Psalm 29 2 Commentary 

And so – as we enter this Psalm 29 2 Commentary – we see that David continues to exhort these “sons of God” from verse 1 to ascribe glory to the Lord in verse 2.

2 Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name;
worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness.

Psalm 29 2 Commentary
Name

So, these heavenly beings – and those tempted to worship them – are called upon to ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name. That is, the glory that his reputation has earned him.

Think of all the things God did and said leading up to David’s time. He created the world. He cursed Adam’s disobedience. He established Israel as a nation. He delivered them with many miracles. He gave them just laws in which he revealed his holy character.

These things contributed to God’s reputation – his name. And what we’ve just briefly covered is glorious.

So, when the heavenly beings and their followers think of the Lord, they should think of him in this way – as one who is utterly uniquely excellent.

Psalm 29 2 Commentary
Worship

And they’re to do this in a very reverent manner. They are to worship him. And the word worship means in a very physical sense “bow down.” Put yourself under this person. Show your submission to the Lord.

That’s the posture the heavenly beings need to take. It’s the posture that anything in these days that exalts itself above God needs to take. And it’s to be our posture – of bowing down to the Lord in submission and worship.

Psalm 29 2 Commentary
Beauty of Holiness

And the heavenly beings – and by extension, everyone – must bow down to the Lord in the beauty of holiness. You’ve heard that this can also be translated as “holy attire.”

And it’s certainly true that those who worship the Lord need to come to him in holy clothing. Clothing that’s modest and reverent and even special for the occasion.

And yet, again, the command is being given to heavenly beings – whether they’re angels in God’s presence or – as I prefer – Baal and his imaginary associates.

And so, I think in the context, David is picturing for us the council of heaven – heavenly beings of some sort dressed like kings. In fact this word beauty is used five times in the Old Testament and it describes the grandeur of a king.

So this heavenly council in all of its grandeur is to come and bow down before one who is even grander – the Lord God of Israel.

Keep reading our Psalm 29 Commentary.