1. Praise Yah!
Praise Yahweh 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 stars of light!
4. Praise Him, heavens of the heavens,
And the waters which are from above the heavens!
5. Let them praise the name of Yahweh,
Because He has commanded and they have been created.
6. And He has caused them to stand to generations forever.
A decree He has given and it will not pass away.
7. Praise Yahweh from the earth,
Sea monsters and all deeps,
8. Fire and hail, snow and smoke,
Wind of tempest doing His word,
9. The mountains and all hills,
Tree of fruit and all cedars,
10. The living thing and every beast,
Creeping thing and bird of wing,
11. Kings of earth and all peoples,
Princes and all judges of earth.
12. Young men and also virgins,
Old men with boys!
13. Let them praise the name of Yahweh,
Because His name only is exalted.
His splendor is above earth and heavens,
14. And He has caused the horn of His people to be high,
He is praise to all His saints,
To the sons of Israel,
A people near Him.
Praise Yah!
Psalm 148 is a wonderfully beautiful psalm with one great theme: Praise the Lord! It’s very simple and regular, consisting of 14 verses, only the last two of which vary from the standard double parallelisms that are characteristic of Hebrew poetry. Yet it is stirring in the speed and rhythm with which it pursues its goal. It is repetitive (the word “praise” occurs 12 times) but carries us along on the crest of a great wave of acclaim to the majesty of God.
The psalm has two stanzas enclosed within two hallelujahs, like the other four psalms that with it make up the triumphant conclusion of the book. The first stanza (v. 1–6) calls on the heavens and all creatures in them, animate and inanimate, to praise the name of the Lord. The second stanza (v. 7–14) addresses earth and creatures in it to the same great work. Each stanza begins with “Praise Yahweh from…” and each commands, “Let them praise the name of Yahweh” (v. 5 and 13) before giving reasons for it.
The first stanza begins with the highest heaven where the angels dwell and moves downward through the starry sphere to the firmament and the waters above the heavens. The second stanza covers sea, sky and mountains and the things that populate them: the sea creatures for the sea; fire, hail, snow, cloud and wind for the skies; trees, animals and people for the earth. It pays special attention to people as the highest of earthly creatures and those alone who are able to give conscious and deliberate praise. Among them there is again a movement downward, from kings, princes and judges, to those in the prime of life, and finally to old men and children.
The list of earthly creatures occurs mostly in pairs: fire and hail, snow and clouds, and so on. The connecting word used is “and” except in the very last pair. Though most of the translations ignore it the last pair is “old men with children.” The psalmist subtly introduces a new idea: not only are old men and children both to praise, they are also to do it together. That’s a touching picture.
The reasons for the heavens and heavenly creatures to praise are that the Lord created them by His command and makes them stand by His decree. The heavens are glorious, and they are the work of His hands and under His providential direction. The reasons for the earth and the creatures in it to praise are two. First, His name is exalted, His glory above earth and heaven, and secondly, He has exalted the horn of His people. The horn stands for strength such as that of a king (Psalm 132:17). The psalm calls all peoples to praise (v. 11) but sets apart His people Israel as having received extraordinary blessings from Him. They have stronger reasons for praise than any others. They are the people near to Him.
The second line of verse 14 is difficult. There are different ways to interpret it. 1) The praise is directed to the Lord as if the line said, “He is the praise of all his saints.” 2) The saints are the object of praise. This seems to lie behind the NASB’s “Praise for all His godly ones.” They receive praise because the Lord has given them strength. 3) the word “praise” is an appositive further describing “the horn” in the first line. So the idea would be, “He has exalted the horn of His people which is the praise of all His saints.” I prefer the last interpretation, and I take the horn as a reference to Israel’s king (cf. 1 Sam. 2:10). It also adds a prophetic and messianic element. The horn (or strength) of God’s people is God Himself, especially God as revealed in the Messiah. The Lord exalts Him and He thus becomes the praise of all His saints. And that precisely because He brings the Lord’s people near to Him.
This psalm deserves a more significant place in the worship of God than it has attained. It is beautiful, easily understood, and full of that praise which is supposed to be the heart of our worship.