Worship in WORD:
Psalm 29 A psalm of David.
29 Ascribe to the Lord, O mighty ones,
ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.
3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is majestic.
5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
the Lord breaks in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,
Sirion like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord strikes
with flashes of lightning.
8 The voice of the Lord shakes the desert;
the Lord shakes the Desert of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord twists the oaks
and strips the forests bare.
And in his temple all cry, "Glory!"
10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
the Lord is enthroned as King forever.
11 The Lord gives strength to his people;
the Lord blesses his people with peace.
NIV (’84)
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Psalm 29 A psalm of David.
29 1 Honor the Lord, you heavenly beings*;
honor the Lord for his glory and strength.
2 Honor the Lord for the glory of his name.
Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.
3 The voice of the Lord echoes above the sea.
The God of glory thunders.
The Lord thunders over the mighty sea.
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is majestic.
5 The voice of the Lord splits the mighty cedars;
the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon's mountains skip like a calf;
he makes Mount Hermon* leap like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord strikes
with bolts of lightning.
8 The voice of the Lord makes the barren wilderness quake;
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord twists mighty oaks*
and strips the forests bare.
In his Temple everyone shouts, "Glory!"
10 The Lord rules over the floodwaters.
The Lord reigns as king forever.
11 The Lord gives his people strength.
The Lord blesses them with peace.
, New Living Translation ®, copyright © 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved_.
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Psalm 29 A Psalm of David.
29 Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength.
2 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name; worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.
3 The voice of the LORD is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the LORD is upon many waters.
4 The voice of the LORD is powerful; the voice of the LORD is full of majesty.
5 The voice of the LORD breaketh the cedars; yea, the LORD breaketh the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young unicorn.
7 The voice of the LORD divideth the flames of fire.
8 The voice of the LORD shaketh the wilderness; the LORD shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.
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.
10 The LORD sitteth upon the flood; yea, the LORD sitteth King for ever.
11 The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace.
KJV
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Psalm 29 Ascribe to the Lord Glory
A Psalm of David.
29 Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.
2 Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
worship the Lord in the splendor of holiness.
3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord, over many waters.
4 The voice of the Lord is powerful;
the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.
5 The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;
the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.
6 He makes Lebanon to skip like a calf,
and Sirion like a young wild ox.
7 The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.
8 The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;
the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.
9 The voice of the Lord makes the deer give birth
and strips the forests bare,
and in his temple all cry, "Glory!"
10 The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;
the Lord sits enthroned as king forever.
11 May the Lord give strength to his people!
May the Lord bless his people with peace!
ESV
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I. Splendor – vv. 1-2
II. Storm – vv. 3-9
III. Sovereignty – v. 10
IV. Stillness – v. 11
I. SPLENDOR - vv. 1-2
One of the difficulties I had when starting this study in Psalm 29, is the weakness of the English translation of the Hebrew word bh^y – yahab. In verses 1 & 2, it is used 3 times. The NIV and ESV translate it “ascribe,” the NLT “honor,” and the KJV “give.”
Strong’s Concordance defines it as:
OT:3051 bh^y yahab (yaw-hab'); a primitive root; to give (whether literal or figurative); generally, to put; imperatively (reflexive) come:
KJV - ascribe, bring, come on, give, go, set, take(Biblesoft's New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance with Expanded Greek-Hebrew Dictionary. Copyright © 1994, 2003, 2006, 2010 Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc.)
BDB (Abridged):
to give, to provide, to ascribe, to come (Qal)
1) to give2) to set, to place3) to provide (with reflexive)4) to ascribe (glory)5) to grant, to permit, to come nowOnline Bible Thayer's Greek Lexicon and Brown Driver & Briggs Hebrew Lexicon, Copyright © 1993, Woodside Bible Fellowship, Ontario, Canada. Licensed from the Institute for Creation Research.
TWOT defines then comments as such:
The most theologically important meaning is used in the command to "give" (KJV) or "ascribe" (ASV, RSV) glory to the name of the Lord (Deut 2:3; Ps 29:1-2; Ps 96:7-8; 1 Chron 16:28-29). It is interesting to note that though these passages are practically the same, the LXX renders 1 Chr by didomi "give" and the Psa passages with phero which basically means "to bring, present, bear" whether a burden or a gift. "Ascribe" with the synonyms "attribute" or "credit" would suggest "inferring of cause, quality, authorship" (Webster). Hence the passages would demand everyone to acknowledge the Lord Yahweh as the great king and offer such ascription of glory and greatness as is commensurate with his majesty. Cf. Rev 21:24 which alludes to Isa 60:11 where the kings of the earth shall bring (phero) their glory to the new Jerusalem.
(from Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament. Copyright © 1980 by The Moody Bible Institute of Chicago. All rights reserved. Used by permission.)
