Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Psalms 29:9
The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of [his] glory.
9. maketh the hinds to calve ] Prematurely, in fear; an observed fact. There is no need to emend (though the change required would be very slight), shaketh (or, pierceth) the oaks.
discovereth ] i.e. as R.V., strippeth the forests bare, of branches, leaves, bark. Discover is an archaism for uncover (Psa 18:15, note).
and in his temple &c.] R.V., And in his temple everything saith, Glory. It is tempting to understand his temple of heaven and earth, and to regard the line as a summary of the message of the storm; but temple (or, palace) must mean heaven; and the meaning is better given by rendering
While in his temple all are saying, Glory.
This is the chant of the angelic worshippers ( Psa 29:1-2) as they watch the manifestation of Jehovah’s majesty.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
The voice of the Lord maketh the hinds to calve – The deer. The object of the psalmist here is to show the effects of the storm in producing consternation, especially on the weak and timid animals of the forest. The effect here adverted to is that of fear or consternation in bringing on the throes of parturition. Compare Job 39:1, Job 39:3. No one can doubt that the effect here described may occur in the violence of a tempest; and perhaps no image could more vividly describe the terrors of the storm than the consternation thus produced. The margin here is, to be in pain. The Hebrew means to bring forth, referring to the pains of parturition.
And discovereth the forests – The word used here means to strip off, to uncover; and, as used here, it means to strip off the leaves of the forest; to make the trees bare – referring to an effect which is often produced by a violent storm.
And in his temple doth every one speak of his glory – Margin, every whit of it uttereth, etc. The word here rendered temple does not refer in this place to the tabernacle, or to the temple at Jerusalem, but rather to the world itself, considered as the residence or dwelling-place of God. Perhaps the true translation would be, And in his temple everything says, Glory! That is, in the dwelling-place of God – the world of nature – the sky, the earth, the forests, the waters, everything in the storm, echoes glory, glory! All these things declare the glory of God; all these wonders – the voice of God upon the waters; the thunder; the crash of the trees upon the hills; the shaking of the wilderness; the universal consternation; the leaves stripped from the trees and flying in every direction – all proclaim the majesty and glory of Yahweh.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Psa 29:9
In His temple doth every one speak of His glory.
Natures should of praise
In His temple everything saith Glory! The temple of which the psalmist here speaks is the temple of Nature. He believed that every object in the visible universe was engaged in singing paeans of praise to its Creator–fire and hail. Too many of us lack almost entirely this sixth sense, the vision and the faculty divine; we hear scarce a whisper of this great shout of praise that goes up from all creation. But in what sense does everything in Nature cry, Glory! In what sense does the material universe sing the praises of God? It does so, I doubt not, directly. For Gods pleasure all things are and were created, and doubtless the incense which arises from Natures altars, the songs which are chanted in her leafy aisles, the perfume of her flowers, the beauty of her landscapes, are as grateful to the Creator as mans acts of worship. The trees clap their hands, and She little hills rejoice together before the Lord. But there is another sense in which natural objects praise God, and it is this we shall meditate upon; they awaken gratitude in the heart of man and thus transmute themselves into conscious praise. Mans soul is the great organ upon which Nature plays her anthems of praise; the five senses are the keys; and through the medium of this instrument every created thing in Gods Temple crieth, Glory!
I. nature incites man to praise by her beauty, Think of one or two of those myriad appeals to our admiration which Nature makes, and which, for the most part, go unregarded.
1. Reflect how Gods glory reacheth unto the clouds. The clouds, perhaps more than all other objects in Nature, teach us the immanence of God, teach us how His presence may penetrate and transfigure even what is most commonplace and familiar. For what are clouds? When they rest on the surface of the earth they are just choking fogs and clinging mists disfiguring everything they touch. But raise them away into the purer strata of the air to which they rightly belong; let the wind churn them into flakes of snow, and the moon pierce them with its silver arrows; and the sun suffuse them with its golden ardours; let them become the womb of the lightning and the chariot of the storm–and they present such visions of glory as can be seen nowhere else. Thus God would teach us that evil is but good in its wrong place, and that the fogs and mists of earths sins and sorrows are the substance out of which God will weave hereafter golden visions of ethereal beauty.
