Psalms — Chapter 148

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1Hallelujah! Praise the LORD from the heavens; praise Him in the highest places.

2Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him, all His heavenly hosts.

3Praise Him, O sun and moon; praise Him, all you shining stars.

4Praise Him, O highest heavens, and you waters above the skies.

5Let them praise the name of the LORD, for He gave the command and they were created.

6He established them forever and ever; He issued a decree that will never pass away.

7Praise the LORD from the earth, all great sea creatures and ocean depths,

8lightning and hail, snow and clouds, powerful wind fulfilling His word,

9mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars,

10wild animals and all cattle, crawling creatures and flying birds,

11kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth,

12young men and maidens, old and young together.

13Let them praise the name of the LORD, for His name alone is exalted; His splendor is above the earth and the heavens.

14He has raised up a horn for His people, the praise of all His saints, of Israel, a people near to Him. Hallelujah!

1Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the LORD from the heavens: praise him in the heights.

2Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts.

3Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light.

4Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens.

5Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created.

6He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: he hath made a decree which shall not pass.

7Praise the LORD from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps:

8Fire, and hail; snow, and vapours; stormy wind fulfilling his word:

9Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars:

10Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl:

11Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth:

12Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children:

13Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven.

14He also exalteth the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints; even of the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Praise ye the LORD.

1Praise ye Jehovah. Praise ye Jehovah from the heavens: Praise him in the heights.

2Praise ye him, all his angels: Praise ye him, all his host.

3Praise ye him, sun and moon: Praise him, all ye stars of light.

4Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, And ye waters that are above the heavens.

5Let them praise the name of Jehovah; For he commanded, and they were created.

6He hath also established them for ever and ever: He hath made a decree which shall not pass away.

7Praise Jehovah from the earth, Ye sea-monsters, and all deeps.

8Fire and hail, snow and vapor; Stormy wind, fulfilling his word;

9Mountains and all hills; Fruitful trees and all cedars;

10Beasts and all cattle; Creeping things and flying birds;

11Kings of the earth and all peoples; Princes and all judges of the earth;

12Both young men and virgins; Old men and children:

13Let them praise the name of Jehovah; For his name alone is exalted; His glory is above the earth and the heavens.

14And he hath lifted up the horn of his people, The praise of all his saints; Even of the children of Israel, a people near unto him. Praise ye Jehovah. Psalm 149

1Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord from the sky. Praise him in the heavens.

2Praise him, all his angels. Praise him, all his heavenly assembly.

3Praise him, O sun and moon. Praise him, all you shiny stars.

4Praise him, O highest heaven and you waters above the sky.

5Let them praise the name of the Lord, for he gave the command and they came into existence.

6He established them so they would endure; he issued a decree that will not be revoked.

7Praise the Lord from the earth, you sea creatures and all you ocean depths,

8O fire and hail, snow and clouds, O stormy wind that carries out his orders,

9you mountains and all you hills, you fruit trees and all you cedars,

10you animals and all you cattle, you creeping things and birds,

11you kings of the earth and all you nations, you princes and all you leaders on the earth,

12you young men and young women, you elderly, along with you children.

13Let them praise the name of the Lord, for his name alone is exalted; his majesty extends over the earth and sky.

14He has made his people victorious and given all his loyal followers reason to praise— the Israelites, the people who are close to him. Praise the Lord!

1Praise Yah! Praise Yahweh from the heavens! Praise him in the heights!

2Praise him, all his angels! Praise him, all his army!

3Praise him, sun and moon! Praise him, all you shining stars!

4Praise him, you heavens of heavens, You waters that are above the heavens.

5Let them praise Yahweh’s name, For he commanded, and they were created.

6He has also established them forever and ever. He has made a decree which will not pass away.

7Praise Yahweh from the earth, you great sea creatures, and all depths;

8lightning and hail, snow and clouds; stormy wind, fulfilling his word;

9mountains and all hills; fruit trees and all cedars;

10wild animals and all livestock; small creatures and flying birds;

11kings of the earth and all peoples; princes and all judges of the earth;

12both young men and maidens; old men and children:

13let them praise Yahweh’s name, for his name alone is exalted. His glory is above the earth and the heavens.

14He has lifted up the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints; even of the children of Israel, a people near to him. Praise Yah!

Summary
Authorship & Background
Commentary
Videos
Articles
Reflection

Summary

This cosmic Hallel psalm calls the heavens to praise the LORD — angels, heavenly hosts, sun, moon, and stars, all of which he brought into being by his command and established forever (vv. 1-6). It then summons the earth to praise him too: sea creatures, weather, mountains, trees, wild and tame animals, and every creature that flies or crawls (vv. 7-10). Finally it calls on kings, rulers, and all people, young and old alike, to praise the LORD, whose name alone is exalted above earth and heaven (vv. 11-13), closing by noting that he has raised up strength for his people, a praise for all his saints, and for Israel who is near to him (v. 14).

