King James Version
Psalms 148
14 verses with commentary
Praise the Lord from the Heavens
Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the LORD from the heavens: praise him in the heights. Praise ye the LORD. Praise: Heb. Hallelujah, etc
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KJV Study Commentary
This verse opens the psalm with a cosmic call to praise: 'Praise ye the LORD from the heavens: praise him in the heights.' The initial 'Praise ye the LORD' (Halelu et YHWH) establishes the imperative, while 'from the heavens' (min hashamayim) begins to expand the scope of who should praise. 'In the heights' (be'mromim, literally 'in the high places') refers to the celestial realms. The verse calls...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(1) **From the heavens . . . in the heights.—**Some would render *ye of the heavens, *but the parallelism is in favour of the Authorised Version. “Heavens” and “heights” in this verse, and “angels” and “hosts” in the next, are analogously parallel. The heights contain the heavens (comp. Job 16:19; Job 25:2), as the hosts embrace the angels or messengers of God (Joshua 5:14); the larger term being ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
9-10. Let his family share the punishment, his children be as wandering beggars to prowl in their desolate homes, a greedy and relentless creditor grasp his substance, his labor, or the fruit of it, enure to strangers and not his heirs, and his unprotected, fatherless children fall in want, so that his posterity shall utterly fail.
Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts.</strong> This verse summons the angelic realm to worship, using parallel Hebrew imperatives <em>halleluhu</em> (הַלְלוּהוּ, praise Him) twice. <strong>"All his angels"</strong> (<em>kol mal'akhav</em>, כָּל־מַלְאָכָיו) refers to created spiritual beings who serve as God's messengers (<em>mal'akh</em>, מַלְאָךְ, means messenger or...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
9-10. Let his family share the punishment, his children be as wandering beggars to prowl in their desolate homes, a greedy and relentless creditor grasp his substance, his labor, or the fruit of it, enure to strangers and not his heirs, and his unprotected, fatherless children fall in want, so that his posterity shall utterly fail.
Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light.</strong> The psalmist summons celestial luminaries to worship, challenging ancient Near Eastern astral worship. The Hebrew <em>halleluhu shemesh veyare'ach</em> (הַלְלוּהוּ שֶׁמֶשׁ וְיָרֵחַ) addresses <strong>"sun and moon"</strong> directly—the two great lights God created "to rule the day and night" (Genesis 1:16). The paral...
Read full commentary →Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens.</strong> This verse reaches to the highest cosmic realms. The phrase <strong>"heavens of heavens"</strong> (<em>shemei hashamayim</em>, שְׁמֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם) uses Hebrew superlative construction, meaning "highest heavens" or "heaven of heavens"—the ultimate celestial realm beyond visible sky. This is the "third heave...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **Heavens of heavens.**—See Psalm 68:33, and references. Before passing downwards to the earth the invocation pauses to combine all the heights, which have been before addressed in the expression which denotes their position relatively to the earth; the highest heaven of all, and then the world of water which, in the Hebrew conception of the Cosmos, was supposed to be the foundation, while its...
Read full commentary →Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created.
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KJV Study Commentary
This verse continues the expanding call to praise, now addressing heavenly bodies: 'Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created.' The shift from imperative 'praise ye' to descriptive 'let them praise' suggests that the psalm is articulating what should be true rather than commanding conscious beings. However, the phrase 'praise the name of the LORD' attributes to ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**13. posterity--**literally, "end," as in Psa 37:38, or, what comes after; that is, reward, or success, or its expectation, of which posterity was to a Jew a prominent part.
He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: he hath made a decree which shall not pass.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: he hath made a decree which shall not pass.</strong> This verse grounds cosmic praise in divine sovereignty and immutability. The Hebrew <em>vaya'amidem la'ad le'olam</em> (וַיַּעֲמִידֵם לָעַד לְעוֹלָם) uses <em>ya'amid</em> (establish, make stand) with the strongest temporal language: <strong>"for ever and ever"</strong> (<em>la'ad le'olam</...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **Stablished.**—Literally, *made to stand, *i.e., set them up.
