WORD STUDY – MIGHTY ONES  Beni ‘elim

Psalms 29:1: “Give unto the LORD, O ye mighty, give unto the LORD glory and strength.”

Who are these mighty ones who are to give strength to the Lord? There is much debate and some modern translations like the NIV will just paraphrase (give their opinion) and say they are heavenly beings, others say they are men of rank or warriors. Maybe, but I say it is all that and more. Mighty ones in Hebrew is beni ‘elim. “Elim is from the root word elah which is the word for God, gods, mighty warriors, might men, heroes, angels, heavenly beings and anyone who shows any strength or power. The word beni means sons, but that does not have to mean the child of a parent. There are few adjectives in Hebrew and beni is really a word expressing in it’s Semitic root a relationship from which one draws power, life, strength, etc. Thus these mighty ones could be followers of God who receive their strength from God. Strength is the word ‘oz which could mean physical strength, mental strength, emotional strength or anything that gives you the endurance and power to accomplish a task.
Giving God strength is a Hebraic idiom for using the strength God gives you to accomplish a task and mission and once we accomplish that task we are to give Him all the glory.