Psalms 29

Old Testament · Brenton Septuagint with Greek parallel

Psalms 29

1(30) For the end, a Psalm * and Song at the dedication of the house of David.Εἰς τὸ τέλος, ψαλμὸς ᾠδῆς τοῦ ἐνκαινισμοῦ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ Δαυίδ.

2I will exalt you, O Lord; for you have lifted me up, and not caused my enemies to rejoice over me.Ὑψώσω σε, Κύριε, ὅτι ὑπέλαβές με, καὶ οὐκ εὔφρανας τοὺς ἐχθρούς μου ἐπʼ ἐμέ.

3O Lord my God, I cried to you, and you did heal me.Κύριε ὁ Θεός μου, ἐκέκραξα πρὸς σὲ, καὶ ἰάσω με·

4O Lord, you have brought up my soul from Hades, you have delivered me from among them that go down to the pit.Κύριε, ἀνήγαγες ἐξ ᾅδου τὴν ψυχήν μου, ἔσωσάς με ἀπὸ τῶν καταβαινόντων εἰς λάκκον.

5Sing to the Lord, you his saints, and give thanks for the remembrance of his holiness.Ψάλατε τῷ Κυρίῳ οἱ ὅσιοι αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐξομολογεῖσθε τῇ μνήμῃ τῆς ἁγιωσύνης αὐτοῦ.

6For anger is in his wrath, but life in his favor: weeping shall wait for the evening, but joy shall be in the morning.Ὅτι ὀργὴ ἐν τῷ θυμῷ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ζωὴ ἐν τῷ θελήματι αὐτοῦ· τοεσπέρας αὐλισθήσεται κλαυθμὸς, καὶ εἰς το πρωῒ ἀγαλλίασις.

7And I said in my prosperity, I shall never be moved.Ἐγὼ δὲ εἶπα ἐν τῇ εὐθηνίᾳ μου, οὐ μὴ σαλευθῶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.

8O Lord, in your good pleasure you did add strength to my beauty: but you did turn away your face, and I was troubled.Κύριε, ἐν τῷ θελήματί σου παρέσχου τῷ κάλλει μου δύναμιν· ἀπέστρεψας δὲ τὸ πρόσωπόν σου, καὶ ἐγενήθην τεταραγμένος.

9To you, O Lord, will I cry; and to my God will I make supplication.Πρὸς σὲ Κύριε κεκράξομαι, καὶ πρὸς τὸν Θεόν μου δεηθήσομαι.

10What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to destruction? Shall the dust give praise to you? or shall it declare your truth?Τίς ὠφέλεια ἐν τῷ αἵματί μου, ἐν τῷ καταβῆναί με εἰς διαφθοράν; μὴ ἐξομολογήσεταί σοι χοῦς; ἢ ἀναγγελεῖ τὴν ἀλήθειάν σου;

11The Lord heard, and had compassion upon me; the Lord is become my helper.Ἤκουσε Κύριος, καὶ ἠλέησέ με, Κύριος ἐγενήθη βοηθός μου.

12You have turned my mourning into joy for me: you have torn off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness;Ἔστρεψας τὸν κοπετόν μου εἰς χαρὰν ἐμοὶ, διεῤῥήξας τὸν σάκκον μου, καὶ περιέζωσάς με εὐφροσύνην·

13that my glory may sing praise to you, and I may not be pierced with sorrow. O Lord my God, I will give thanks to you for ever.ὅπως ἂν ψάλῃ σοι ἡ δόξα μου, καὶ οὐ μὴ κατανυγῶ. Κύριε ὁ Θεός μου, εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ἐξομολογήσομαί σοι.

The Fathers on Psalms 29

Saint Augustine of Hippo comments on this chapter. Each excerpt below is drawn from the full text held in the Fathers Library; follow the link on any entry to read the whole work.

On Psalms 29:2

Saint Augustine of Hippo

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers · Fourth–fifth century · Expositions on the Psalms

2. It is then whole Christ who speaketh. “I will exalt Thee, O Lord, for Thou hast taken Me up” (ver. 1). I will praise Thy high Majesty, O Lord, for Thou hast taken Me up. “Thou hast not made Mine enemies to rejoice over Me.” And those, who have so often endeavoured to oppress Me with various persecutions throughout the world, Thou hast not made to rejoice over Me.