2. Think what praise we owe God for the loveliness of all watery forms with which He has robed and adorned the earth, and of which clouds are but a part. The brooklet seeks the river, and the river empties itself into the sea, and the sea sends aloft its multitude of clouds, and the clouds form themselves anew on the face of the earth. That which is part of a stagnant ditch to-day may be a radiant dewdrop tomorrow, and what is now a peaceful pool may anon be a part of the stormy ocean which writhes its white fingers in the shrouds of sinking ships. But whether in forms of sublimity or of tenderness, how varied is its loveliness, and how varied are the notes of praise it should educe from man. Think of it as the iceberg and the glacier; as the snow that robes the mountain, and the hoar-frost that bejewels the branches; as the foam ball upon the torrent and the dewdrop on the rose; as the cataract spanned by the rainbow, and the crystal pool, the mirror of the woods 1 And then, perceiving how beautiful these things are in themselves, and what a throb of gratitude they awaken in the heart of him who feels their beauty, you will be impelled to link the gratitude of conscious and unconscious nature together, and to cry with the psalmist, All Thy works praise Thee, O God, and Thy saints give thanks unto Thee.
3. Whether we gaze downward at our feet, where God has covered the earth with a carpet of emerald, and embroidered it with flowers, and, lest we should weary of their colours, has decreed that they shall bloom and fade, and be succeeded by others, month by month, and season by season; or visit those mountain regions which are, as an eminent writer has said, the great cathedrals of the earth, with their gates of rock, pavements of cloud, choirs of stream and stone, altars of snow, and vaults of purple traversed by the continual stars; whether it be the lichen which softens the scarred ruin or the forest which clothes a mountain side which engages our attention; the insect which flutters its hour of sunshine and is gone, or the star whose light takes a thousand years to bridge the space between it and us–alike, if we have indeed ears to hear, shall we be impelled to confess that everything in Gods temple crieth, Glory!–alike we shall declare with the psalmist, Thou, Lord, hast made me glad through Thy works, and I will rejoice in giving praise for the operation of Thy hands.
II. nature incites us to praise by her bounty. The beauty of those natural objects of which I have spoken appeals to our higher nature, but our lower nature also needs ministering to. Man shall not live by bread alone, but without bread he cannot live at all. And, therefore, Nature awakens our gratitude by her material as well as her spiritual gifts. The clouds not only delight the eye; they are, as a psalmist calls them, the river of God, and rain plenteousness on the earth. The flowers of the field do not merely charm us by their loveliness, they yield up to us their colours and their perfumes; they serve us with their seeds and their fibres; they give us medicine to heal our sickness. The oak, the pine, the cedar, and the ash are not only types of strength and gracefulness; they yield timber for the ships and rafters for the homestead. The mountains serve not only to sanctify and delight the human heart by their sublimity, they help to make the earth habitable by purifying the air and giving birth to the rivers; without them the ground would become stagnant morass and the atmosphere would breathe pestilence. The mighty ocean, which is, in calm, as a waving veil of iridescent colours, and in storm–
The mirror where th Almightys form
Glasses itself in tempests,
is also the helper of man, bearing on its bosom the argosies of many nations, and in its depths the harvest of the sea, without which the harvest of the land would be insufficient for our needs. All nature thus ministers to us–
The whole is either our cupboard of food,
Or cabinet of pleasure,
And, moreover, nothing is too insignificant to be serviceable. Says Dr. Macmillan: Even the hoary lichen on the dusky rock, that has drunk ill all the hues of the spectrum and made no sign, yields, when artificially treated, its hidden store of colour, and produces a violet and golden hue not unworthy of the fairest garden flower.
