Psalm 150

“The ancient editors, having chosen to represent the book of Psalms as above all Tehillim, songs of praise, by concluding the collection with six psalms of praise, now climactically set at the end this psalm that begins and ends with ‘hallelujah’” Alter, 515. God is praised “by every means (3-5) and from every person (6)” Motyer, 583. The verb praise is used 13 times in Psalm 150 and forms “a resounding doxological close to the Psalms” NICOT, 1009. There is little descriptive praise in the psalm.

The psalm answers five basic questions about praise:

1. Who is praised- vs. 1-6? Praising the LORD eliminates all other gods.

2. Where He is praised (vs. 1)?

3. Why He is praised (vs. 2)? He is praised for what He has done and who He is.

4. How He is praised (vss. 3-5)?

5. By whom He is praised (vs. 6)? Willis, vol. 1, 43-44.

“Between the opening and closing of this inclusio, there are five bicola that conclude with a climactic monocolon. Both cola of the five bicola begins with halelu yah, while the monocolon concludes with the phrase. Thus, the psalmist instructs his hearers presumably fellow worshippers, thirteen times in as many cola praise the Lord” Longman, 476-477.

Praise Him according to His excellent greatness- 145:3

Vs. 3-5 “describe the method by which the worshippers are to offer praise” NICOT, 1009.

150:3 Praise Him with trumpet sound-. “The most complete list of musical instruments used in Israel’s worship to be found anywhere in the OT is given here. Perhaps each group began to play upon their instruments at the time they were announced, so that the effect would be an ever-increasing chorus of praise” Miller, 454.

“The trumpet here is the Hebrew shophar, the ram’s horn or goat’s horn, not to be confused with the silver trumpet (Num. 10:2). The shophar might be used for giving signals (cf. Judges 3:27; I Kings 1:34, 39; Isa. 18:3), but was also employed in worship (cf, 47:5-7; 98:6). The silver trumpets were blown by the priests in the worship assemblies (cf. Num. 10:10; I Chron. 15:24; 16:6, 42; II Chron. 5:12; 29:26). The sophar was apparently generally not used in conjunction with other instruments except to increase their noise (I Chron. 15:28; II Chron. 15:14). Apparently the sophar was not generally blown by laymen (but see II Kings 11:14; II Chron. 23:13)” Miller, 454-455.

Praise Him with harp and lyre- Ps. 33:2 The word translated harp “is a stringed instrument made of wood, with gut strings which were plucked with the hand, or an instrument of ivory or metal” Miller, 455. The word lyre “is a small stringed instrument which was portable (137:2)” Miller, 455.

150:4 Praise Him with timbrel and dancing- Ps. 149:3 “The timbrel is a percussion instrument

150:5 Praise Him with loud cymbals-

“The Levites played the harps (nebhalim), lyres, and cymbals (I Chron. 15:16; II Chron. 29:25). Whether the other instruments were restricted to priests and Levites is not clear” Miller, 455.

In the OT, instrumental music was played at the coronation of a king (I Kings 1:34, 39-42; II Kings 9:13; Ps. 47:5; 98:6). They played at feasts (Ps. 81:3; Num. 10:1-10). They were sounded at battles (Hos. 5:8). They were used in temple worship (II Chron. 29:25)- VanGemeren, 879-880. Passages in the Psalms- 33:2; 43:4; 47:5; 49:4; 57:8; 68:24-25; 71:22; 81:2-3; 92:3; 98:5-6; 108:2; 137:2; 144:9; 147:7; 149:3; 150:3-5.

149:1 Praise the LORD!- This begins with an imperative that calls to praise God.

Sing to the LORD a new song- Ps. 33:3; 40:3; 96:1-22; 98:1-3; 144:9-10; Isa. 42:10; Rev. 5:9; 14:3. “A new song is a hymn of victory sung after God had made all things new by His defeat of the forces of evil” Longman, 475. The songs “refers to the beginning of a new era, a new epoch in history” NICOT, 1006. They sing recognizing their victories and successes are His work. Psalms 144 and 149 are linked by reference to the new song. “In a real sense, then, Psalm 149 completes the movement of transferring the Davidic theology to the whole people” McCann, 1274.

And His praise in the congregation of the godly ones- Godly ones are mentioned in vs. 5, 9.

“The phrase is equivalent to ‘congregation of the righteous’ (1:5)” VanGemeren, 876. This phrase seems to be used interchangeably with Israel (vs. 2), sons of Zion (vs. 2), His people (vs. 4), afflicted ones (vs. 4), godly ones (vs. 5). “These various designations make a colorful mosaic of the salvific relationship between the LORD and His people…The former use of the assembly (qahal) as a denotation of Israel in the wilderness (cf. Num. 14:5; 20:4, 6) is narrowed to a specific group within Israel, also known as ‘the humble’ (Ps. 9:12) or ‘the people of Zion’” VanGemeren, 876.

