PSALM 150 COMMENTARYWritten and edited by Glenn Pease

PREFACE

As in all my commentaries I quote many old and contemporary authors. Some that I

think are the best I quote often and sometimes at length. This is a good hint to look

them up, for they may have other studies that are equally valuable. Sometimes I do

not have the name of the author, and if anyone knows the author and lets me know I

will give credit where it is due. If anyone does not want their words quoted in this

commentary they can let me know, and I will delete it. My e-mail is

glenn_p86@yahoo.com

INTRODUCTION

1. Dr. Paul Choo, “The Book of Psalms was the hymnal of the Jews. The first and

last psalms are both short 6-verse psalms. The first teaches us of our duties to study

His Word and the last teaches us to praise Him - thus implying that as we get to

know Him through His Word, we will end up praising Him. This progression from

duty to praise also reflects a Christian's life-journey - from one that is primarily of

duty (on earth) to one of praise (in heaven). Psalm 150 is the "grand finale" of the

five "Hallelujah Psalms" (Psalms 146-150) and contains 13 hallelujahs! Though no

new truth is taught in each subsequent verse, it is the grandest and most intense of

all the psalms.”

2. The Psalms as a whole, and this one in particular make the following outline

perpetually relevant.

WE ARE CREATED TO PRAISE

WE ARE COMMANDED TO PRAISE

WE ARE COMPELLED TO PRAISE

WE ARE COMPLETED BY PRAISE

2B. This outline fits the present Psalm perfectly:

The Sphere of Praise-terrestrial and celestral

The Subjects of Praise-God’s acts and attributes

The Symphony of Praise-eight instruments and dance

The Singers of Praise-universal

2C. Another unknown author gives us this breakdown which answers all the basic

questions: “An analysis of the Psalm reveals that the Psalmist tells who is to be

praised: “Praise the LORD” (v. 1); next, the Psalmist reveals why He is to be

praised: “Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness”

(v. 2); then, who is to praise Him: “Let everything that has breath praise the

LORD” (v. 6). And, finally, How should God be praised? The Psalmist does not

leave this to the imagination. He tells how he is to be praised—the LORD is to be

praised with music (vv. 3-5).

3. Spurgeon, “ We have now reached the last summit of the mountain chain of

Psalms. It rises high into the clear azure, and its brow is bathed in the sunlight of

the eternal world of worship, it is a rapture. The poet prophet is full of inspiration

and enthusiasm. He stays not to argue, to teach, to explain; but cries with burning

words, "Praise him, Praise him, Praise ye the LORD."

4. “Each of the last five Psalms begins and ends with Hallelujah! Praise ye the Lord.

And each Psalm increases in praise, love, and joy, unto the last, which is praise

celebrating its ecstasy. The elect soul, the heir of God, becomes "eaten up" with the

love of God. He begins every sentence with Hallelujah; and his sentences are very

short, for he is in haste to utter his next Hallelujah, and his next, and his next. He is

as one out of breath with enthusiasm, or as one on tiptoe, in the act of rising from

earth to heaven. The greatest number of words between any two Hallelujahs is four,

and that only once: in every other instance, between one Hallelujah and another

there are but two words. It is as though the soul gave utterance to its whole life and

feeling in the one word, Hallelujah! The words, "Praise ye the Lord!" or "Praise

him!" "Praise him!" "Praise him!" are reiterated no fewer than twelve times in a

short Psalm of six short verses. --John Pulsford, in "Quiet Hours", 1857.

5. Steven Cole, “The theme of praise has dominated all the psalms, but as the end

approaches, the “conductor” brings in each section of the orchestra in one grand

finale of praise. Psalm 150 is the climax of the climax, where we are exhorted 13

times in six short verses to praise the Lord. It is telling us that ...God’s people should

be caught up with praising Him.”

1. Praise the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary;

praise him in his mighty heavens.

1. This is clearly a praise Psalm, for every verse in it has the word praise. In this

verse we see it three times. The focus is upward to God's sanctuary in the mighty

heavens. It is a looking up song, and you can imagine a congregation gazing up in

wonder at the awesomeness of God's throne that sit far above the highest heavens.

God has his sanctuary up there where all the angelic host sing his praises day and

night. He is worshiped in a sanctuary larger than all earthly sanctuaries put

together, and with an angelic choir larger than all the singers who have ever sang in

a choir on earth.

