Psalms 148 - Printer Friendly

The phrase halelu-yāh appears in Hebrew twenty-three times, all of which are in the book of psalms. The last five songs all begin and end with this term (Psalm 146—150). This psalm commands everything in creation to worship the Lord. This includes angels, stars, mountains, animals, and people of all ages.

God's creation includes angelic beings, stars, the moon, the sun, the sky, and the heavens. The Lord alone formed all of these. Since these are part of His creation, they should—at least symbolically (Habakkuk 2:11; Luke 19:37–40)—participate in giving Him honor (Psalm 148:1–6).

Likewise, every kind of animal, climate, and terrain depend on Him. The entire human race should be worshipping God. This includes people of every age and status, whether they are male or female, rich or poor, Only the Lord is worthy of this kind of praise (Psalm 72:18). His chosen people, Israel, have the most obvious reasons to honor His name (Psalm 148:7–14).

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.

Psalm 148:7–14 commands mountains, hills, animals, birds, kings, princes, rulers, and people of all ages to praise the name of the Lord. Only He is worthy of praise and honor, even more so because of what He has done on behalf of Isra-el.

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.

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).

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.

Accessed 3/30/2025 10:01:17 PM