III. nature incites to praise by the moral qualities she educes in man. This is Natures chief glory, her highest honour, that she is the instrument by which God educates human souls and fits them for their immortal destiny, For we are placed here under the discipline of Nature, and she is a severe task-mistress, from whom nothing is to be had for the mere asking. Nature exacts laborious toil in exchange for all her gifts. She hides her pearls in the depths of the sea, her gold in the sands of the river or the crevices of the rocks; she buries the metals, mans most useful allies, and the coal to smelt those metals, deep down in the heart of the earth; she secretes her balms and her subtle essences where even the cunning chemist can scarce track them. Her most powerful forces, such as electricity, are ever the most elusive and the hardest to be subdued. Everything man extorts from Nature he must win, not only by the sweat of his brow, but by the sweat of his brain. He wrestles with her for her blessing as Jacob wrestled with the angel at Penuel, till almost he seems crippled with the strain. But the conflict proves at last that as a prince he has power with God and has prevailed; he wins the blessing, and, lo! it is not only corn and oil and wine, but rich endowments of mind and heart as well. Think about it, and you will see that almost all the highest moral qualities of our race–patience, endurance, forethought, courage, mutual helpfulness–are the outcome of the necessity to work which Nature lays upon us. (A. M. Mackay, B. A.)
Glory! glory! glory! –
I. The statement of this verse holds good when we consider the temple of the universe. In it everything says, Glory! The whole universe is, to the devout mind, as one huge sanctuary in which all things show forth the praise of their Creator. Incline your ears to listen, open your hearts to catch the sweet sounds, as flowers, and clouds, and beasts, and birds, rocks, hills and trees, declare that God is worthy to be praised! We must not let them sing alone. Well take our key from them, and say, Glory, too.
II. in the temple at Jerusalem everything saith, Glory. I know that when this psalm was written the wondrous pile on Zions hill had not been commenced. But it was already in Davids heart to build it, and, for aught I know, some of the plans of the sacred premises were by this time in his hands. With a prophets eye he foresaw the building of that holy Temple–its grace, and its grandeur. As Abraham saw Christs day and was glad, so David, with a seers vision, perceived the temple crowning Mount Moriah, and said of it, In His temple everything saith, Glory.
III. We may refer this also to our blessed saviour, for Jesus called His body the Temple of God. I sometimes think that David, who already foresaw his greater Son, may have thought of Jesus when he said, Everything in His Temple saith, Glory. A greater than the temple is here. Study Christs life, and you will find that He lived to Gods glory from first to last. At His birth the angels sang, Glory to God in the highest. In His boyhood He must be about His Fathers business, and all through life He did always the things that pleased Him. Everything about Christ, Gods Temple, said, Glory: every word was to the praise of the Father, every work glorified Him upon the earth, every grace and characteristic reflected the glory of God the Father, for Christ was the brightness of His glory, and the express image of His Person. Twas when He came to die that His body, broken for our sakes, said, Glory! loudest and most emphatically.
IV. Is Christs church everything says, glory. Oh, to get out of the set-Hess of our proprieties. Everything in His temple saith, Glory.
V. This brings me to a still more personal matter, viz. the temples of our persons. Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost? Does everything in the temple say, Glory? Are all your powers devoted to the service of God? Are all the wondrous influences that you exercise employed to the praise of Jesus? Is the royal standard flying over every gate of Mansoul? Does it float above the citadel? Do our highest faculties of thought, and memory, and affection, and imagination, pay to God the homage that is due unto His Name? The chief end of man is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him for ever. Oh, for this full consecration, this entire surrender.
VI. Let me remind you of the heavenly temple to which, as the years fly past, we are hastening on. Oh, for a peep into the land of light. John helps us, for it was his privilege to gaze right into the Glory. There His servants serve Him day and night in His Temple. There the hearts of the redeemed sing out His praise, like the voice of many waters. (T. Spurgeon.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 9. Maketh the hinds to calve] Strikes terror through all the tribes of animals; which sometimes occasions those which are pregnant to cast their young. This, I believe, to be the whole that is meant by the text. I meddle not with the fables which have been published on this subject both by ancients and moderns.
Discovereth the forests] Makes them sometimes evident in the darkest night, by the sudden flash; and often by setting them on fire.