149:2 Let Israel be glad in his Maker- 95:6 “Then three verses follow which invite them (Let…Hb. Jussive or wish, vv. 2-3, 5 to perform His praise with joy” Broyles, 517.

The LORD as Israel’s Maker is stressed in Isa. 45:1; 51:11-12; 54:5; Ps. 95:6. “His Maker is plural in Hebrew, a plural of intensity or majesty” Miller, 452.

Let the sons of Zion rejoice in their King- The phrase sons of Zion is used in Lam. 4:2; Joel 2:23. God is viewed as the people’s King in Ps. 145:1. “Within 146-150 only 149:2 describes the Lord as King to whom (vs. 8) the kings submit. Thus, the psalm takes the metaphor of kingship seriously, including the extenstion of the kingdom by force of arms. But it is just a metaphor, just as Isa. 9:4, 5, 7 militarism is metaphorical of the extension of the kingdom of peace as in Acts 15:14-18. Amos’ picture of Gentiles subservience to David is metaphorical of the spreading the gospel” Motyer, 583.

The words be glad and rejoice are sometimes used together for the people’s attitude toward God- Ps. 32:11. In contrast, the Babylonians use these words of their god- Hab. 1:15.

“He deserves Israel’s praise because He is their Maker and King” Longman, 475. “As their ‘Maker’ He has elected, redeemed, and fashioned the descendants of Jacob (95:6; 100:3; Isa. 44:21; 51:13) into a coming characterized by holiness and royalty (cf. Ex. 19:5-6)” VanGemeren, 876.

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Psalm 148

“The whole creation, animate and inanimate, is called upon to praise God” Miller, 450. “The poem expressed a grand cosmic vision” Alter, 509. “This hymn of praise consists almost entirely of imperative calls to praise” Broyles, 515. “’Praise the LORD’ occurs twelve times in Psalm 148” NICOT, 1002.

“The psalm is naturally divined into two parts by the poetic structure. First, the summons goes out to praise the Lord from the heavens (vs. 1) and then from the earth (vs. 7). Next, in each section certain persons and things which inhabit the heavens (vss. 1b-4) and the earth (vss. 7b-12) are addressed in the second person and exhorted to praise God. Finally, in each section a partial refrain is uttered in the third person in which reasons for praising God are stated (vss. 5-6, 13-14). The psalmist moves from conscious (vs. 2) to unconscious (vss. 3-4) praise and then from unconscious (vss. 7b-10) to conscious praise (vss. 11-12)” Miller, 450. “This psalm rather regards worship as virtually inherent in the world’s structures” NICOT, 1004.

“Psalm 148 displays the typical structure of a song of praise- invitation to praise followed by reasons for praise” McCann, 1271.

1. Hallelujah, praise Jehovah,

From the heavens praise His name;

Praise Jehovah in the highest,

All His angels praise proclaim.

All His hosts together praise Him,

Sun, and moon, and stars on high;

Praise Him, O ye heav'n of heavens,

And ye floods above the sky.

Refrain:

Let them praises give Jehovah,

For His name alone is high,

And His glory is exalted,

And His glory is exalted,

And His glory is exalted,

Far above the earth and sky.

2. Let them praises give Jehovah,

They were made at His command,

Them forever He established;

His decree shall ever stand.

From the earth, oh, praise Jehovah,

All ye floods, ye dragons all;

Fire, and hail, and snow, and vapors,

Stormy winds that hear His call.

Refrain:

Let them praises give Jehovah,

For His name alone is high,

And His glory is exalted,

And His glory is exalted,

And His glory is exalted,

Far above the earth and sky

3. All ye fruitful trees and cedars,

All ye hills and mountains high,

Creeping things, and beasts, and cattle,

Birds that in the heavens fly.

Kings of earth, and all ye people,

Princes great, earth's judges all,

Praise His name, young men and maidens,

Aged men and children small.

Refrain:

Let them praises give Jehovah,

For His name alone is high,

And His glory is exalted,

And His glory is exalted,

And His glory is exalted,

Far above the earth and sky

Jesus and Psalm 148

“The intimate turn taken by the psalm at its close reminds the Christian of the progression from old song to new in Rev. 4:11; 5:9ff.” Laymen, 701.

In Rev. 5:8-14 ever increasing numbers are praising the one on the throne and the Lamb.

148:2 The angels praise Him- Luke 2:13-14

148:8 The stormy wind shows God’s power and Jesus controlled the winds and waves- Matt. 8:23-27; Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25.

All nature proclaims the identity of Jesus- Luke 19:39-40.

148:11-12 Kings, princes, judges bowed before Him- Matt. 2:1-12.

148:14 Kidner, 488, regards raising up a horn as a Messianic prophecy- Luke 1:69.