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On Psalms 29:3

Saint Augustine of Hippo

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers · Fourth–fifth century · Expositions on the Psalms

3. “O Lord, My God, I have cried unto Thee, and Thou hast healed Me” (ver. 2). O Lord, My God, I have cried unto Thee, and I no longer bear about a body enfeebled and sick by mortality.

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On Psalms 29:4

Saint Augustine of Hippo

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers · Fourth–fifth century · Expositions on the Psalms

4. “O Lord, Thou hast brought back My Soul from hell, and Thou hast saved Me from them that go down into the pit” (ver. 3). Thou hast saved Me from the condition of profound darkness, and the lowest slough of corruptible flesh.

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On Psalms 29:5

Saint Augustine of Hippo

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers · Fourth–fifth century · Expositions on the Psalms

5. “Sing to the Lord, O ye saints of His.” The prophet seeing these future things, rejoiceth, and saith, “Sing to the Lord, O ye saints of His. And make confession of the remembrance of His holiness” (ver. 4). And make confession to Him, that He hath not forgotten the sanctification, wherewith He hath sanctified you, although all this intermediate period belong to your desires.

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On Psalms 29:6

Saint Augustine of Hippo

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers · Fourth–fifth century · Expositions on the Psalms

6. “For in His indignation is wrath” (ver. 5). For He hath avenged against you the first sin, for which you have paid by death. “And life in His will.” And life eternal, whereunto you could not return by any strength of your own, hath He given, because He so would. “In the evening weeping will tarry.” Evening began, when the light of wisdom withdrew from sinful man, when he was condemned to death: from this…

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On Psalms 29:7

Saint Augustine of Hippo

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers · Fourth–fifth century · Expositions on the Psalms

7. “But I said in my abundance, I shall not be moved for ever” (ver. 6). But I, that people which was speaking from the first, said in mine abundance, suffering now no more any want, “I shall not be moved for ever.”

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On Psalms 29:8

Saint Augustine of Hippo

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers · Fourth–fifth century · Expositions on the Psalms

8. “O Lord, in Thy will Thou hast afforded strength unto my beauty” (ver. 7). But that this my abundance, O Lord, is not of myself, but that in Thy will Thou hast afforded strength unto my beauty, I have learnt from this, “Thou turnedst away Thy Face from me, and I became troubled;” for Thou hast sometimes turned away Thy Face from the sinner, and I became troubled, when the illumination of Thy knowledge withdrew…

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On Psalms 29:9

Saint Augustine of Hippo

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers · Fourth–fifth century · Expositions on the Psalms

9. “Unto Thee, O Lord, will I cry, and unto my God will I pray” (ver. 8). And bringing to mind that time of my trouble and misery, and as it were established therein, I hear the voice of Thy First-Begotten, my Head, about to die for me, and saying “Unto Thee, O Lord, will I cry, and unto My God will I pray.”

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On Psalms 29:10

Saint Augustine of Hippo

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers · Fourth–fifth century · Expositions on the Psalms

11. “The Lord hath heard, and had mercy on Me, the Lord hath become My helper.” Nor did “He suffer His holy One to see corruption” (ver. 10).

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On Psalms 29:12

Saint Augustine of Hippo

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers · Fourth–fifth century · Expositions on the Psalms

12. “Thou hast turned My mourning into joy to Me” (ver. 11). Whom I, the Church, having received, the First-Begotten from the dead, now in the dedication of Thine house, say, “Thou hast turned my mourning into joy to me. Thou hast put off my sackcloth, and girded me with gladness.” Thou hast torn off the veil of my sins, the sadness of my mortality; and hast girded me with the first robe, with immortal gladness.

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On Psalms 29:13

Saint Augustine of Hippo

Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers · Fourth–fifth century · Expositions on the Psalms

13. “That my glory should sing unto Thee, and I should not be pricked” (ver. 12). That now, not my humiliation, but my glory should not lament, but should sing unto Thee, for that now out of humiliation Thou hast exalted me; and that I should not be pricked with the consciousness of sin, with the fear of death, with the fear of judgment. “O Lord, my God, I will confess unto Thee for ever.” And this is my glory, O…

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