1B. Some see the sanctuary as the earthly temple. “In verse 1, we are told to praise

God in His sanctuary and in the sky, His stronghold. Other versions use His holy

place and the expanse of His might; his temple and heaven, his mighty fortress; his

Temple and his mighty heaven. There are numerous variations of these terms. One

version defines temple as a building where people worship. It further states that

God told the Jewish people to worship him at the Temple in Jerusalem. We are told

to worship God in His earthly dwelling and in His heavenly dwelling. Since we

cannot praise Him in heaven during our lifetime, we can praise Him throughout His

creation. After we are resurrected, we can praise Him in heaven. Here is a hint of

eschatology. Our praise is not limited to our presence in a synagogue or a church

when the saints meet. If we are in a place where we feel that we cannot worship

God, we probably should not be there. The question "Where?" is answered in this

verse.” author unknown

1C. Brian Bill, “Verse 1 begins with a bang: “Praise the Lord. Praise God in His

sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty heavens.” The word used here for “Lord” is

“Jehovah,” which means, “the self-existent and eternal one.” The psalmist than

shifts his focus to another name and calls him, “God” or “El” in Hebrew, which

means, “Strong and mighty.”

1D. Warren Wiersbe, “Who is it that we praise? "Praise the Lord" (v. 1)--not the

church, not the preacher, but the Lord. Our problem is that we often don't see the

Lord. We look at gifts or lack of gifts from God. We say, "Why didn't the Lord do

this, or why wasn't it done differently?" We don't really see Him. Let's get beyond

the gift to the Giver. Let's get beyond the blessing to the Blesser. Let's praise the

Lord. "Rejoice in the Lord," Paul said. "Again I will say, rejoice!” Phil. 4:4

2. Pope John Paul II gave an address on this Psalm, and he said, “The first place

where the musical and prayerful theme unfolds is the "sanctuary" (see verse 1). The

Hebrew original speaks of the "sacred" area, pure and transcendent, in which God

dwells. It is, therefore, a reference to the celestial and paradisaical horizon where, as

the Book of Revelation will specify, the eternal and perfect liturgy of the Lamb is

celebrated (see, for example, Revelation 5:6-14). The mystery of God, in which the

saints are gathered for a full communion, is an ambit of light and joy, of revelation

and love. Not accidentally, although with a certain liberty, the old Greek translation

of the Septuagint and the same Latin translation of the Vulgate proposed the word

"saints" instead of "sanctuary": "Praise the Lord in his saints."

2B. Victor Shepherd, “When we praise God we open our hearts to God. In that

moment we are joined with the hosts of heaven. Now stick with me I am going to get

a little theological here. John said he saw the elders in heaven praising God and

each had a harp and a bowl of incense that is the prayers of the saints. In other

words when we praise God here on hearth the "sound" of that goes to heaven and

joins with the praise of the angels and the saints in heaven, just as the smoke from

those bowls of incense in Revelation went up. In a sense praise opens the gates of

heaven. When we praise God here on earth, we are also before the throne of God in

heaven. In praise, pure adoration of God, heaven and earth intersect. And we,

without leaving the building are at that same moment in heaven.”

2C. We think of a sanctuary as a church or temple, and God is certainly to be

praised there, but here sanctuary is parallel to his mighty heavens. It is the common

way of the Psalms to state the same thing twice with different words that mean the

same thing, and so sanctuary in this context means the mighty heavens. It could be

an exhortation to the angelic choir to praise, but they need no such encouragement

to do so, and so it is for worshipers on earth to focus on the God who made and

dwells in the vast heavens, and to praise him as Creator and Lord. Calvin thought

so, and he wrote, “By the sanctuary there is little doubt that heaven is here meant, as

is often the case elsewhere. The second clause is exegetical, for the same thing is

repeated. But for sanctuary we read רקיע, rekia, that is, the expanse of heaven, to

which is added the epithet of power, because there we have a proof of the matchless

power of God, so that we cannot look to the heavens without being lost in

admiration.”

3. In the light of that, God does not even need us to praise him on earth, for he has

praise that it enormous and endless already, and has had it long before man was

even created. God does not need our praise, but we need to praise him for our own

sakes. The praise of God adds nothing to him, but it adds a great deal to us who do

the praising, for when you praise God it increases your faith and love, and all of the

Christian virtues. Praise is good for the soul, for it increases in us all that is good

and godlike. God is pleased with our praise, not because he needs it, but he knows

we need it, and he is pleased with the benefits we are reaping be being a praising

people.

