What does Psalm 29:5 mean?

In this psalm, David compares God's voice—representing His will and His power—to a colossal storm (Psalm 29:3–4). A measure of power for any storm is damage to trees; when especially large trees are brought down, it implies the storm was intense.

Cedar trees of the Lebanon mountain range in the northern region of Israel were prized for their size and strength. According to 2 Chronicles 1:15, Solomon imported so much cedar that it became as plentiful as the sycamore fig trees in Israel's western foothills. Hiram, Tyre's king, provided cedar and cypress timber for Solomon's temple. He recognized that the Lord had bestowed wisdom on Solomon and promised to load it onto rafts and ship it to Israel. First Kings 5:10 reports: "So Hiram supplied Solomon with all the timber of cedar and cypress that he desired."

Cedar was also used in the construction of David's palace (2 Samuel 5:11; 1 Chronicles 17:1), in the building of Solomon's palace (1 Kings 7:2), in the rebuilding of the temple when the Jews returned from captivity (Ezra 3:7), and in purification (Leviticus 14:4, 6, 49, 52).