Psalms 148

KJV · Chapter 148/150

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 vapour; 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.

📖 Chapter study

Summary

A cosmic, universal call for everything to praise the Lord — angels, sun, moon, stars, waters, sea creatures, storms, mountains, animals, kings, young and old — because only God's name is exalted above earth and heaven.

Explanation

This psalm is one of the most sweeping expressions of praise in the entire Bible, literally summoning all of creation — from the highest heaven to the deepest depths, from the greatest king to the smallest insect — to join in praising God, following roughly the order of creation in Genesis 1 (heavens, lights, waters, earth, creatures, humanity). The mention of 'sea monsters' or 'whales' (v.7) echoes the fifth day of creation in Genesis 1:21. The application for today is to remember that worshiping God is not an activity reserved for religious human beings, but part of the purpose of all creation, each part in its own way.

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