3B. Dick Peirce, “C.S. Lewis used to be bothered by this idea of praising God. He

wondered why God wanted to be praised – did God have a low sense of self-worth

that needed reassuring by praise? Was God some ego maniac that loved to see

people bowing before God? But finally Lewis realized that God wants us to worship

and praise God because when we do, something happens inside US, not God. It’s in

the process of worshiping that God’s presence is communicated to us. As we

worship and praise we stop being preoccupied with ourselves and turn to focus on

God. And when we do we are open to experiencing God’s loving presence, a

powerful force that reaches deep into the center of our souls, and heals us at our

core!”

3C. Johnny Carver, “Praise lifts our eyes from the CONFLICT to the CONQUEST

as we look to Jesus, our MIGHTY CONQUEROR. Nothing so MULTIPLIES Faith

as Praising God. Praise is Faith in ACTION! Praise DRAWS our attention away

from circumstances and focuses our eyes on our MIGHTY God who causes all

things to work together for our good and His Glory.”

3D. Adrian Pratt, “The whole world is full of Praise. Lovers praise their loved ones.

Players praise their favorite games. People praise the weather, praise food, praise

wine, praise places and times. Praise flows out of their enjoyment of life. To be

around them is infectious. They urge us to join in with them. "Isn’t she lovely",

"Wasn’t that brilliant", "Wow, that was really something". People can’t help

praising things that they love and count as valuable.

God demands our praise, not because He would be inadequate without it. But

because it is ultimately in praising God that the meaning of the world is fulfilled. In

praise our hearts are lifted to God. We praise God because of the wonderful things

that God has done and because the correct response to amazing things is praise. Our

lives are incomplete without praising God. To fail to do so is to miss out on

something special. Psalm 150 is a call to Praise God.”

4. Calvin, “That the majesty of God may be duly reverenced, the Psalmist

represents him as presiding on his throne in the heavens; and he enlarges upon the

same truth in the second verse, celebrating his power and his greatness, which he

had brought under our notice in the heavens, which are a mirror in which they may

be seen. If we would have our minds kindled, then, to engage in this religious

service, let us meditate upon his power and greatness, which will speedily dispel all

such insensibility. Though our minds can never take in this immensity, the mere

taste of it will deeply affect us. And God will not reject such praises as we offer

according to our capacity.”

5. Spurgeon, “Praise ye the LORD. Hallelujah! The exhortation is to all things in

earth or in heaven. Should they not all declare the glory of him for whose glory they

are, and were created? Jehovah, the one God, should be the one object of adoration.

To give the least particle of his honor to another is shameful treason; to refuse to

render it to him is heartless robbery.

Praise God in his sanctuary. Praise El, or the strong one, in his holy place. See how

power is mentioned with holiness in this change of names. Praise begins at home.

"In God's own house pronounce his praise." The holy place should be filled with

praise, even as of old the high priest filled the sanctum sanctorum with the smoke of

sweet smelling incense. In his church below and in his courts above hallelujahs

should be continually presented. In the person of Jesus God finds a holy dwelling or

sanctuary, and there he is greatly to be praised. He may also be said to dwell in

holiness, for all his ways are right and good; for this we ought to extol him with

heart and with voice. Whenever we assemble for holy purposes our main work

should be to present praises unto the Lord our God.”

6. Henry, “Verse 1. Praise ye the Lord. Praise God with a strong faith; praise him

with holy love and delight; praise him with an entire confidence in Christ; praise

him with a believing triumph over the powers of darkness; praise him with an

earnest desire towards him, and a full satisfaction in him; praise him by a universal

respect to all his commands; praise him by a cheerful submission to all his disposals;

praise him by rejoicing in his love, and solacing yourselves in his great goodness;

praise him by promoting the interests of the kingdom of his grace; praise him by a

lively hope and expectation of the kingdom of his glory.”

7. Henry goes on, “The psalmist had been himself full of the praises of God, and

here he would fain fill all the world with them: again and again he calls, "Praise the

Lord, praise him, praise him," no less than thirteen times in these six short verses.

He shows, I. For what, and upon what account, God is to be praised (Psalms

150:1,2), II. How, and with what expressions of joy, God is to be praised, Psalms

150:3-5. III. Who must praise the Lord; it is every one's business, Psalms 150:6. In

singing this psalm we should endeavor to get our hearts much affected with the

perfections of God and the praises with which he is and shall be for ever attended,

throughout all ages, world without end.”

