Psalms 148

All creation is summoned to praise the LORD. The psalm moves from the heavens (angels, sun, moon, stars) down to the earth (sea, storm, mountains, animals), and then to people of every rank and age. It ends by praising God for lifting up His own people, who are near to Him.

Psalms 148:1

The psalm opens with a shout of praise and a call to the heights. Those who live nearest to God’s throne are told to begin. The LORD is worth praising from the top of creation downward.

BSA: Hallelujah (“rejoice”): The word is a joyful command to rejoice in God, not just a polite religious phrase. LORD (“Yehovah”): This is God’s personal covenant name, so the praise is directed to the God who has bound Himself to His people.

Hebrew: הַלְלוּ (halelu, H1984) — “praise! (a command to many).” It is a plural command, so a whole company is being summoned. It is the same root as in Hallelujah, which means ‘praise Yah’.

See also: Psalm 150:1.

Psalms 148:2

The angels, God’s messengers and servants, are called to praise Him. ‘Hosts’ pictures a vast army waiting on His word. Even the mightiest beings in heaven exist to worship the One who made them.

BSA: angels (“messengers, heavenly beings”): Angels are those sent out to carry God’s word, and here they are called to lift their voices to Him. hosts (“armies, vast multitude”): It pictures a great army of heaven standing ready, now summoned to praise rather than to battle.

See also: Psalm 103:20-21; Luke 2:13.

Psalms 148:3

The sun, moon and stars are also told to praise. Many nations in the ancient world worshiped these lights. The psalm treats them as created things that join in praising the God who made them.

BSA: stars (“round or shining celestial bodies”): Even the distant shining bodies of the night sky are pictured as joining the praise.

See also: Psalm 19:1; Genesis 1:16.

Psalms 148:4

The ‘highest heavens’ and the ‘waters above the skies’ reach out to the farthest edge of creation. The language recalls the opening of Genesis, when God set a division in the waters. Everything above us is called to worship.

BSA: waters (“that be above, which are over”): These are the waters that God placed above the sky at creation, and they too are summoned to praise Him.

See also: Genesis 1:7.

Psalms 148:5

Here is the reason for the praise: God spoke, and everything came into being. Creation did not make itself. It owes its existence to His word, which is why it owes Him praise.

BSA: name (“identity, character”): God’s name stands for who He is, so to praise His name is to praise His whole character. created (“brought into existence, made”): It stresses that things which did not exist were called into being by His command.

See also: Genesis 1:3; Psalm 33:6-9.

Psalms 148:6

God did not only make the heavens; He fixed them in place under His lasting order. The laws that keep the sun rising and the seasons turning are His decree. This gives believers reason to trust that His order is steady.

BSA: decree (“statute, law”): The steady order of the universe is pictured as a law that God Himself laid down. established (“set in place, firmly fixed”): God did not leave creation unsettled; He fixed it firmly where it stands.

See also: Jeremiah 31:35-36.

Psalms 148:7

The call now drops from the heavens to the earth. The great sea creatures and the ocean depths, which ancient people feared as wild and dangerous, are named first. Even the most threatening parts of creation are God’s servants.

BSA: sea creatures (“dragons, sea-monsters, or jackals”): The Hebrew word covers great and fearsome creatures, so even the most frightening beings are called to praise God. ocean depths (“the deep, the abyss, or subterranean waters”): The deep is a place of mystery and dread, yet it too is under God’s rule and joins in the praise.

Hebrew: תַּנִּינִים (tannînîm, H8577) — “great sea creatures, monsters.” The same word is used in Genesis 1:21 for the great creatures God made. Even those that seemed monstrous are only creatures.

See also: Genesis 1:21.

Psalms 148:8

Lightning, hail, snow, clouds and storm wind are all named. They can seem wild and beyond control, yet they carry out His word. Nothing in nature is truly lawless, and the weather is under His hand.

BSA: fulfilling (“doing, obeying”): Even the storm wind is pictured as obeying God, doing exactly what He commands. hail (“a sign of God’s judgment”): Hail is sometimes used in Scripture as a means of God’s judgment, so even His severe works fall under the call to praise.

See also: Psalm 147:15-18; Mark 4:39.

Psalms 148:9

From the sky the psalm moves to the land. Mountains and hills stand firm, and the fruit trees and cedars grow tall. Cedars were prized for their size and strength, and each of these, in its own way, gives praise to its Maker.

BSA: cedars (“known for strength and durability, like the cedar wood used in Solomon’s temple”): The cedar was a symbol of strength, and it was used to build the temple, so the strongest trees are pictured serving God.

See also: Isaiah 55:12.

Psalms 148:10

Now living creatures are called: wild animals, farm animals, crawling things and birds. Every kind of animal, whether wild or tame, large or small, has a place in the chorus. All life on earth belongs to God.

BSA: crawling creatures (“creeping things, reptiles”): Even the lowliest creatures that move along the ground are included in the call to praise.

See also: Psalm 104:24-25.

Psalms 148:11

At last the call reaches people, and it begins with the powerful: kings, princes and rulers. They are not exempt from praising God. The highest human authority is still under God’s rule and joins the same chorus as the sea and the stars.

BSA: peoples (“nations, communities”): The call reaches beyond Israel to every nation and community on earth.

See also: Psalm 2:10-11; Psalm 138:4-5.

Psalms 148:12

Next come ordinary people of every age: young men and young women, the old and the young. No one is left out. Praise of God belongs to the whole of human life, from youth to old age.

BSA: together (“with, in unity, as one”): Young and old are meant to praise side by side, in one voice.

See also: Joel 2:16.

Psalms 148:13

The call returns to its reason: the LORD’s name is lifted above everything. His glory is higher than earth and heaven together. Nothing else in creation compares, and so only He is worthy of this whole-creation praise.

BSA: alone (“exclusively, uniquely”): God’s name is exalted in a way that belongs to no one else. splendor (“glory, majesty”): His majesty is a weight of glory that surpasses all that He has made.

See also: Psalm 8:1; Philippians 2:9-11.

Psalms 148:14

The psalm ends with God’s care for His own people. A ‘horn’ stands for strength, so God has given His people strength and honor. They are His ‘saints’, and they are near to Him. The psalm closes with praise.

BSA: horn (“a horn; a hill or peak”): A horn is a sign of strength and dignity, as in an animal’s horn, so God has lifted His people up. saints (“pious ones, faithful followers”): These are people who are loved and faithful to God, set apart as His own. near (“close, intimate”): It describes closeness of relationship, not only nearness of place.

Hebrew: חֲסִידָיו (ḥăsîdāyw, H2623) — “His faithful ones.” It comes from the word for God’s steadfast love (ḥesed). His people are those who have received His loyal love and answer it with loyalty.

See also: 1 Samuel 2:10; Ephesians 2:13.