(A Psalm of David.) Give unto Jehovah, ye sons of the mighty ones, give unto Jehovah glory and strength;
The psalm opens not with a prayer but with a command, and the ones commanded are the strongest people there are. Two questions run through the first line. Who are these "heavenly beings" — in other translations, "the sons of the mighty"? And what can anyone give to God that is not already His?
The title in this verse comes from a Hebrew word for strength, one used across the Old Testament for God Himself.
El, "the strong or mighty one." It is often used of God, especially in Job and the Psalms. Job 5:8; Ps. 22:1, etc.; and of the Lord Jesus in Isa. 9:6. It is also used for the false gods, Ps. 81:9; Dan. 11:36; and is translated "mighty" in Ps. 29:1; Ps. 82:1.
Commentators differ here. Some read the phrase as an address to angels. Others say it speaks to human rulers, the men God set in power on earth.
The word translated "mighty" literally means "gods." We are told it never means "God" on its own, but always "the gods" (Ex. 15:11; Dan. 11:36). It does not refer to angels. It refers to the mighty men who answer to God as His representatives in government on the earth (John 10:34-35). Such men have always failed. First they sought to rule in their own strength. Then they used their position of power to build up their own glory.
The other reading rests on how the same expression works elsewhere in the older books of the Bible.
You cannot deny that "sons of God," in the early books of the Bible (Job 1:6, Job 2:1, Job 38:7), is used for angels. The same phrase, in a slightly different Hebrew form, is what we read in Ps. 29:1 and Ps. 89:6.
The command tells them to trace their glory and strength back to their only Source.
The psalm begins by calling the "sons of the mighty" to give Jehovah His place of supremacy over all. Most readers, it seems, take it as an address to angels. But what follows shows it is spoken to the mighty of the earth. It is a message like the one in Rev. 14:6-7, the message of the "everlasting gospel," which announces the coming kingdom of God. They are to ascribe glory and strength to Jehovah as the only Source of these.
The two things asked for here are part of what God has revealed about Himself. His name holds them, just as it holds mercy, goodness and righteousness.
The name of Jehovah means what He is in Himself. It reveals His character, and also His relationship with His people. His name (or glory) and His people's blessing go together. But making His glory our first aim is the only true way to secure our blessing… So "glory and strength" are in that name (Ps. 29:1); "mercy and truth" (Ps. 115:1); "goodness" (Ps. 25:7); "loving-kindness" (Ps. 138:2); "righteousness" (Ps. 143:1).
The psalms just before this one are full of pleading. This one is the reply.
The voice of His trusting people is hushed; His voice is now heard. From Psalm 25 to 28 we have watched the inner struggle of the faithful few left in Israel. We heard their prayers. We learned of their hopes and expectations, and of their trials and sorrows. Their last prayer in the Psalm before this one was "Save your people," and now we see Him rising to save them. His glory and strength, the glory of His Name, will now be displayed.
The verse speaks to the powerful, but the weak are meant to overhear it.
Psalm 29 calls the mighty to hear the mightier voice of Jehovah. They are to acknowledge Him and worship before Him according to the holy order of His house… But this Jehovah is above the proud roar of created strength, like waves crashing against Him. He sits as King for ever, above it all and despite it all. And He, this mighty Jehovah, will give strength to His people and bless them with peace. It is a real encouragement for the faithful. It is not their complaint or their appeal. It is a testimony given to strengthen their hearts in the presence of the mighty. The One who cares for them is mightier than they are.
- Give — the word. "Mighty" here renders a Hebrew word for the strong one, used of God, of Christ in Isaiah 9:6, and even of false gods.
- Give — who. Commentators differ. Some hear angels, as in Job. Others hear earthly rulers, men set in power as God's representatives, who have always used that power for their own glory.
- Give — what. Glory and strength, given back to Him as their only Source. They belong to His revealed name, as mercy, goodness and righteousness do.
- Give — why now. The four psalms before this are the cries of a suffering people. The last of them prays "Save your people." This psalm is God rising to answer.
- Give — the result. The command falls on the powerful. The comfort falls on the faithful: the One who cares for them is mightier than those who oppress them.
Give unto Jehovah the glory of his name; worship Jehovah in holy splendour.
Psalm 29 opens with a command, not a prayer. It speaks to the powerful: the people who usually collect glory must hand it over. Two questions sit at the centre of the verse. What does it mean to give God something He already owns? And what is the "splendor of holiness" He asks worshippers to come in?
The call in this psalm goes out to "the mighty." One writer says the word means rulers on earth, not angels.
The word used for the "mighty" literally means "gods." We are told that on its own it never means "God"; it always means "the gods." It does not refer to angelic beings. It refers to those mighty men who are responsible to God as His representatives in government on the earth. Such men have always failed. First they seek to rule in their own strength, and then they use their place of power to advance their own glory.
The glory asked for belongs to a name. One writer draws out what that name says about God, and how He accepts what is given.
They are to give Him the glory of His Name — the Ever-living, the Unchanging, who remains the same through all creature changes. And they are to give Him allegiance in the only way He can accept it: adorned with the beauty of the holiness He calls for.
One commentator ties this call for glory to the temple, the place where God set His name.
The one point I would notice is how worship is joined to this: here we own Him in His temple, where He has placed His name. He has revealed His name. Glory is due to Him as revealed, to His name. That name reveals Himself, and it is also the name of His relationship with His people. There He has placed His name, so as to form a centre of association and a revealed place of worship. So, while His voice may proclaim the majesty of that name, those who know it are drawn together by it as a place of common worship.
Translations differ here. The ESV reads "the splendor of holiness," while older versions read "the beauty of holiness." One writer explains the word behind it.
The word translated here as "beauty" is sometimes translated "glory." So for the words translated, "Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness," we have "Worship Jehovah in holy splendour."
Another writer links this holiness to God living among His people.
The great truth stamped on this wonderful thought of God dwelling among His people is holiness. "Holiness befits your house" is always true.
The word "due" makes worship a debt, not a donation. One writer traces that debt to the night God rescued Israel from Egypt. Three parties there each got what they were due.
Death and judgment were the Egyptians' due, because of their wilful sin and rebellion in the sight of God. Salvation became Israel's due, on the ground of the slain lamb and the blood-sprinkled doorposts. And worship was the Lord's due, because of what He had done — both for the glory of His great name and the blessing of His redeemed people.
No worshipper has such holiness in himself. One writer says where the beauty comes from.
How wonderful that we can give to Him! We are nothing in ourselves, and unworthy too. Yet God's rich grace sets us with the mighty, and enables us to offer to Him in the beauty of holiness — the beauty that is ours in Christ through His redeeming work at Calvary. The gift of God's love to us cannot be measured or told. Yet we can answer His infinite grace by giving back to Him, and saying, "Of your own have we given you."
- Give. The verse gives a command, not a request. Glory is God's due — a debt we owe for what He has done, not a gift we choose to make.
- Due. His name tells us what we owe: the Ever-living, the Unchanging, who stays the same while everything created shifts around Him.
- Mighty. The call goes first to rulers. They have always failed — ruling in their own strength, and using their position for their own glory. The debt falls hardest on those least used to paying it.
- Holiness. The "splendor of holiness" — older versions say "beauty of holiness" — is not ours by nature. It is ours in Christ, through His work at Calvary.
- Gathered. His revealed name is more than something to praise. It becomes a centre, drawing those who know it into one place of worship.