8. Dr. Robert Morris, “It is said that there are three words that are understood in

every language on the face of the globe: Amen, Alleluia, and Coca Cola. I want to

look this morning at the word “Alleluia.” It is a Hebrew word, in fact a fusion of two

Hebrew words: Hallelujah is an imperative meaning "praise ye," and Yah, that

suffix on the end, is a contraction of the name for God, Jehovah. So Alleluia means

"praise ye the Lord." In Old Testament times it was often used as a liturgical

response in worship. If you examine the five concluding songs in the Psalter, you'll

see that each of these psalms begins and ends with the same liturgical refrain,

“Alleluia.” You could say these five psalms constitute a kind of biblical equivalent of

the “Alleluia Chorus," for this word of praise keeps recurring again and again.”

9. Steven Cole, “The “mighty expanse” (“firmament”) refers to the heavens, and is a

call to all of the heavenly hosts to praise God. Thus the psalmist is saying, “Praise

God everywhere! Praise Him on the earth! Praise Him in the heavens!” Derek

Kidner writes, God’s “glory fills the universe; His praise must do no less”

10. Jack Hayford, “Paul E. Billheimer wrote, "Mrs. Frances Metcalf, in her little

book Making His Praise Glorious, has called attention to the passages of Scripture

which inform us that God's dwelling place is "between the cherubim": Psalm 80:1,

99:1, and Isaiah 37:16. While these passages refer to the cherubim covering the Ark

of the Covenant, those cherubim are only an earthly reflection of the heavenly

reality. They take their significance from the cherubim which surround the throne

of the majesty on high, who rest not day and night, saying "Holy, holy, holy, Lord

God Almighty." God dwells in an aura, an atmosphere, an enthronement of praise.

Praise and His presence have a mutual affinity. Although God is omnipresent, He is

not everywhere present in benign influence. Where there is joyful praise, there He

is dynamically and benevolently active. In Psalm 22:3 we are told that God

"inhabits the praises" of His people. This means that wherever there is adoration,

reverence, and acceptable worship and praise, there He identifies and openly

manifests His presence. And His presence always expels Satan. Satan cannot

operate in the divine ambiance. For years many have known that praise is power

without fully understanding why. May this not be the explanation? Is it not a

convincing rationale for praise? In short, Satan is allergic to praise, so where there

is massive, triumphant praise, Satan is paralyzed, bound, and banished. The secret

of overcoming faith, therefore, is praise. It was James who said, "Resist the devil,

and he will flee from you" (Jas. 4:7). Since praise produces the atmosphere in

which the Divine Presence resides, it is the most effective shield against Satan and

satanic attack. Because praise is anathema to Satan, it is the most powerful defense,

the most devastating weapon in conflict with him.”

2. Praise him for his acts of power;

praise him for his surpassing greatness.

1. Here again we see the parallel statements of acts of power and his surpassing

greatness. His greatness is seen in his acts of power that no person or natural power

could possibly achieve. David knows the history of God's miracles in delivering

Israel over and over by his mighty acts. He is worthy of praise just because of the

many miracles he performed to save his people in the past.

1B. Gill, “Praise him for his mighty acts…The creation of all things out of nothing;

the sustaining of all beings; the government of the world; the redemption of man by

Christ, and the wonderful works done by him on earth; the work of grace upon the

hearts of his people, and the preservation of them in grace to glory;”

2. An unknown author makes an interesting point here: “There is a very important

lesson here. Many people think gratitude is the same as praise. And yes, gratitude is

often expressed as praise. But do we stop praising God when we seem to have

nothing to thank Him for, when He seems to withhold His blessings, when His divine

face seems to be set against us? Does that make God less praiseworthy? Of course

not! In other words, God is to be praised simply because He is God, because of Who

He is, quite apart from anything that He does for me.” In other words God is a

being worthy of praise just because of who he is regardless of what he does, but in

this context we see it is what he does that is the focus of this verse. His acts of power

like diving the water so Israel could cross over and escape the Egyptian army, and

the walls of Jericho tumbling down without an arrow shot, or a battering ram used.

These types of acts of power give a good reason to be always in a praising mood.