**He hath made **. . .—Rather, *he hath made an ordinance, and will not transgress it. *This is more obvious and natural than to supply a new subject to the second verb, “and none of them transgress it.” This anticipates, but only in form, the modern scientific doctrine of the inviolability of natural order. It is the imperishable ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**14-15. Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered, &c.--**Added to the terrible overthrow following his own sin, let there be the imputation of his parents' guilt, that it may now come before God, for His meting out its full consequences, in cutting off the memory of them (that is, the parents) from the earth (Psa 34:16).
Praise the LORD from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps:
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KJV Study Commentary
"Praise the LORD from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps." The call shifts from heaven (vv.1-6) to earth: <em>Halelu et YHWH min ha'aretz</em> (praise the LORD from the earth). <em>Eretz</em> (earth/land) encompasses terrestrial realm. <em>Tanninim v'khol tehomot</em> (dragons and all deeps). <em>Tannin</em> (dragon/sea monster/serpent) indicates large aquatic creatures—likely whales, sea serpen...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **Earth·**—The invocation now passes downwards, and the first sound of terrestrial praise is to come, according to the order of Creation in Genesis 1, from the sea-monsters (for which see Note, Psalm 74:13; Psalm 91:13), the “deeps” being added to include all great waters in which such creatures are found.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**14-15. Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered, &c.--**Added to the terrible overthrow following his own sin, let there be the imputation of his parents' guilt, that it may now come before God, for His meting out its full consequences, in cutting off the memory of them (that is, the parents) from the earth (Psa 34:16).
Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word:
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; stormy wind fulfilling his word:</strong> This verse catalogs atmospheric phenomena as agents executing divine commands. The Hebrew lists five weather elements: <strong>"fire"</strong> (<em>esh</em>, אֵשׁ, likely lightning), <strong>"hail"</strong> (<em>barad</em>, בָּרָד), <strong>"snow"</strong> (<em>sheleg</em>, שֶׁלֶג), <strong>"vapour"</strong> (<em>q...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **Fire.***—Lightning, *as in Psalm 18:12; Psalm 105:32. where it is also found with “hail.”
**Vapours.**—The same Hebrew word in Genesis 19:28 and Psalm 119:83 is rendered “smoke,” and from the use of the cognate verb is certainly connected with “burning.” Hence we probably have here the figure *chiasmus *(*fire *and hail, snow and *smoke*)*, *the smoke answering to the fire, as the snow to th...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
16. Let God remember guilt, because he (the wicked) did not remember mercy.
**poor and needy ... broken in heart--**that is, pious sufferer (Psa 34:18; 35:10; 40:17).
Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars:
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars:</strong> The psalm's summons to praise descends from atmospheric phenomena (v. 8) to terrestrial topography and vegetation. The Hebrew pairs large and small in parallel poetry: <strong>"mountains and all hills"</strong> (<em>heharim vekhol geva'ot</em>, הֶהָרִים וְכָל־גְּבָעוֹת) encompasses major peaks and minor elevations, while <s...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9) **Mountains, and all hills**.—The invocation now alights on the crests of the highest mountains, and passes downward to the lower hills where vegetable life begins.
**Fruitful trees.—**Rather, *fruit trees; *the fruit-bearing tree being representative of one division of the vegetable world, planted and reared by man, the cedars of the other, which are (Psalm 104:16) of God’s own plantation.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
17-19. Let his loved sin, cursing, come upon him in punishment (Psa 35:8), thoroughly fill him as water and oil, permeating to every part of his system (compare Nu 5:22-27), and become a garment and a girdle for a perpetual dress.
Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl: flying: Heb. birds of wing
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Beasts, and all cattle; creeping things, and flying fowl:</strong> The summons to praise extends to the animal kingdom, using four categories that recall Genesis 1:24-25's creation taxonomy. <strong>"Beasts"</strong> (<em>chayah</em>, חַיָּה) refers to wild animals, while <strong>"all cattle"</strong> (<em>vekhol behemah</em>, וְכָל־בְּהֵמָה) designates domesticated livestock. <strong>"Cre...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) So here we have *wild *animals and *domesticated *animals. (See Note, Psalm 50:10.)
**Creeping things.**—This seems to include all the smaller creatures that move on the ground, in contrast with the birds that fly above it.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
17-19. Let his loved sin, cursing, come upon him in punishment (Psa 35:8), thoroughly fill him as water and oil, permeating to every part of his system (compare Nu 5:22-27), and become a garment and a girdle for a perpetual dress.
Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth:
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Kings of the earth, and all people; princes, and all judges of the earth:</strong> The psalm's summons climaxes with humanity, specifically addressing political leadership. The Hebrew pairs rulers and subjects: <strong>"kings of the earth"</strong> (<em>malkhei-eretz</em>, מַלְכֵי־אֶרֶץ) and <strong>"princes"</strong> (<em>sarin</em>, שָׂרִים, leaders or officials), alongside <strong>"all ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **All people.**—And now the whole animate and inanimate universe having been summoned, man takes his place as leader of the choir; and here the poet’s language is couched so as to include all, all ranks and nations, of every age, and each sex.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
17-19. Let his loved sin, cursing, come upon him in punishment (Psa 35:8), thoroughly fill him as water and oil, permeating to every part of his system (compare Nu 5:22-27), and become a garment and a girdle for a perpetual dress.
Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children:
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Both young men, and maidens; old men, and children:</strong> The final category called to praise encompasses all humanity across age and gender. The Hebrew uses four groups in two pairs: <strong>"young men and maidens"</strong> (<em>bachurim vegam betulot</em>, בַּחוּרִים וְגַם־בְּתוּלוֹת) represents youth in their prime, while <strong>"old men and children"</strong> (<em>zeqenim im-ne'ari...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**20. Let this ... reward--**or, "wages," pay for labor, the fruit of the enemy's wickedness.
**from the Lord--**as His judicial act.
Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven. excellent: Heb. exalted
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KJV Study Commentary
This verse addresses earthly geography and geopolitical entities: 'Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven.' The verse commands mountains, hills, and perhaps (implied from the context) all geographical features to praise God. 'His name alone is excellent' (Hebrew 'shmo levado nisgav') asserts that God's reputation and character...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13) **Excellent.**—Rather, *exalted. *As in Isaiah 12:4. So LXX. and Vulg.
**Above the earth and heaven.—**There is a fine artistic touch in the order of the words in this. All *heaven *and *earth *have been summoned to the chorus of praise, of Him who is now declared to be above *earth *and *heaven.*
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**21-22. do ... for me--**that is, kindness.
**wounded--**literally, "pierced" (Psa 69:16, 29).
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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KJV Study Commentary
The final verse of Psalm 148 completes the cosmic scope and transitions toward the earthly realm: 'He also exalteth the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints. Praise ye the LORD.' The phrase 'exalteth the horn' (Hebrew 'vayarem keren') uses 'horn' as a biblical idiom for strength, power, and dignity. To exalt someone's 'horn' means to raise them from degradation to honor. 'Of his people...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **He hath . . .**—Render, *and he hath raised a horn for his people. Praise is for all His saints, for the sons of Israel, a people near Him.*
The raising of the horn evidently implies some victory, or assurance of victory, which, no doubt, gave the first impulse for this song of praise. (See Introduction). For the figure see Note, Psalm 75:4-5.
The verse is a repetition of a frequent stateme...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**21-22. do ... for me--**that is, kindness.
**wounded--**literally, "pierced" (Psa 69:16, 29).