One of the most ancient texts of the Psalter, Psalm 29 unfolds through the image of a progressive storm, unified by the Hebrew word qol meaning both “voice” and “thunder”. Called the “Psalm of seven thunders”, Pope St. John Paul II explains this recurring motif, “the Psalmist thinks of thunder as a symbol of the divine voice, with its transcendent and unattainable mystery, that breaks into created reality in order to disturb and terrify it, but which in its innermost meaning is a word of peace and harmony.”
The psalm takes us to two moments and places.
- At the center (vv. 3-9) we have the storm which is unleashed from the “immensity of the waters”. In the eyes of Biblical man, the sea waters incarnate the chaos which attacks the beauty and splendor of creation, to corrode, destroy and demolish it. So, in observing the storm that rages, one discovers the immense power of God.
- In contrast, we contemplate another scene at the beginning and the end of the Psalm (vv. 1-2 and 9b-11), the adoration of God in the temple of Zion. The sanctuary is a sacred place of peace, a place to praise the divine glory. The deafening sound of the thunder gives way to the harmony of liturgical singing; terror gives way to the certainty of divine protection. God now appears, “enthroned over the flood” as “King for ever” (v. 10), that is as Lord and supreme Sovereign of all creation.
John Paul II thus describes these as two ways of encountering God.
- The Fearsome Aspect: “What becomes evident in this light is what a modern thinker (Rudolph Otto) has described as the tremendum of God: his ineffable transcendence and presence as a just judge in the history of humanity.” Like a storm, God breaks into and acts in history. As Mary proclaims in her Magnificat, God’s judgment and power humbles the proud and mighty.
- The Fascinating Aspect: “However, the Psalm gives us another aspect of God’s face… it is the fascinosum of God, that is the fascination that emanates from his grace, the mystery of love that is poured out upon the faithful.” In the temple, “our anxiety is soothed and our terror wiped out; we participate in the heavenly liturgy with all ‘the children of God,’ angels and saints.”
The Pope concludes with a distinctly Christian reading, where the “seven thunders” find their ultimate expression in the Father’s voice at Christ’s baptism. He quotes St. Basil: “Perhaps, and more mystically, ‘the voice of the Lord on the waters resounded when a voice came from on high at the baptism of Jesus and said: This is my beloved Son.'”
You are invited to meditate on Psalm 29, revealing both God’s awesome power and his tender mercy, culminating in the revelation of Christ as the beloved Son.
Read the Catechesis of Pope St. John Paul II on Psalm 29
This morning prayer psalm invites us to acknowledge God’s supremacy by ascribing glory and might to Him alone, dramatically visible in the storm. Psalm 29 acclaims God’s eternal kingship and concludes with a prayer that He will impart the power just displayed, so that we may share in His victory over chaos and evil.