3. Spurgeon, “Praise him for his mighty acts. Here is a reason for praise. In these

deeds of power we see himself. These doings of his omnipotence are always on behalf

of truth and righteousness. His works of creation, providence, and redemption, all

call for praise; they are his acts, and his acts of might, therefore let him be praised

for them. Praise him according to his excellent greatness. His being is unlimited, and

his praise should correspond therewith. He possesses a multitude or a plenitude of

greatness, and therefore he should be greatly praised. There is nothing little about

God, and there is nothing great apart from him. If we were always careful to make

our worship fit and appropriate for our great Lord how much better should we

sing! How much more reverently should we adore! Such excellent deeds should have

excellent praise.”

4. The unknown poet,however, calls our attention to the daily acts of power that

make God worthy of our daily acts of praise.

Praise! Praise! Praise!

Praise to God for His fair morning light!

Praise for the love that kept us through the night!

Praise for the power that guides the world aright!

And Praise, Praise, Praise, for His good gift of sight!

5. Brian Bill combines a focus on both the trivial and the tremendous things to be

praising God for in this verse. He wrote, “We’re called to rave about God for at

least two reasons. First, we praise Him for what He does. We see this in the first part

of verse 2: “Praise Him for His acts of power.” This is the theme of many of the

psalms. The phrase, “acts of power” carries with it the idea of God as a champion

because of the victory He has won. His acts of power are displayed in creation and

in our own lives as we enjoy the benefits of His grace, forgiveness, and salvation.

Some of you have great reason to praise the Lord for some recent ways in which He

has demonstrated His acts of power in your life. You’ve seen Him restore a

relationship, give you victory over a sin, renew your health, or answer a specific

prayer request. You’re praising Him today for what He’s done in your life and you

should. But, we’re also to praise Him for who He is in the second part of verse 2:

“Praise Him for His surpassing greatness.” This is especially evident in the last

group of praise psalms. Psalm 145:3 says, “Great is the Lord and most worthy of

praise; His greatness no one can fathom.” Psalm 147:5: “Great is our Lord and

mighty in power; His understanding has no limit.” When we praise God for who He

is, we are recognizing his surpassing greatness, or as the Hebrew indicates, for His

“muchness of greatness and abundant magnitude.”

6. Gill gives us some of the mighty acts of God for which praise shall never cease in

heaven or on earth. He wrote, “Praise him for his mighty acts…The creation of all

things out of nothing; the sustaining of all beings; the government of the world; the

redemption of man by Christ, and the wonderful works done by him on earth; the

work of grace upon the hearts of his people, and the preservation of them in grace to

glory; praise him according to his excellent greatness; or, "according to the

multitude of his greatness"; which appears in his nature, perfections, and work, and

these both of providence and grace; and in proportion hereunto, and according to

the abilities of creatures, angels, and men, is he to be praised; which is giving him

the honor due unto his name; see (Psalms 96:8) (106:2) .”

7. “The reasons of that praise which it becomes all intelligent creatures, and

especially redeemed men, to render to Jehovah, are here assigned. We are to praise

Jehovah "in his sanctuary", in the place where his glory dwells, where his holiness

shines forth with ineffable splendor; we are to praise him in the wide expanse over

which he has spread the tokens of his power, whether in the heaven above, or in the

earth beneath; we are to praise him for those omnipotent acts whereby he hath

shown himself to be above all gods; we are to praise him in a manner suited to the

excellent majesty of a Being whom all the heavens adore, and who is wonderful in

counsel and excellent in working. His holiness, the infinity of his operations, the

miraculous power which he has displayed, the unspotted excellence of his

administration, call for loudest songs of praise from all whose reason enables them

to rise to the contemplation of the great Supreme.” --John Morison.

8. Joseph Caryl, “...when the Scripture saith, "God is great", this positive is to be

taken as a superlative. "God is great", that is, he is greatest, he is greater than all;

so great that all persons and all things are little, yea, nothing before him. Isaiah

40:15: "Behold, the nations are (to him but) as a drop of a bucket, and are counted

as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing.

And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt

offering. All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less

than nothing, and vanity." How great is God, in comparison of whom the greatest

things are little things, yea, the greatest things are nothing!”

9. Henry, “Praise him according to his excellent greatness, according to the

multitude of his magnificence (so Dr. Hammond reads it); not that our praises can

bear any proportion to God's greatness, for it is infinite, but, since he is greater than

we can express or conceive, we must raise our conceptions and expressions to the

highest degree we can attain to. Be not afraid of saying too much in the praises of

God, as we often do in praising even great and good men. We cannot speak

hyperbolically of God; all the danger is of saying too little and therefore, when we

have done our utmost, we must own that though we have praised him in

consideration of, yet not in proportion to, his excellent greatness.”

