148 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights!
2 Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his hosts!
3 Praise him, sun and moon,
praise him, all you shining stars!
4 Praise him, you highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens!
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord!
For he commanded and they were created.
6 And he established them forever and ever;
he gave a decree, and it shall not pass away.1
7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
you great sea creatures and all deeps,
8 fire and hail, snow and mist,
stormy wind fulfilling his word!
9 Mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars!
10 Beasts and all livestock,
creeping things and flying birds!
11 Kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
12 Young men and maidens together,
old men and children!
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his majesty is above earth and heaven.
14 He has raised up a horn for his people,
praise for all his saints,
for the people of Israel who are near to him.
Praise the Lord!
Section Overview
This hymn of praise (cf. Section Overview of Psalm 146) calls on all God’s creatures to join in praising him, from the heavenly hosts to the heavenly bodies, from the inhabitants of sea and land to all humankind. The concluding note, regarding God’s special people Israel, may refer to some particular event such as the return from exile or may be a more general reference to the protection God has given his people; in either case God’s favor for Israel is put into the larger context of his plan to bring light to all mankind through Israel.
The first section of Psalm 148 addresses the heavens (vv. 1–6), while the second addresses those who live on earth and sea (vv. 7–12). Finally, the whole creation is to praise the Lord, who has specially favored his people Israel (vv. 13–14).
Section Outline
I. Praise to the Lord from the Heavens (148:1–6)
II. Praise to the Lord from the Earth and Seas (148:7–12)
III. Let All Peoples Praise the Lord Who Has Exalted His People (148:13–14)
Response
Psalm 148 allows the faithful singers to imagine themselves as addressing all the various parts of the creation, sentient or not, and to see that each part was made to praise and honor the God who made them—each in a way that is true to their own natures. Even the Gentiles are to join in the praise, for they will one day come to know and praise “the name of the Lord” as it is revealed particularly to Israel; that name will one day be called over them (Amos 9:12). Singing this in faith will enable God’s people to embrace their place in the world and to see their worship as the fulfillment of their purpose.804
Many of these Gentiles would have given devotion to the heavenly inhabitants, and people in Israel felt the pull of such devotion, promising as it did the productivity of crops and animals (cf. Hos. 2:5, 8–9). The first section strengthens the faithful in their exclusive devotion to the Lord, who himself deserves the praise from all the lesser bodies!
Christians profess that the age in which the Gentiles will have the Lord’s name called over them has arrived (cf. Acts 15:17), and they, believing Jews and Gentiles, can join in the worshipful song that is the fulfillment of their being. Hence they can sing words based on a poem by Francis of Assisi:
All creatures of our God and King,
lift up your voice and with us sing
alleluia, alleluia!
Thou burning sun with golden beam,
thou silver moon with softer gleam,
O praise him, O praise him,
alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!805
After enumerating some of the creatures he is inviting to join him in song, he concludes,
Let all things their Creator bless,
and worship him in humbleness,
O praise him, alleluia!
Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,
and praise the Spirit, three in one.
O praise him, O praise him,
alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!Psalm 148
Psalm 149