Psalm 148 – Psalms of praise
Content:
Target year level: Year Four
Scripture text
Psalm 148
Praise for God’s Universal Glory
1 Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from the heavens;
praise him in the heights!
2 Praise him, all his angels;
praise him, all his host!
3 Praise him, sun and moon;
praise him, all you shining stars!
4 Praise him, you highest heavens,
and you waters above the heavens!
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for he commanded and they were created.
6 He established them forever and ever;
he fixed their bounds, which cannot be passed.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth,
you sea monsters and all deeps,
8 fire and hail, snow and frost,
stormy wind fulfilling his command!
9 Mountains and all hills,
fruit trees and all cedars!
10 Wild animals and all cattle,
creeping things and flying birds!
11 Kings of the earth and all peoples,
princes and all rulers of the earth!
12 Young men and women alike,
old and young together!
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord,
for his name alone is exalted;
his glory is above earth and heaven.
14 He has raised up a horn for his people,
praise for all his faithful,
for the people of Israel who are close to him.
Praise the Lord!
New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
Introduction
A psalm is a sacred song or hymn. The Book of Psalms in the Old Testament contains a variety of such songs and hymns. The 149/150 psalms in the Book of Psalms may be classified as:
- songs of praise;
- songs of Zion;
- psalms of Yahweh’s enthronement;
- psalms of lament and complaint;
- royal psalms;
- thanksgiving psalms;
- wisdom psalms
- and a number of smaller psalm genres and mixed types.
For more detailed information see Literary Structure of the Psalms.
Psalms differ, mostly by one digit between the Hebrew (Masoretic) and Greek (Septuagint) texts of the Bible. This can sometimes cause confusion in reading Psalms in different English Bible translations.
For further information see Psalms Numbering.
It is worth noting that a number of psalms focus on wisdom and thus have an affinity with the Wisdom literature of the Bible. For further information see the Teacher Background information, Wisdom Literature in the Bible.
World behind the text
The psalms were composed over a lengthy period of 500 years or more. When the psalms are read as a whole, the reader can imagine a wide range of situations in the individual and collective lives of the People of Israel out of which the composition of individual psalms arose and for which they were composed. Gatherings for worship, for prayer, for the celebration of festivals, for processions, for religious sacrifices, for times of harvest, for occasions of victory and defeat, for triumph and defeat in battle, for the ordinary joys, sorrows, certainties and doubts of ordinary life - these form the world behind the texts of the psalms.
For further information see Psalms Composition and Background.
World of the text
The psalms have always been much loved among both Jews and Christians. In part, this is because they use the literary techniques associated with poetry and with song writing to engage those who pray the psalms; read the psalms and sing, chant and recite psalms in various settings for prayer and worship.
For further information see Psalms Literary Techniques.
The psalms also have a resonance throughout the Bible both in texts in the Old Testament and New Testament. Psalm 148 can be conveniently divided in two parts. Part One, vv. 1-6, focuses on ‘heaven’ and Part Two, vv. 7-14, focuses on ‘earth’. The scripture scholar, Michael Fallon, indicates the connection between the text of Psalm 148 and other biblical texts at Commentary Psalm 148 (pdf).
Psalm 148 can be thought of as a hymn to creation. As such, Psalm 148 is understood in relation to the Creation Stories in Genesis 1:1-2:25 and to biblical themes linked to the universe as created by God. For further information see Creation Themes in the Bible (pdf)
World in front of the text
The Church holds in high regard the praying of the psalms as a vital form of its public prayer. The psalms can be prayed and sung during significant liturgies and/or personally in more informal prayer modes. The ‘Prayer of the Church’ is the praying of a collection of psalms, namely the Divine Office. The Divine Office and its various forms are prayed daily by priests and religious. These psalms are said or sung in chorus privately or in common. Lay people are also encouraged to pray and/or sing the Divine Office in different forms and contexts as in Chapter 4, Nos. 83-101 Vatican II Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy.
The world in front of the text also encompasses the ways in which the texts in the Book of Psalms have been utilised in the life and worship of both Jews and Christians in a variety of settings. For further information see Psalms in Christian and Jewish Life and Worship.
Finally, Psalm 148 is an inspiration for Christians today as they work with all people of good will in developing a contemporary creation theology faithful to biblical understandings and promoting sustainability and ecological stewardship .