10. Henry Law, “Mighty indeed are God's acts in creation, providence, and grace.

Creation is a volume replete with wonders. They surpass all power to enumerate.

They exceed all admiration. Providence is wonderful in showing His mind in

constant operation. But redemption causes love to overflow in wonder. It excites our

loudest shouts. To estimate its exceeding preciousness the eternal kingdom must be

reached. The innumerable multitude must be joined before we can fully realize that

all sin is washed away, and every transgression pardoned, and the law's curse

removed, and righteousness divine bestowed as the resplendent robe of heaven.

Then will be the joy of knowing that mercy has brought us to the journey's end; that

endless rest is reached and endless hallelujahs placed upon the lips. Then shall

eternal bliss flow on; then shall the realm of glory shout endlessly the Redeemer's

praise.”

11. Praise is to be as frequent as God is worthy, and that means praise is to be

continually in our mouth. I like the way Johnny Carver says it in this alphabetical

list:

“a There are two times to PRAISE the Lord: (1) When you FEEL like it. (2) When

you don’t FEEL like it!

b. Surely Paul and Silas didn’t feel like praising God when they were cast into that

dark dungeon at Philippi. * Their backs were bleeding * Their hands and feet were

placed in stocks * The prison was a filthy place * They were surrounded by vile,

sinful men. *But Paul and Silas “prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the

prisoners heard them” (Acts 16:25).

c. But more importantly God heard them! * The mighty God who inhabits the

praises of His people responded to Paul and Silas in their dilemma and shook the

prisons doors open and their bands fell off!

d. The SOURCE of many of our troubles is our tongue. * God has prescribed a cure

for our “tongue troubles,” and that is to use our tongues in PRAISING the Lord.

e. In Psalms 34:1 David said, “I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall

continually be in my mouth.” * David had learned the secret of victory over his

tongue: to keep it busy praising God.

f. We are to praise God for: * The Things in the PAST * The Things in the

PRESENT * The Things that are in the FUTURE!

3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet,

praise him with the harp and lyre,

1. We not only sing the praise of God by our words, but we produce pleasant sounds

of music to praise him as well. The music of instruments motivates us to praise, for

they produce a rhythm that gets our body in the mood to praise, dance, and just feel

the enjoyment of praise. It can be done without music, and we should never be

limited if music is not available, but music and happy sounds enhance our praise.

2. We need not be literalistic and use these instruments for they are primitive

compared to modern instruments. We have upgraded the level of music. An

unknown author wrote, “If the psalmist were living today, we know he would add

Praise him with the organ and piano,

praise him with the guitar and synthesizer,

praise him with the drums and keyboard,

praise him with the boom box and stereo.

We can praise God with any sort of instrument: with wind instruments, with

stringed instruments, with percussion instruments, with electronic instruments.”

3. Worship needs to be loud at times to awake people to God’s presence. As the

trumpet was used to announce the presence of the King it gets attention so one is not

nodding off and bored. The highest use of any instrument is to aid people in the

praise of God. The trumpet is probably the loudest of instruments and it stimulates

feeling. Praise is almost always expressed by sound. The Second Coming will be

announced with the trumpet of the Lord. The legend of Lucifer says he was asked

what he most missed about heaven and he responded, “I miss most the trumpets

that sounded in the morning.”

4. Luther said, “Next to theology, I give a place to music, for thereby all anger is

forgotten, the devil is driven away, melancholy, many tribulations, and evil thoughts

are expelled. It is the solace of a despondent mind.”

5. Steve Heartsill, “It is interesting to notice what we find here. In these verses, we

find the most complete listing of instruments found anywhere in the Old Testament.

Why did the writer list so many musical instruments? I think the answer is simple.

The writer reminded us to praise the Lord with everything we have. Every kind of

instrument, whether it is solemn or happy, percussion or melodic, gentle or strident,

all of these instruments are to be rallied to praise the Lord of the universe. The

writer tells us to pick up our instrument! We are to join in with the band of heaven!

We are to make a joyful noise to the Lord!

