Isaiah 49:2

And he set my mouth as a keen sword. In the shadow of his hand he has camouflaged me.
And he has set me as an arrow pure. In his quiver he has hidden me.

Isaiah 49:2

(Keen to distinguish the word from sharp, חרץ.)
וישׂם and he setשׂום פי my mouthפה כחרב as a swordחרב חדה keenחדד בצל in the shadow ofצל ידו his handיד החביאני he has camouflaged meחבא וישׂימני and he has set meשׂום לחץ as an arrowחץ ברור pureברר באשׁפתו in his quiverאשׁפה הסתירני he has hidden meסתר

Psalm 29 Music

What do we make of the word, God? The italics indicate that I am not using the vocative here. I am not asking God to answer the question, What do we make of the word?

God in a sentence is problematical. God does this or God does that are interventionist statements. God created the heavens and the earth is a statement we tend to push to our perception of the boundaries of time. We do not know where we came from in spite of all our wonderful science, and I mean that adjective with respect. I love the dance of science, especially that it has also taught us what is not measurable as well as what we seem to be able to measure with some precision.

In what way could God be interventionist without undermining what has been created? God, Elohim in the Scriptures. Is what we seem to denote by this word El, Elohim, distant? emotionally, physically, temporally distant?

Does the term of the mysterious name YHVH bring this God closer? Psalm 29 is all about YHWH and intervention. If we sing it rather than abstract it verbally into our unclear and imprecise but nonetheless wonderful heads, perhaps we will sense some of the beauty in the invocation.

Listen here. Haïk-Vantoura uses the mode with the raised 4th, essentially denying any rest on the mid-point of any verse.


As usual in her edition (Letteris) there are some spurious but in this case not too intrusive changes in the reciting note caused by metheg (not the same as silluq, but there is no distinction in the Unicode or in the sign itself. The tonic is not an impossible reciting note, but if there is a weak syllable onto which a tonic is imposed, the sign's behaviour is out of character.) My transcription of the ornaments in this mode uses a g# rather than g natural, but I did not do this always when I set or develop this mode. Let the performer take some liberty with the ornaments.

