Psalms 148King James Version
Praise ye the Lord from the heavens. Praise him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light. Praise him from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps. Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars. Creeping things, and flying fowl. Kings of the earth, and all people. Let them praise the name of the Lord.
A creation praise psalm calling every layer of the cosmos to praise. Praise him from the heavens: angels, hosts, sun, moon, stars, heavens of heavens, waters above the heavens. Praise him from the earth: sea creatures, fire, hail, snow, vapour, stormy wind, mountains, hills, fruitful trees, cedars, beasts, cattle, creeping things, flying fowl. Then: kings, princes, judges, young men, maidens, old men, children. Let them praise the name of the LORD, for his name alone is excellent.
Praise ascends from every level of creation simultaneously: not one level waiting for another but a simultaneous chorus from the highest heaven to the smallest creeping thing.
verse: "Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created." The basis of praise is creation itself: they exist because he spoke, and that is sufficient reason.
No superscription. Fourth of the closing Hallel. The systematic progression from heaven to earth (upper creation first, then lower) mirrors Genesis 1's creation order. The final two verses (vv13-14) concentrate the cosmic praise onto the specific covenant people, creating the connection between universal creation praise and particular redemption praise.
Every layer of creation addressed: angels, hosts, celestial bodies, atmospheric elements, geographical features, animals, birds, every class of human being. No single individual; all creation as choir.
Psalm 148 is the most comprehensive liturgical call to cosmic praise in the Bible. Francis of Assisi's Canticle of the Creatures is directly inspired by this psalm. Revelation 5:13 echoes it ('every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea'). The psalm pushes every natural feature toward doxology.
For when the scope of what you want to express in praise exceeds anything you can say yourself. The psalm says: let everything say it with you.
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.