Notice what else is required if we play all of those instruments and do all that is

suggested. We have to use our breathe to play the trumpet or wind instrument. We

have to use our fingers to strike the strings. We have to use our whole hand to beat

the timbrel. We have to use our feet to move in sacred dance. Do you see where the

writer was headed? The psalmist told us that the entire body is to be used in

praising God. Everything about us is to praise God.”

6. Music is also a tool that leads men into unholy activity, and so Calvin writes here

saying, “Our corrupt nature indulges in extraordinary liberties, many devising

methods of gratification which are preposterous, while their highest satisfaction lies

in suppressing all thoughts of God. This perverse disposition could only be corrected

in the way of God's retaining a weak and ignorant people under many restraints,

and constant exercises. The Psalmist, therefore, in exhorting believers to pour forth

all their joy in the praises of God, enumerates, one upon another, all the musical

instruments which were then in use, and reminds them that they ought all to be

consecrated to the worship of God.”

7. Spurgeon, “Let us never sound a trumpet before us to our own honor, but reserve

all our trumpeting for God's glory. When the people have been gathered by blast of

trumpet, then proceed to praise him with the psaltery and harp. Stringed

instruments are to be used as well as those which are rendered vocal by wind. Dulcet

notes are to be consecrated as well as more startling sounds. The gospel meaning is

that all powers and faculties should praise the Lord -- all sorts of persons, under all

circumstances, and with differing constitutions, should do honor unto the Lord of

all. If there be any virtue, if there be any talent, if there be any influence, let all be

consecrated to the service of the universal Benefactor. Harp and lyre -- the choicest,

the sweetest, must be all our Lord's.”

8. “The shophar (Hebrew word for trumpet), is especially interesting to us as being

the only Hebrew instrument whose use on certain solemn occasions seems to be

retained to this day. Engel, with his usual trustworthy research, has traced out and

examined some of those in modern synagogues. Of those shown in our engraving,

one is from the synagogue of Spanish and Portuguese Jews, Bevis Marks, and is, he

says, one foot in length; the other is one used in the Great Synagogue, St. James's

place, Aldgate, twenty- one inches in length. Both are made of horn. --James

Stainer.

9. Verse 3-5. “The variety of musical instruments, some of them made use of in the

camp, as trumpets; some of them more suitable to a peaceable condition, as

psalteries and harps; some of them sounding by blowing wind in them; some of

them sounding by lighter touching of them, as stringed instruments; some of them

by beating on them more sharply, as tabrets, drums and cymbals; some of them

sounding by touching and blowing also, as organs: all of them giving some certain

sound, some more quiet, and some making more noise: some of them having a

harmony by themselves; some of them making a concept with other instruments, or

with the motions of the body in dancing, some of them serving for one use, some of

them serving for another, and all of them serving to set forth God's glory, and to

shadow forth the duty of worshipers, and the privileges of the saints. The plurality

and variety (I say) of these instruments were fit to represent divers conditions of the

spiritual man, and of the greatness of his joy to be found in God, and to teach what

stirring up should be of the affections and powers of our soul, and of one another,

unto God's worship; what harmony should be among the worshipers of God, what

melody each should make in himself, singing to God with grace in his heart, and to

show the excellency of God's praise, which no means nor instrument, nor any

expression of the body joined thereunto, could sufficiently set forth in these

exhortations to praise God with trumpet, psaltery, & c.” --David Dickson.

10. Brian Bill, “As we come to the end of the Book of Psalms, we notice that each of

the last 5 Psalms begins with, “Praise the Lord,” and each Psalm increases in praise

and joy until we come to the last one in the holy hymnbook Psalm 150. For the

psalmist, “praise the Lord” was definitely not a cliché but an ecstatic expression of

unbridled joy! In six short verses, he uses the phrase 13 times. Every sentence starts

off with “Hallelujah” (which is the Hebrew way to say, “Praise the Lord”) and is

very short it’s as if he can’t wait to get to the next opportunity to say, “Praise the

Lord” again. The word, “praise” is derived from a Latin word which means to

prize. When we praise, we are expressing our approval by valuing something or

someone who has worth or merit. The word also means to “shine” or “make a show

by raving and celebrating.” To praise the Lord is to prize Him and rave about Him

as the only one worthy of glory and honor.

After the blast of the trumpet, verse 3 calls us to “praise Him with the harp and

lyre.” We go from an explosive expression of praise to the sweet sound of strings.

The harp is mentioned more than any other instrument and was played powerfully

by David. Scholars believe that the harp and the lyre were similar in function and

design, but the harp was probably larger.”

