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Psalms 29:8

Old Testament Poetry/Hymns ASV (1901)

What does Psalms 29:8 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “The voice of Jehovah shaketh the wilderness; Jehovah shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

The voice of Jehovah shaketh the wilderness; Jehovah shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.
Psalms 29:8 — American Standard Version

Context — Psalms 29

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
5The voice of Jehovah breaketh the cedars; Yea, Jehovah breaketh in pieces the cedars of Lebanon.
6He maketh them also to skip like a calf; Lebanon and Sirion like a young wild-ox.
7The voice of Jehovah cleaveth the flames of fire.
8The voice of Jehovah shaketh the wilderness; Jehovah shaketh the wilderness of Kadesh.
9The voice of Jehovah maketh the hinds to calve, And strippeth the forests bare: And in his temple everything saith, Glory.
10Jehovah sat [as King] at the Flood; Yea, Jehovah sitteth as King for ever.
11Jehovah will give strength unto his people; Jehovah will bless his people with peace. Psalm 30 A Psalm; a Song at the Dedication of the House. [A Psalm] of David.
← Psalms 29:7Psalms 29:9 →
← Full Chapter 29 Psalms Overview

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“The voice of the Lord shaketh the wilderness, etc.] The ground of it, the trees in it, and the beasts that harbour there; and causes them to be in pain, and to bring forth their young, as the f449 word signifies, and as it is rendered in (<192909>Psalm 29:9); all which effects thunder produces, and may mystically signify the preaching of the Gospel among the Gentiles, and the consequence of it. The Gentile world may be compared to a wilderness, and is called the wilderness of the people, (<262035>Ezekiel 20:35); the inhabitants of it being ignorant, barren, and unfruitful; and the conversion of them is expressed by turning a wilderness into a fruitful land, (<233501>Isaiah 35:1,2,6,7…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“the wilderness--especially Kadesh, south of Judea, is selected as another scene of this display of divine power, as a vast and desolate region impresses the mind, like mountains, with images of grandeur.”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Shaketh the wilderness - Causes it to shake or to tremble. The word used here means properly to dance; to be whirled or twisted upon anything; to twist - as with pain - or, to writhe; and then, to tremble, to quake. The forests are made to tremble or quake in the fierceness of the storm - referring still to what the thunder seems to do. The wilderness of Kadesh - As in referring Psalms 29:5-6 to the effect of the storm on lofty trees, the psalmist had given poetic beauty to the description by “specifying” Lebanon and Sirion, so he here refers, for the same purpose, to a particular forest as illustrating the power of the tempest - to wit, the forest or wilderness of “Kadesh.” This wilderness…”
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Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley (1703–1791) · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament and Old Testament notes · 18th-century historical commentary
“Kadesh - An eminent wilderness, vast and terrible, and well known to the Israelites, and wherein possibly they had seen, and observed some such effects of thunder. Psalms 29:9”
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Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Tyndale Open Study Notes · Modern study notes
“29:8 The wilderness of Kadesh was located south of Judah. God’s voice can be heard throughout the land, from the north (29:6) to the south.”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“shaketh: Psa 18:7, Psa 46:3; Job 9:6; Isa 13:13; Joe 3:16; Hag 2:6, Hag 2:21; Heb 12:26 Kadesh: Num 13:26 Psalms 29:9”
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Related study paths

Read Psalms 29 in contextBrowse Hebrew word studiesOpen this verse in the study reader

Sources and verification