not listen to the voice of God in his thunders, rending the air with his lightnings, shaking the lofty mountains, prostrating and overthrowing the loftiest trees.

What a monstrous thing it is, that while all the irrational portion of the creation tremble before God, men alone, who are endowed with sense and reason, are not moved! Moreover, though they possess genius and learning, they employ enchantments to shut their ears against God's voice, however powerful, lest it should reach their hearts.

Philosophers do not think that they have reasoned skillfully enough about inferior causes, unless they separate God very far from his works. It is a diabolical science, however, which fixes our contemplations on the works of nature and turns them away from God. If anyone who wished to know a man should take no notice of his face, but should fix his eyes only on the points of his nails, his folly might justly be derided.

But far greater is the folly of those philosophers, who, out of mediate and proximate causes, weave themselves veils, lest they should be compelled to acknowledge the hand of God, which manifestly displays itself in his works. The Psalmist particularly mentions the cedars of Lebanon, because lofty and beautiful cedars were to be found there.

He also refers to Lebanon and Mount Hermon, and to the wilderness of Kadesh, because these places were best known to the Jews. He uses, indeed, a highly poetical figure accompanied with a hyperbole, when he says, that Lebanon skips like a calf at God's voice, and Sirion (which is also called Mount Hermon) like a unicorn, which, we know, is one of the swiftest animals.

He also alludes to the terrific noise of thunder, which seems almost to shake the mountains to their foundations. Similar is the figure, when he says, the Lord strikes out flames of fire, which is done when the vapors, being struck, as it were, with his hammer, burst forth into lightnings and thunderbolts.

Aristotle, in his book on Meteors, reasons very shrewdly about these things, insofar as relates to proximate causes, only that he omits the chief point. The investigation of these would, indeed, be both a profitable and pleasant exercise, were we led by it, as we ought, to the Author of Nature himself.

But nothing is more preposterous than, when we meet with mediate causes, however many, to be stopped and retarded by them, as by so many obstacles, from approaching God; for this is the same as if a man were to remain at the very rudiments of things during his whole life, without going further.

In short, this is to learn in such a manner that you can never know anything. That shrewdness alone, therefore, is worthy of praise, which elevates us by these means even to heaven, in order that not only a confused noise may strike our ears, but that the voice of the Lord may penetrate our hearts, and teach us to pray and serve God.

Some expound the Hebrew word יחיל, yachil, which we have translated to tremble, in another way, namely, that God makes the wilderness of Kadesh to travail in birth; because of the manifold wonders which were performed in it as the Israelites passed through it. But this sense I object to, as far too subtle and strained.

David appears rather to refer to the common human feelings; for as wildernesses are dreadful of themselves, they are much more so when they are filled with thunders, hail, and storms. I do not, however, object that the wilderness may be understood, by synecdoche, to mean the wild beasts which lodge in it; and thus the next verse, where hinds are mentioned, may be considered as added by way of exposition.

The voice of Jehovah maketh the hinds to bring forth. A silent comparison, as I have said, is made here. It is worse than irrational, it is monstrous, that people are not moved by God’s voice, when it has such power and influence on wild animals. It is base ingratitude, indeed, for people not to perceive his providence and government in the whole course of nature. But it is a detestable insensibility that his unusual and extraordinary works, which compel even wild animals to obey him, will not at least teach them wisdom. Some interpreters think that hinds are mentioned, rather than other animals, because of their difficulty in giving birth to their young; which I do not disapprove of. The voice of the Lord is also said to discover or make bare the forests, either because there is no covering that can prevent it from penetrating into the most secret recesses and caverns, or because lightning, rain, and stormy winds beat off the leaves and make the trees bare. Either meaning is appropriate.

In his temple. God’s voice fills the whole world and spreads to its farthest limits; but the prophet declares that his glory is celebrated only in his church, because God not only speaks intelligibly and distinctly there, but also gently allures the faithful to himself there. His terrible voice, which thunders in various ways in the air, strikes the ears and causes people's hearts to beat in such a way as to make them shrink from him rather than approach him—not to mention that a considerable portion turn a deaf ear to its sound in storms, rain, thunder, and lightning.

Therefore, since people do not profit sufficiently in this common school to submit themselves to God, David wisely says that the faithful especially sing the praises of God in his temple. This is because, being intimately instructed there by his fatherly voice, they devote and consecrate themselves entirely to his service.

No one proclaims the glory of God rightly except the one who worships him willingly. This may also be understood as a complaint, in which David reproves the whole world for being silent concerning God's glory. He laments that although God's voice resounds through all regions, his praises are sung nowhere but in his temple alone.

However, following the example of all the godly, he appears to exhort all humankind to praise God’s name. He also seems to intentionally portray the temple as a receptacle for his glory.

This is for the purpose of teaching us that to truly know God and praise him as he deserves, we need a different voice than the one heard in thunder, showers, and storms in the air, in the mountains, and in the forests.

For if he does not teach us in plain words and also kindly draw us to himself, by giving us a taste of his fatherly love, we will remain silent.

Therefore, it is the doctrine of salvation alone that cheers our hearts and opens our mouths in his praises, by clearly revealing to us his grace and the entirety of his will. It is from there that we must learn how we ought to praise him.

We may also unquestionably see that at that time there was no light of godliness in the whole world, except in Judea.

Even philosophers, who appeared to come closest to the knowledge of God, contributed nothing whatsoever that might truly glorify him. All that they say concerning religion is not only cold, but for the most part bland.

Therefore, it is in his word alone that the truth shines forth which may lead us to true piety, and to fear and serve God rightly.

Jehovah sitteth upon the flood. Some think that David here alludes to that memorable instance of God’s vengeance, when he drowned the world at once by the flood, and thus testified to all ages that he is the judge of mankind. I agree with this in part, but extend his meaning still further.

In my opinion, he pursues the former subject, reminding us that those floods, which still threaten destruction to the earth, are controlled by the providence of God in such a way as to make it evident that it is he alone who governs all things at all times. David, therefore, mentions this among other proofs of God’s power: that even when the elements appear to be mingled and confused together by the utmost fury of the weather, God controls and moderates these commotions from his throne in heaven. He accordingly adds, for the sake of explanation, God sits King for ever.