And in his temple] Does this refer to the effect which a dreadful thunder-storm often produces? Multitudes run to places of worship as asylums in order to find safety, and pray to God. See on Ps 29:2.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Maketh the hinds to calve, through the terror which it causeth, which hastens the birth in these and other places: see 1Sa 4:19. He nameth the
hinds, because they bring forth their young with difficulty, Job 39:1,2.
Discovereth, Heb. maketh bare; either of its trees, which it either breaks or strips off their leaves; or of the beasts, which it forceth to run into their dens.
And in his temple; or, but. Having showed the terrible effects of Gods power in other places, he now shows the blessed privilege of Gods people, that are praising and glorifying God, and receiving the comfortable influences of his grace in his temple, when the rest of the world are trembling under the tokens of his displeasure; by which he secretly invites and persuades the Gentiles, for their own safety and comfort, to own the true God and to worship him in his sanctuary, as he did exhort them, Psa 29:2. Or, therefore, i.e. because of these and such-like discoveries of Gods excellent majesty and power, his people fear, and praise, and adore him in his temple.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
9. Terror-stricken animals anddenuded forests close the illustration. In view of this scene ofawful sublimity, God’s worshippers respond to the call of Ps29:2, and speak or cry, “Glory!” By “temple,”or “palace” (God’s residence, Ps5:7), may here be meant heaven, or the whole frame of nature, asthe angels are called on for praise.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
The voice of the Lord maketh the hinds to calve,…. Which being timorous creatures, the bringing forth of their young, which is naturally very painful and difficult, is lessened and facilitated by thunder; they being either so frightened with it that they feel not their pains; or their pains, being hastened by it, become more easy; and naturalists observe, that the time of bringing forth their young is at that season of the year when thunder is most frequent; see Job 39:1. Thunder has a like effect on sheep, and makes them abortive g: this may be applied to the Gospel, which is the means of bringing forth souls to Christ by his churches and ministers; who may very fitly be compared to hinds for their love and loveliness, their swiftness and readiness to do the will of Christ, and their eager desires after communion with him, Pr 5:19;
and discovereth the forests; or “maketh bare” h: by beating off the leaves and branches of trees, and them to the ground; or by causing the wild beasts that frequent them to retire to their holes and dens; which effects are produced by thunder; and this aptly agrees with the Gospel, which is a revelation of secrets, of the thickets and deep things of God; of his council, covenant, mind, and will; and of the mysteries of his grace to the sons of men, and generally to babes, or men of their capacities; and of its stripping them of all their own righteousness, and dependence on it;
and in his temple doth everyone speak of [his] glory; either in heaven, where angels and glorified saints are continually employed in speaking of his glorious name, nature, and works; or in the temple, or tabernacle at Jerusalem, where the Levites stood to praise the Lord morning and evening, and where the tribes went up to worship, and to give thanks unto the Lord, 1Ch 23:30; or the church of God, which is the temple of the living God, whither saints resort, and where they dwell, and speak of the glory of God, of his divine perfections, and of his works of creation and providence; and of the glory of the person of Christ, and salvation by him; and of the glorious work of grace begun in their souls by the blessed Spirit; for hither such as have heard the voice of Christ, and have felt the power of it, and have found it to be a soul-shaking, an heart-breaking, and an illuminating voice, come, and declare it to the glory of the grace of God.
g Aristot. Hist. Animal. l. 9. c. 3. Plin. Nat. Hist. l. 8. c. 47. h “et denudat”, Musculus, Vatablus, Junius Tremellius, Piscator, Gejerus so Cocceius, Michaelis, Ainsworth.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
9. The voice of Jehovah maketh the hinds to bring forth (615) A tacit comparison, as I have said, is here made. It is worse than irrational, it is monstrous, that men are not moved at God’s voice, when it has such power and influence on wild beasts. It is base ingratitude, indeed, in men not to perceive his providence and government in the whole course of nature; but it is a detestable insensibility that at least his unusual and extraordinary works, which compel even wild beasts to obey him, will not teach them wisdom. Some interpreters think that hinds are mentioned, rather than other beasts, on account of their difficulty in bringing forth their young; which I disapprove not. The voice of the Lord is also said to discover or make bare the forests, either because there is no covering which can prevent it from penetrating into the most secret recesses and caverns; or, because lightnings, rains, and stormy winds, beat off the leaves and make the trees bare. Either sense is appropriate.
