Bible Commentaries:What does Psalm chapter 148 mean?
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).
What does Psalm chapter 148 mean?
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).
