Analytical Explication Of Palm 29: The Thunderstorm Psalm

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Psalm 29 is often referred to as "The Thunderstorm Psalm" considering the Psalmist repeatedly states that the voice of the Lord is above all. Upon an analytical explication of Psalm 29, the genre can be identified as a praise due to the author glorifying God and his actions, accompanied by using words that are parallel to the word praise, such as worship and glory. The topic of this Psalm is God and his unending power and majesty, which relates to the theme: God is above all. The main purpose of this Psalm is to create a piece of writing which accurately depicts God's abilities and incredibleness. The structure of this poem is separated into three sections, also supporting the idea that Psalm 29 is a praise. All three sections of this Psalm, …show more content…

According to Bagwell, the word ascribe, being originally translated from the word "Yahab", means "to add"; but, if God's strength and power are unending then why are humans ordered to add to it? The Psalmist was advising the reader to not only worship and praise the Lord but simply inform as people as possible about him and his eternal forgiveness. The first two verses are strictly directions on how one must add to the eternity of God, but the second section, verses 3 through 9 are a catalogue of God's strength and …show more content…

The number seven, a common motif used in literature, generally represents completeness and in this context the author is using examples to illustrate the completeness of God. Verse 3 explains that the voice of the Lord is over the waters and that the God of glory thunders, this verse directly compares God's voice to a thunderstorm, relating back to others referring to this Psalm as the "Thunderstorm Psalm". The Psalmist uses examples of the most colossal and durable landmarks to accurately portray God's capabilities such as in verse 5, where he refers to the voice of the Lord breaking the cedars of Lebanon and making it leap like a calf. The cedars of Lebanon are some of the strongest trees in Israel and the author claims God can break them with his voice alone. In verse 6, the author also explains that once again the voice of the Lord can make Sirion leap like a young, wild ox. Sirion, or Mount Hermon, is the largest and tallest mountain in the Levant and the author once again uses a significant landmark to symbolize that no matter how big or strong, God can still overcome it (Bagwell). Additionally in verse 6, the author uses similes to create imagery to help the reader picture the vastness of God's glory. In verse 7, the author again uses words such as