Psalms 29		Fn		Min	Max	Syll
מִזְמ֗וֹר לְדָ֫וִ֥ד הָב֣וּ לַֽ֭יהוָה בְּנֵ֣י אֵלִ֑ים הָב֥וּ לַ֝יהוָ֗ה כָּב֥וֹד וָעֹֽז	1		A psalm of David. Ascribe to Yahweh children of gods. Ascribe to Yahweh glory and strength.	3e	4B	5 8 8
הָב֣וּ לַֽ֭יהוָה כְּב֣וֹד שְׁמ֑וֹ הִשְׁתַּחֲו֥וּ לַ֝יהוָ֗ה בְּהַדְרַת־קֹֽדֶשׁ	2		Ascribe to Yahweh the glory of his name. Worship Yahweh in the honour of holiness.	3e	4B	8 11
ק֥וֹל יְהוָ֗ה עַל־הַ֫מָּ֥יִם אֵֽל־הַכָּב֥וֹד הִרְעִ֑ים יְ֝הוָ֗ה עַל־מַ֥יִם רַבִּֽים	3	f	The voice of Yahweh is over the waters. The God of glory thunders. Yahweh over many waters.	3e	4A	7 6 6
קוֹל־יְהוָ֥ה בַּכֹּ֑חַ ק֥וֹל יְ֝הוָ֗ה בֶּהָדָֽר	4		The voice of Yahweh in power. The voice of Yahweh in honour.	3e	4A	6 6
ק֣וֹל יְ֭הוָה שֹׁבֵ֣ר אֲרָזִ֑ים וַיְשַׁבֵּ֥ר יְ֝הוָ֗ה אֶת־אַרְזֵ֥י הַלְּבָנֽוֹן	5	B	The voice of Yahweh breaks cedars, and Yahweh breaks the cedars of Lebanon.	3e	4B	8 11
וַיַּרְקִידֵ֥ם כְּמוֹ־עֵ֑גֶל לְבָנ֥וֹן וְ֝שִׂרְיֹ֗ן כְּמ֣וֹ בֶן־רְאֵמִֽים	6		He makes to skip like a calf, Lebanon and Sirion, like a child of wild bulls.	3e	4B	7 12
קוֹל־יְהוָ֥ה חֹצֵ֗ב לַהֲב֥וֹת אֵֽשׁ	7		The voice of Yahweh hews flames of fire.	3e	3f	9
ק֣וֹל יְ֭הוָה יָחִ֣יל מִדְבָּ֑ר יָחִ֥יל יְ֝הוָ֗ה מִדְבַּ֥ר קָדֵֽשׁ	8	B	The voice of Yahweh births a wilderness. Yahweh births a holy wilderness.	3e	4B	7 8
ק֤וֹל יְהוָ֨ה ׀ יְחוֹלֵ֣ל אַיָּלוֹת֮ וַֽיֶּחֱשֹׂ֪ף יְעָ֫ר ֥וֹת וּבְהֵיכָל֑וֹ כֻּ֝לּ֗וֹ אֹמֵ֥ר כָּבֽוֹד	9	C	The voice of Yahweh causes birthing of hart, and he strips the forest, and in his temple, everything says, Glory.	3d	4C	16 4 6
יְ֭הוָה לַמַּבּ֣וּל יָשָׁ֑ב וַיֵּ֥שֶׁב יְ֝הוָ֗ה מֶ֣לֶךְ לְעוֹלָֽם	10	g	Yahweh sat in the deluge, and Yahweh sits king forever.	3e	4B	7 10
יְֽהוָ֗ה עֹ֭ז לְעַמּ֣וֹ יִתֵּ֑ן יְהוָ֓ה ׀ יְבָרֵ֖ךְ אֶת־עַמּ֣וֹ בַשָּׁלֽוֹם	11		Yahweh strength to his people will give. Yahweh will bless his people in the peace.	3e	4B	8 11

This psalm shares several words with Psalm 28 and also with Psalm 3. Psalm 3 may be read with the voice of glory in mind. Contrast the silence of Psalm 28 with the voice of Psalm 29.

Word / Gloss	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Vs	Stem
לדוד of David	░									28:1	דוד
עם with		░								28:1	עם
קול the voice of			░							28:2	קול
קדשׁך your holiness				░						28:2	קדשׁ
עם with		░								28:3	עם
ועם or with		░								28:3	עם
שׁלום peace					░					28:3	שׁלם
עם with		░								28:3	עם
תן give						░				28:4	נתן
תן give						░				28:4	נתן
ברוך bless							░			28:6	ברך
קול the voice of			░							28:6	קול
עזי my strength								░		28:7	עזז
עז strength								░		28:8	עזז
ומעוז and the stronghold of								░		28:8	עזז
עמך your people		░								28:9	עם
וברך and bless							░			28:9	ברך
העולם the everlasting									░	28:9	עלם
לדוד of David	░									29:1	דוד
ועז and strength								░		29:1	עזז
קדשׁ holiness				░						29:2	קדשׁ
קול the voice of			░							29:3	קול
קול the voice of			░							29:4	קול
קול the voice of			░							29:4	קול
קול the voice of			░							29:5	קול
קול the voice of			░							29:7	קול
קול the voice of			░							29:8	קול
קדשׁ a holy				░						29:8	קדשׁ
קול the voice of			░							29:9	קול
לעולם forever									░	29:10	עלם
עז strength								░		29:11	עזז
לעמו to his people		░								29:11	עם
יתן will give						░				29:11	נתן
יברך will bless							░			29:11	ברך
עמו his people		░								29:11	עם
בשׁלום in the peace					░					29:11	שׁלם