Psalms

Psalms 148

14 verses · Wisdom · Old Testament

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!

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3 commentators · 26 notes on this chapter

Matthew HenryEnglish Puritan / Nonconformist · 1708–17142

Writes as a pastor rather than a critic. Expect devotional and practical application over historical or linguistic analysis, read through a Reformed covenantal frame — and expect the Old Testament to be read forward toward Christ throughout.

Why this voice is here: The most widely read English commentary for three centuries. Included as a baseline: where Henry and a modern voice diverge, the divergence itself is usually the interesting part.

v. 1–6

We, in this dark and depressed world, know but little of the world of light and exaltation, and, conversing within narrow confines, can scarcely admit any tolerable conceptions of the vast regions above. But this we know, I. That there is above us a world of…

v. 7–14

Considering that this earth, and the atmosphere that surrounds it, are the very sediment of the universe, it concerns us to enquire after those considerations that may be of use to reconcile us to our place in it; and I know none more likely than this (next…

John GillParticular Baptist / High Calvinist · 1746–176314

The most exhaustive and the most doctrinally committed here. Expect high — even supralapsarian — Calvinism applied consistently, and unusually heavy use of rabbinic and Talmudic sources for Jewish context. Where a passage bears on election or the will, Gill will read it in one direction, and knowing that in advance is the point.

Why this voice is here: The strongest Calvinist reading available in the public domain, and the best on Jewish background. Read alongside Clarke, not instead of him — between them you get both sides of the argument.

v. 1

Praise ye the Lord,.... Or, hallelujah: which, in some versions, and with some interpreters, is the title of the psalm; expressive of the subject matter of it, the praise of the Lord; and is an exhortation of all creatures to it; praise ye the Lord from the…

v. 2

Praise ye him, all his angels,.... The Targum adds, who minister before him: the ministering spirits, the angels of Jehovah, even of Christ, who are his creatures, and at his command; and whom he sends forth to minister to others, Hebrews 1:7. And great…

v. 3

Praise ye him, sun and moon,.... The sun praises the Lord, the Creator of it, by doing the work constantly it is appointed to do; to rule by day, and give light and heat to the earth, and the inhabitants of it; and so is the cause of man's praising the Lord…

Jamieson, Fausset & BrownScottish Presbyterian / Reformed · 187110

The concise option. Three authors split the canon, so the voice shifts between sections. Expect brief, sober, conservative notes that resolve difficulties rather than dwelling on them — useful for orientation, thinner than Gill or Clarke where a passage is genuinely contested.

Why this voice is here: The quickest way to see what the mainstream Reformed reading of a passage is. Start here, then go to Gill or Clarke when it matters.

v. 2–3

hosts--(compare Psa 103:21).

v. 4

heavens of heavens--the very highest. waters--clouds, resting above the visible heavens (compare Gen 1:7).

v. 5

praise the name--as representing His perfections. he commanded--"He" is emphatic, ascribing creation to God alone.

World English Bible — Public domain