In his temple. God’s voice fills the whole world, and spreads itself 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 there gently allures the faithful to himself. His terrible voice, which thunders in various ways in the air, strikes upon the ears, and causes the hearts of men to beat in such a manner, as to make them shrink from rather than approach him not to mention that a considerable portion turn a deaf ear to its sound in storms, rains, thunder, and lightnings. As men, therefore, profit not so much in this common school as to submit themselves to God, David wisely says especially that the faithful sing the praises of God in his temple, because, being familiarly instructed there by his fatherly voice, they devote and consecrate themselves wholly to his service. No man proclaims the glory of God aright but he who worships him willingly. This may be understood likewise as a complaint, in which David reproves the whole world of being silent in so far as the glory of God is concerned, (616) and laments that although his voice resounds through all regions, yet his praises are no where sung but in his temple alone. He appears, however, after the example of all the godly, to exhort the whole of mankind to praise God’s name, and designedly to erect a temple as a receptacle for his glory, for the purpose of teaching us, that in order truly to know God, and praise him as is his due, we need another voice than that which is heard in thunders, showers, and storms in the air, in the mountains, and in the forests; for if he teach us not in plain words, and also kindly allure us to himself, by giving us a taste of his fatherly love, we will continue dumb. It is the doctrine of salvation alone, therefore, which cheers our hearts and opens our mouths in his praises, by clearly revealing to us his grace, and the whole of his will. It is from thence that we must learn how we ought to praise him. We may also unquestionably see that at that time there was nothing of the light of godliness in the whole world, except in Judea. Even philosophers, who appeared to approach nearest to the knowledge of God, contributed nothing whatever that might truly glorify him. All that they say concerning religion is not only frigid, but for the most part insipid. It is therefore in his word alone that there shines forth the truth which may lead us to true piety, and to fear and serve God aright. (617)
(615) Bishop Lowth reads, “Maketh the oaks to tremble,” (Lectures on Hebrew Poetry, vol. 2, p.253,) in which he is followed by Dimock, Green, Seeker, Horsley, Fry, and others. But Dathe, Berlin, De Rossi, Dr Adam Clarke, Rogers, etc., adhere to the common interpretation, in which they are supported by all the ancient versions, except the Syriac, which seems to favor the view of Lowth. A main argument of Lowth and those who follow him in support of his rendering is, that the common translation, which supposes the passage to relate to the hinds bring forth their young, agrees very little with the rest of the imagery either in nature or dignity; whereas the oak struck with lightning, is a far nobler image, and one which falls in more naturally with the scattering of a forest’s foliage under the action of a storm. But Rogers justly observes, that “we are not warranted in altering the Hebrew text, because the oriental imagery which we meet with does not correspond with our ideas of poetical beauty and grandeur,” (Book of Psalms in Hebrew, metrically arranged, vol. it. p. 186.) With respect to the sense conveyed by the common reading, it may be observed, that birds bring forth their young with great difficulty and pain, bowing themselves, bruising their young ones, and casting out their sorrows, (Job 39:4😉 and it therefore heightens the description given of the terrific character of the thunder-storm, when the thunder, which is here called the voice of God, is represented as causing, through the terror which it inspires, the hinds in their pregnant state prematurely to drop their young; although, according to our ideas of poetical imagery, this may not accord so well with the other images in the passage nor appear so beautiful and sublime as the image of the oaks trembling at the voice of Jehovah.
(616) “ Etant que touche la gloire de Dieu.” — Fr.
(617) “ Pour le craindre et servir comme il appartient.” — Fr.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(9) Maketh the hinds to calve.Literally, maketh the hinds writhe (with pain). (See margin. Comp. Job. 39:1, where the hinds habit of hiding its young for safety is alluded to, a habit which the violence of the storm makes it forget.) Both Plutarch and Pliny notice the custom of shepherds to collect their flocks during a thunderstorm, for such as are left alone and are separated, are apt, through terror, to cast their young.