The USB OT handbook says:
Psalms 29:1What shall we glean from all this? Certainly, one can see why I said that our English translations do not do justice to the depth of meaning contained in this one little word. It means:
The petition in this verse is literally "Give... glory and power to Yahweh," which means to offer him praise or honor for the glory and power he possesses. So TEV and SPCL "Praise"; FRCL has "Come honor the Lord." RSV's Ascribe is no longer common English and makes for a difficult text. The verb "to ascribe" means to assign a quality or attribute to someone, that is, to affirm that that person possesses such a quality or attribute. It does not mean to confer such an attribute on someone, but to acknowledge it. In terms of God it means to proclaim that God possesses these qualities, and to praise him for having them.
(from UBS Old Testament Handbook Series. Copyright © 1978-2004 by United Bible Societies. All rights reserved.)
· Ascribe = attribute
· Acknowledge
1 Acknowledge the Lord, you heavenly beings,To all this, let us add the fact that this verb is in the imperative mood.
acknowledge the Lord's majesty and power!
2 Acknowledge the majesty of the Lord's reputation!
Worship the Lord in holy attire!
(from The NET Bible®, Copyright © 1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C., Dallas, Texas, www.bible.org. All rights reserved. Used by permission.)
· Give = bring praise
1 Praise the Lord, you heavenly beings;
praise his glory and power.
2 Praise the Lord's glorious name;
bow down before the Holy One when he appears.
TEV
Hebrew ImperativeWhile this fact may not be so in all contexts, it is undoubtedly valid in Psalm 29:1.
The Imperative: Second Person Volitive: The imperative often represents a direct command demanding an immediate response. It differs from volitional Imperfect in being more urgent and demanding immediate, specific action from the addressee.
(from Wheeler's Hebrew Syntax Notes, Copyright © 1988-2006 by Rev. Prof. Dale M. Wheeler, Ph.D. All rights reserved. Used by permission.)
One more thing that has been pointed out to me, which is relevant to the point I am trying to make is made by the USB OT handbook, which says:
Psalms 29:1The parallel arrangement in this verse is the so-called "staircase" form, in which the statement in line a is incomplete (the verb Ascribe requires a direct object), and the statement is made complete in line b, where the direct object glory and strength is supplied.(from UBS Old Testament Handbook Series. Copyright © 1978-2004 by United Bible Societies. All rights reserved.)
Worship
the
LORD
in
the
beauty
of
holiness
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Ascribe
to
the
LORD the glory due
His name
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Ascribe
to
the LORD glory
and strength
|
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ASCRIBE!
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As you can see from the illustration above, the end is worship. If the academic does not lead to adoration, it is a forced and lifeless exercise on my part. Likewise, attribution without awe is empty and insincere. And proclamation devoid of praise is pedantic and prideful.
Worship in Witness:
I began this study decrying the weakness of the translation of a particular word. Now may I confess the weakness translating all this into my own life. When trying to explain to myself the “argument,” if you will, that David is making in this Psalm, I thought of a word which I had become acquainted with in my college days. It is the word “pathos.” I looked up the word and found it is a term to describe one form of arguing using rhetoric. There are three aspects of rhetoric when seeking to persuade others. These were first noted by Aristotle*. They are:
· Ethos: credibility (or character) of the speaker
· Pathos: emotional connection to the audience
· Logos: logical argument
I believed I have set forth the argument for my “point” logically. However, I do not believe I have fully or even come close to fully connecting emotionally with what I have written down so far. It is in my head, but not yet in my heart. Which speaks to the character of the one making this argument. An argument for a deeper understanding of the word “ascribe” that leads to fear, and worship, and adoration.
* see Examples of Ethos, Logos, and Pathos
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Worship in Song:
As I set forth this confession, a song began to play and began to minister to me. The lyrics washed over my soul, and I rejoiced in worship and praise as I prayed the words to the song.
Am I unfit for You
Remember me, the one who turned from You
I come in rags tattered by the fall
And all the earth, a witness to my crime
Mercy, weep over me
Let Your tears wash me clean
Majesty, be merciful with me
For my eyes have seen Holy
Hear my prayer at night
Let the morning find me alive
For I am tired and weakened by the fall
Let all the earth bear witness to my cry.*
Mercy, weep over me
Let Your tears wash me clean
Majesty, be merciful with me
For my eyes have seen Holy
Let the Amen sound from Heaven as You lift my soul
Let the Amen sound from Heaven as You lift my soul
Let the Angels sound from Heaven, Holy is the Lord
Mercy, weep over me
Let Your tears wash me clean
Majesty, be merciful with me
For my eyes have seen Holy
Written by: BEBO NORMAN, JASON INGRAM
Lyrics © Peermusic Publishing, Universal Music Publishing Group, CAPITOL CHRISTIAN MUSIC GROUP
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Lyrics: My Eyes Have Seen Holy Lyrics
*(All sources I checked were not accurate in quoting the actual lyrics, so I have made the necessary corrections)
Video: My Eyes have seen holy
Video: My Eyes have seen holy
Concluding prayer and plea:
Father,
Let Your Spirit
illumine
my mind,
influence
my heart,
and
transform my character
that I may
worship,
walk,
and
witness
in a way that
ascribes,
acknowledges,
and
brings glory to You.
The God of
the
storms and stillness,
the
tempests and tranquility,
the
calamities and calmness.
Through Christ my Lord,
AMEN!
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