Authorship & Background

Author: Multiple authors — primarily David (73 psalms attributed), plus Asaph (12), Sons of Korah (11), Solomon (2), Moses (1), Heman (1), Ethan (1), and anonymous. The Psalter was compiled over approximately 1000 years and served as Israel's hymnal and prayer book. The book is divided into five 'books' (1-41, 42-72, 73-89, 90-106, 107-150), paralleling the five books of Moses.
Classification: Hallelujah Psalm / Cosmic Hymn of Praise
Attributed Author: Anonymous
Key Themes: All creation praising God, heaven and earth united in worship, the command for everything to praise, God's name alone exalted, nature as worshiper
Historical Context: Psalm 148 is the cosmic praise psalm — calling all creation (from angels to sea creatures, from mountains to children) to praise the LORD. It parallels the Song of the Three Young Men (Daniel 3 addition in the Apocrypha) and inspired Francis of Assisi's "Canticle of the Sun." The psalm moves from the heights (vv.1-6: angels, sun, moon, stars, heavens, waters) to the depths (vv.7-14: sea creatures, fire, hail, snow, wind, mountains, trees, beasts, kings, all people). Everything that exists has one purpose: praise the Creator.
Praise Ye the LORD from the Heavens (vv.1-6): Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the LORD from the heavens: praise him in the heights. The psalm works through creation issuing orders, and it starts at the top with the angels, then the sun and moon and stars, then the heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens. The reason given is manufacture, for he commanded, and they were created, and the sun and moon are told to praise rather than being worshipped, which is the ordinary Hebrew treatment of the sky. He hath made a decree which shall not pass. The Greek additions to Daniel 3 turn this psalm into the canticle called the Benedicite, sung in the Western church at morning prayer for centuries.
Praise the LORD from the Earth (vv.7-12): Praise the LORD from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps. Dragons renders tanninim, the great sea creatures, and they head the list because the psalm is working downward from the sky and they live at the bottom. Then the weather, fire, and hail; snow, and vapours; stormy wind fulfilling his word, and after it the land, mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars. Animals come next and people last, and when people arrive they are sorted by rank and then by age, kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges, both young men, and maidens; old men, and children. Humanity is one item in a long inventory, arriving after the cattle.
His Name Alone Is Excellent (vv.13-14): Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven. The two halves of the psalm are gathered into one command, and the reason given is that the name is the only thing in the inventory that is not made. He also exalteth the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints; even of the children of Israel, a people near unto him. After sun, sea-monsters and kings, the psalm ends on nearness, which is the one thing none of the rest of the list was said to have.

Commentary

  • Enduring Word (David Guzik): enduringword.com Verse-by-verse commentary on this chapter, written for the everyday reader and freely available online.
  • Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871): blueletterbible.org A critical and explanatory commentary on the whole Bible, more concise than Matthew Henry and closer to the Hebrew and Greek, with attention to historical and geographical detail. Public domain.
  • Matthew Henry's Exposition (1710): blueletterbible.org A devotional verse-by-verse commentary in the Puritan tradition, still among the most widely read three centuries on. Public domain.

Videos

Psalms 146-150 | All Creation Praises the King | Bible Study
Spoken Gospel

Psalm 148
BibleProject

Psalm 148 - Let Heaven and Earth Praise the LORD
David Guzik

Articles

  • BibleProject: bibleproject.com What the closing image of a raised horn means, and how it ties this psalm to the rest of the Psalter.
  • GotQuestions.org: gotquestions.org On the whole book: an overview of Psalms -- who wrote it, when, why, and how it fits the rest of Scripture.

Links open on the publisher's own site. Nothing here is reproduced on this page.

Reflection

  • Praise From the Heavens (vv.1-6) — Angels, sun, moon, and stars are all called to praise the Lord who commanded them into being and set their limits forever. When you look up at the sky, does it move you to actual worship, or just pass by unnoticed?
  • Praise From the Earth (vv.7-12) — Sea creatures, storms, mountains, animals, kings, and people of every age are all summoned into the same chorus of praise. Are you living like part of that chorus, or like a bystander watching creation worship without you?
  • A Name Exalted Above All (v.13) — The psalm declares that God's name alone is excellent, above every other name creation could lift up. What name — a leader, an achievement, a possession — have you been quietly exalting alongside God's?
  • Praise That Draws His People Near (v.14) — The psalm closes noting that God has raised up praise for His people who are near to Him. Does your closeness to God show up in how naturally praise comes out of you?