Discovereth the forests.The word discovereth comes from the LXX. and Vulgate. Literally, peels or stripsthe effects both of wind and lightning. Passing over the sands of the Arabah, the storm has reached the acacias and palms and vegetation which clothe the rocks of granite and porphyry in the neighbourhood of Petra. Forests may seem rather a large word for such vegetation, but Stanley remarks of the Arabah that the shrubs at times give it almost the appearance of a jungle. Similar effects of a storm upon a forest are described by Tennyson in Vivien:
Scarce had she ceased when out of heaven a bolt
(For now the storm was close above them) struck,
Furrowing a giant oak, and javelining
With darted spikes and splinters of the wood
The dark earth round. He raised his eyes and saw
The tree that shone white-listed thro the gloom.
In his temple.Better, in his palacei.e., the heavenly palace, as in Psa. 11:4; Psa. 18:6. (See Psa. 29:1.) The angelic spectators of the magnificent drama enacted below them cry (not merely speak of, as Authorised Version, but utter the word) each one, Glory, obeying the poets invocation in the prelude.
Notice that the effect of the storm on men is supposed to be all summed up in the poets own attitude of listening awe. There is no actual mention of this part of creation; but one feels from the poem that while inanimate nature trembles and suffers, and the godlike intelligences of heaven are engaged in praise, man listens and is mute.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
9. Hinds to calve That is, prematurely. This effect of heavy thunder was well known. Pliny, (book viii, chap. 47,) affirms the same of sheep when alone from the flock, but being with the flock the evil was obviated.
Discovereth the forests To discover the forest is to uncover, to make it bare, to strip it of foliage. Devastation marks the storm track.
In his temple doth every one speak of his glory Literally, in his temple all of it speaks ( is speaking) glory, namely, to God. The destructive force of the elements, no less than the fertilizing rain, glorifies God.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Psa 29:9. The voice of the Lord maketh the hinds to calve Mr. Fenwick translates this verse,
The mighty oaks Jehovah’s voice shall feel; ‘Twill lay the woods and forests bare; All things his glory in his temple speak:
And he refers to Bishop Lowth’s Prelections, p. 271 quarto, for a proof that the Hebrew should be thus rendered. The original is yecholel aialoth; i.e. dolore afficit quercus, says the Bishop, for eilah, or or aialah, is an oak; in which sense it frequently occurs in the plural number and masculine gender, with a jod, inserted: And so Syrus interprets it. This is vulgarly interpreted of hinds, which neither agrees with the other images in that place, nor yet with the nature and dignity of the subject. Mr. Mudge translates it, The voice of the Lord frightened the hinds, and laid bare the woods; and in his temple the whole of it spoke glory; i.e. says he, “it struck off all the leaves and small boughs, and by that means lest the hinds exposed to view. The latter part seems to intend some glorious appearance round the temple; wrapped up perhaps in flames, or something of that kind; so that the thunder might seem to be directed from thence.” This Psalm possibly is explained by Psa 76:4. Thou art more glorious and excellent than the mountains of prey, i.e. mount Sion, and the other mountains of Jerusalem, which the Assyrians had destined for their plunder. It may be proper just to observe from Dr. Hammond, in vindication of the common version, that hinds are said by naturalists to bring forth with great difficulty; and as fear is supposed to facilitate delivery, and this animal is remarkably timorous, the sound of thunder may be supposed to effect it, and hasten its delivery. Compare Job 39:1. As Kadesh in the former verse may poetically signify the kings and people both of the Edomites and Moabites, who were terribly shaken, that is, subdued by David; so this verse may represent the greatness of their consternation.
Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke
Psa 29:9 The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to calve, and discovereth the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of [his] glory.
