Psalms 148 KJV
Let All Creation Praise
About This Psalm
Everything praise the LORD! Sun, moon, stars, sea creatures, weather, mountains, animals, people - all of creation worshiping.
1raise ye the LORD. Praise ye the LORD from the heavens: praise him in the heights.
2 Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts.
3 Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light.
4 Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens.
5 Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created.
6 He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: he hath made a decree which shall not pass.
7 Praise the LORD from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps:
8 Fire, and hail; snow, and vapours; stormy wind fulfilling his word:
9 Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars:
10 Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl:
11 Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth:
12 Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children:
13 Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven.
14 He 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.
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Did You Know?
Psalm 148 preserves ancient Near Eastern cosmology by commanding praise from both the 'waters above the heavens' and the 'deeps,' framing the ordered universe of Genesis 1 as an active participant in worship rather than inert matter.
The unexpected summons to 'fire, and hail; snow, and vapour' (v. 8) personifies destructive meteorological forces as willing agents of praise, transforming symbols of chaos and judgment into doxological participants.
By grouping 'dragons' (tanninim) with 'all deeps,' the psalm redeploys Canaanite chaos-monster imagery to depict sea creatures not as defeated foes but as obedient voices within Yahweh's created order.
The psalm's movement from angelic 'hosts' to earthly rulers and finally to Israel's 'horn' creates a theological arc that unites cosmic praise with covenantal election, a post-exilic emphasis linking universal worship to national restoration.
Its structure parallels the Benedicite (Song of the Three Holy Children) from the Greek additions to Daniel, indicating shared Second Temple liturgical traditions that expanded this psalm's call to all creation into extended hymnody.
Commentary & Study Notes Jamieson-Fausset-Brown (1871) ยท Public Domain heavens [and] heights โ are synonymous.
Classic verse-by-verse commentary on Psalms 148 from Jamieson, Fausset & Brown (1871). Covers: The scope of this psalm is the same as that of the preceding.
- 1
- heavens [and] heights โ are synonymous.
- 2
- hosts โ (compare Ps 103:21).
Read all 11 notes on Psalms 148 โ