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Psalms 29:1–2

The psalm calls us to give YHWH the glory of his name and bow down

1A psalm of David. Give to YHWH, sons of El, give to YHWH glory and strength.

2Give to YHWH the glory of his name; bow down to YHWH in the majesty of holiness.

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In its context

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3The voice of YHWH is over the waters; the El of glory thunders; YHWH is over many waters.

4The voice of YHWH is with power; the voice of YHWH is with majesty.

Read all of Psalms 29

Its words in the original

  • מִזְמוֹרmizmor· psalm

    Psalm: a song sung with instruments. It is the title of many of the poems in the book of Psalms.

  • דָוִדdavid· David

    David, youngest son of Jesse, of Bethlehem; the second king of Israel. The name means "beloved."

  • הָבוּhavu· give, come!

    Give. In the imperative it is used to urge: "come!", "come on!"

  • יהוָהyhva· YHWH

    The personal name of the God of Israel, written in Hebrew with four letters, Y-H-W-H, without vowels. Out of reverence Jews stopped pronouncing it and read "Adonai" (Lord), so many Bibles put "the LORD" or "Jehovah". This translation keeps the four letters. The name is related to the verb "to be" (Exodus 3:14-15). He is not a god other than Elohim: "YHWH Elohim" is the same Creator God, called by his name.

  • בְּנֵיbene· son

    Son. In the plural it can include sons and daughters, and also grandsons and descendants. "Son of..." also says what group someone belongs to ("sons of Israel" = Israelites).

  • אֵלִיםelim· El, God, god

    "El", an ancient Hebrew word for "God". Alone or with another title it is a name of the God of Israel: El Elyon (God Most High), El Shaddai (God Almighty). Neighboring peoples used the same word for their gods; then this translation writes "god" in lower case. It also means "mighty".

  • כָּבוֹדkavod· glory, honor

    Weight, importance; from there glory, honor, splendor. Sometimes wealth: what makes someone "weigh".

  • עֹזoz· strength, might

    Strength, power.

  • שְׁמshem· name

    Name. In the Bible a name says who someone is; so it also means fame, renown or reputation.

  • הִשְׁתַּחֲווּhishtachavu· bow down, worship

    Bow down: bend down to the ground. It was the gesture of respect before someone greater (a king, a visitor) and also the gesture of worshiping God.

  • הַדְרַתhadrat· splendor, adornment

    Splendor, adornment: beauty that gives honor. In "the splendor of holiness" it may refer to the holy place or to the garments of those who come before YHWH.

  • קֹדֶשׁkodesh· holiness, holy place

    Holiness: what is set apart for God. Also a holy place or a holy thing; "the holy of holies" is the most holy place.

Praise and worship