Ver. 9. The voice of the Lord maketh the hinds to calve ] Which they naturally do not without a great deal of difficulty, Job 39:4-6 . See Trapp on “Job “39:4” See Trapp on “Job “39:5” See Trapp on “Job “39:6”
And discovereth the forests
And in his temple doth every one speak of his glory
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
to calve. Through fright.
discovereth = strippeth bare; or, layeth open to view.
temple = palace: i.e. heaven itself.
doth every one speak of = doth every being there ascribe. See Psa 29:1. Compare Rev 4:8.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Psa 29:9
Psa 29:9
“The voice of Jehovah maketh the hinds to calve,
And strippeth the forests bare:
And in his temple, everything saith, Glory.”
“Maketh the hinds to calve” (Psa 29:9). This is usually interpreted to mean that wild animals, mammals, living in the forests were caused to bring forth their young prematurely because of their terror of the violent thunderstorm. The hinds here are the female deer. Dahood affirmed that, “There is no evidence that either wild or domestic animals are so affected by a thunderstorm. However, as Rawlinson pointed out, “Plutarch stated that the shepherds reported that, `Sheep left alone in a thunderstorm do indeed cast their young.’ Also Pliny, the Roman historian wrote that, `Solitary sheep cast their lambs in thunderstorms; and the remedy is to keep the flock together, which helps prevent that.’ Dummelow also recognized this phenomenon as, “An actual effect of terrifying thunderstorms.
Until competent authorities are willing to qualify Dahood as an expert in Animal Husbandry, we shall be content with the competent witnesses we have here cited on this subject. And, of course, there is another sense in which God indeed enables both man and beast to reproduce themselves, being, in fact the First Cause of all things.
“In his temple everything saith, Glory” (Psa 29:9). “This vision of `The Glorious One’ semantically and structurally balances Psa 29:2, a full fourteen beats from the beginning of the psalm.
E.M. Zerr:
Psa 29:9. The hind was a timid animal and at the sound of thunder would give birth to its young. Since this was done away from and independent of man, it formed one of the evidences of the existence of God mentioned in Job 39:1. Discovercth the forests means he has power over them and strips them of their foliage. All appearances in the temple reflect the glory of God.
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
maketh: Or as Bp. Lowth and others, “maketh the oaks to tremble and maketh bare the forests;” understanding ayyaloth, as denoting here, not hinds, but oaks, as it signifies in Syriac. Job 39:1-3
calve: or, be in pain
discovereth: Psa 63:2, Isa 9:18, Isa 10:18, Isa 10:19, Eze 20:46-48
in his temple: Psa 46:2-5, Psa 48:9, Psa 134:1, Psa 134:2, Psa 135:1, Psa 135:2
doth: etc. or, every whit of it uttereth
Reciprocal: 1Sa 1:9 – General 1Sa 3:3 – the temple Psa 96:6 – strength Psa 150:1 – in his sanctuary Jer 14:5 – General Rev 15:8 – from the
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Psa 29:9. Maketh the hinds to calve Through the terror which it causeth, which hastens parturition in these and some other creatures. But he names hinds, because they usually bring forth their young with difficulty. See note on Job 39:1. And discovereth the forests Hebrew , jechesoph, maketh bare, &c., either of their trees, which it breaks and strips of their leaves; or of the beasts, which it forces to run into their dens. And, or but, in his temple doth every one speak, &c. Having shown the terrible effects of Gods power in other places, he now shows the blessed privilege of Gods people, that are praising and glorifying God, and receiving the comfortable influences of his grace in his temple, when the world are trembling under the tokens of his displeasure. By this he secretly invites and persuades the Gentiles, for their own safety and comfort, to own the true God, and to worship him in his sanctuary, as he exhorted, Psa 29:2. Or, therefore in his temple, that is, because of these, and such like discoveries of Gods excellent majesty and power, his people fear, praise, and adore him in his temple.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
29:9 The voice of the LORD maketh the hinds to {g} calve, and {h} discovereth the forests: and in his {i} temple doth every one speak of [his] glory.
(g) For fear makes them deliver their calves.
(h) Makes the trees bare, or pierces the most secret places.
(i) Though the wicked are not moved by these lights, yet the faithful praise God.