What does Psalm 148:1 mean?
ESV: Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights!
NIV: Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights above.
NASB: Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; Praise Him in the heights!
CSB: Hallelujah! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights.
NLT: Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens! Praise him from the skies!
KJV: Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the Lord from the heavens: praise him in the heights.
NKJV: Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; Praise Him in the heights!
Verse Commentary:
Verse Context:
Psalm 148:1–6 calls on all created beings and everything in the sky and above it to praise the Lord. They have good reason to praise God because He created and established them by divine decree.
Chapter Summary:
The psalmist calls on all of creation to worship and honor the Lord God. From heaven, angels should give Him praise. The stars, moon, sun, and planets should do the same. Every climate and terrain of earth, as well as every type of creature, should worship Him. People of all nations—including rulers, young, and old—are called to praise. Besides all this, the Lord is worthy of praise from His chosen people.
Chapter Context:
The final five psalms in this book (Psalms 146—150) all begin and end with the Hebrew phrase halelu-yāh. This literally means "praise the Lord!" and is typically written in English as "hallelujah!" The song echoes other psalms' references to God as the Creator (Psalm 19:1; 90:2; 95:4–5) and Savior (Psalm 3:8; 25:5; 119:123). Other Scriptures use the idea of unliving objects praising the Lord to make various points (Habakkuk 2:11; Luke 19:37–40).
Book Summary:
The book of Psalms is composed of individual songs, hymns, or poems, each of which is a ''Psalm'' in and of itself. These works contain a wide variety of themes. Some Psalms focus on praising and worshipping God. Others cry out in anguish over the pain of life. Still other Psalms look forward to the coming of the Messiah. While some Psalms are related, each has its own historical and biblical context.
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Text from ESV, NIV, NASB, CSB, NLT, KJV, NKJV © Copyright respective owners, used by permission.
