Psalm 29.3-4:
(3) The voice of the LORD is upon the waters;
The God of glory thunders,
The LORD is over many waters.
(4) The voice of the LORD is powerful,
The voice of the LORD is majestic. (NAS)
The 29th Psalm communicates that God exercises His authority, power, and purposes in the world by means of His speaking voice. This psalm shows God, the LORD, sitting on His throne and exercising His will in actual events that happen in the world. The NAS translation for Psalm 29 has a superscription that reads, “The Voice of the LORD in the Storm.”
The first line of verse three reading, “The voice of the LORD is upon the waters;” is not only communicating that God’s voice is present and located “upon the waters”, but also that His voice has authority over the waters. As seen elsewhere in the Bible the pronoun “upon” can communicate, within the proper context, that someone has rule and authority over someone or something. I think Acts 1.8 is such an example. And this authority upon the waters is an identifier of God’s power at work in the Bible.
God’s authority over the waters is also set forth in Psalm 65.7 saying, “who stills the roaring of the seas, the roaring of the waves, the tumult of the people,” (ESV). And likewise in Psalm 107.25: “For he commanded and raised the stormy wind, which lifted up the waves of the sea.” (ESV) The power of God’s spoken word is fulfilled in Jesus.