Psalm 29 (28):6Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

The Lord will overshadow the remorse of the esteemed through the contrition of those lifted up by the allure of worldly status. In their humility, He has selected the uneducated of this age to manifest His divine essence within them.

I will commit myself as a calf of Lebanon. Reflect on what is recorded in Exodus regarding the bullock that was sacrificed for idolatrous practices, which Moses took and gave to the people to drink. In a similar manner, the Lord will bring destruction upon all Lebanon and its idolatrous traditions. The beloved one, the only-begotten Son, who imparts life to the world, presents Himself as an offering and sacrifice to God for our transgressions, is referred to as both the Lamb of God and the sheep (as stated, behold the Lamb of God - John 1:29; and again: as a sheep led to slaughter - Acts 8:32). When it becomes essential for Him to execute retribution and to dismantle the tyranny that has enslaved humanity, He is identified as the Son of the unicorn.

I will be as the calf of Lebanon. The term Taurus signifies altar. The beloved is described as a son of unicorns. The cherished companions of the Apostles became the son of unicorns. Unicorns represent the holy prophets and patriarchs, while their offspring are the holy Apostles, for in the one God they possessed both strength and authority.

The Lord brings them low “like cedars of Lebanon, and shatters them like a young calf” (Psalm 28:5-6), scattering their fragments and sending the trunks in various directions with His mighty feet. In contrast, what is declared about our Saviour? “And beloved as the son of a unicorn” (Psalm 28:6). Our cherished Lord and Redeemer is the Son of the Unicorn, the Son of the Cross, of whom it is proclaimed in the song of Habakkuk: “The horns are in His hands, there He will conceal His strength” (Hab. 3:4).

I will be akin to a calf from Lebanon. The Scriptures frequently depict Jerusalem in relation to Lebanon. It is stated, ‘Open thy doors unto Lebanon, and let the fire girdle thy cedars’ (Zech. 11:1). The calf from Lebanon symbolizes that which the Israelites created at Horeb. For it is written, they made a calf at Horeb, and worshipped the image (Psalms 105:19). However, Moses, the great lawgiver, shattered it and rendered worship to the true God. Thus, the Prophet proclaims that, like him, all idols throughout the world shall face obliteration and destruction.

I will eradicate the calf of Lebanon. Just as God, through Moses, destroyed and scattered the golden calf established by the Israelites at Horeb, He will also obliterate the cedars of Lebanon and the altars within, as noted by Basil and Cyril. It is essential to separate the words after "the calf" with a pause, so that the interpretation communicates that God intends to annihilate the entire Lebanon, rather than just a portion of it. The beloved, referred to as the son of the unicorn, signifies Christ. The Father designated Him as such by declaring, “This is my beloved son” (Matthew 3:17). He embodies the traits of the unicorn—invincible power, unyielding nature, and liberty.

The Hebrew text is more clearly understood when interpreted as: "and he causes me to move like a calf from Lebanon, and Sirion like the offspring of a unicorn." The essence of this phrase indicates that the voice of the Lord shatters the cedars of Lebanon, not only breaking them into fragments but also uprooting them entirely, allowing them to move as calves do. Furthermore, not only does He affect the cedars of Lebanon, but He also compels the very mountains of Lebanon and Cvrion (or Aermon) to spring forth with the same ease with which the offspring of unicorns gallop.

The calves of Lebanon were feeding on Mount Lebanon, destined for sacrifice to idols. All idol-worshippers and malevolent spirits, akin to these calves, are struck down by the sword of God’s Word through the proclamation of the Gospel. The unicorn, whose horn purifies the waters, symbolizes Christ, the cherished Only Begotten Son of God the Father. Through the imprint of His Cross on the waters of Holy Baptism, He cleanses us from the toxins of mortal sin. The Only Begotten Son of the unicorn, favored by God the Father, will lament and dismantle the power of obstinate and rebellious individuals, reminiscent of the idolatrous calves of Lebanon that Moses lamented over as he provided water for the people.

Vas. Vel. speaks of Jesus Christ; he believes that at the time of His sacrifice, He is referred to as the Lamb and the Great Shepherd. When He surrenders His authority, having triumphed over the monstrous force that afflicts humanity, He then identifies Himself as the Son of the Unicorn.