11. Victor Shepherd, “Victor Shepherd, “The word "harp" or "harps" appears in

the Bible 32 times. The word "lyre" or "lyres" appears 46 times, for a total of 78.

Almost every verse that mentions harps or lyres is about praise. Stringed

instruments were a regular part of praising God. When we think of church music

we usually think of organs and pianos. But the lyre or harp was often the

instrument of choice. In fact the inscription above 7 of the psalms specifies that a

lyre be used in playing it. Some of these churches that use guitars for their worship

music think they are doing something new. Actually they are just resurrecting an

ancient practice of using stringed instruments to praise the Lord. And when you

think of heavenly music what comes to mind: the harp. In fact the passage I read

form Revelation tells us that John saw people with harps praising God in heaven. So

the harp or lyre is a symbol of praise. It represents the songs and other acts of praise

that God's people lift up. It is a symbol of the praise offered not only by the church

on earth but also by the choirs of angels and saints in heaven.”

4 praise him with tambourine and dancing,

praise him with the strings and flute,

1. The custom of dancing was found in many cultures, but not ours. We do not

dance as a form of worship. It is getting more popular in some places but not in

most churches. We usually just get our feet and fingers tapping. In some churches

there are a few trained dancers, but seldom to never does the whole congregation

get involved in dancing. The idea is that the whole body is to be engaged in praise to

God.

Not for the lip of praise alone,

Not e’en the praising heart

I ask, but for the life made up

Of praise in every part.

1B. I do not think dancing is required for true worship and praise, but I do believe

we need to express praise with joy, and the following story illustrates that many

have a hard time getting even to this level. “A conference at a Presbyterian church

in Omaha. People were given helium filled balloons and told to release them at some

point in the service when they felt like expressing the joy in their hearts. Since they

were Presbyterians, they weren't free to say "Hallelujah, Praise the Lord." All

through the service balloons ascended, but when it was over 1/3 of the balloons were

unreleased. Let your balloon go.”

2. Brian Bill, “Verse 4 gives us the next instruments of worship the tambourine and

dancing. Associated with the deliverance at the Red Sea, this form of praise was

jubilant and expressive. Exodus 15:20-21 describes the scene: “Then Miriam the

prophetess, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women

followed her, with tambourines and dancing. Miriam sang to them: ‘Sing to the

LORD, for He is highly exalted. The horse and its rider He has hurled into the sea.’”

The playing of the tambourine was often accompanied with dancing. The Hebrew

word for “dance” indicates a “twirl or a twist,” and was done in an attitude of

protracted praise and adoration. The hands and the feet were both set in motion

and the entire body moved in response to God’s greatness and His mighty acts of

power. Are there not periods of life when we are so happy that we could dance for

joy? Brothers and sisters, there is enough in our faith to create and justify the

highest degree of euphoric delight which breaks forth into melodious movement.”

2B. “Each part of our body is included in this psalm. With our ears and eyes we

experience the music, with our mouths, lungs, arms, and hands the instruments

would be played, and with our legs and bodies we dance as a means to praise God,

as it is said, "And David was leaping about with all his might before God." (Sh’muel

II 6:14) author unknown

2C. Dick Peirce, “In an old Charlie Brown cartoon Snoopy is dancing along on a

beautiful spring day. He says to himself, “To dance is to live! For me dancing is an

emotional outlet. I feel sorry for people who can’t dance.” He ends by adding, “If

you can’t dance you should at least be able to do a happy hop!” The early followers

of Jesus changed their day for group worship from the last day of the week to the

first, so that every Sunday worship service is to remember the great event of the

resurrection, and to respond each week in praise – or at least a happy hop!”

3. Spurgeon, “Praise him with the timbrel and dance. Associated with the

deliverance at the Red Sea, this form of worship set forth the most jubilant and

exultant of worship. The hands and the feet were both employed, and the entire

body moved in sympathy with the members. Are there not periods of life when we

feel so glad that we would fain dance for joy? Let not such exhilaration be spent

upon common themes, but let the name of God stir us to ecstasy. Let us exult as we

cry,

"In the heavenly Lamb thrice happy I am,

And my heart it doth dance at the sound of his name."

There is enough in our holy faith to create and to justify the utmost degree of

rapturous delight. If men are dull in the worship of the Lord our God they are not

acting consistently with the character of their religion.

Praise him with stringed instruments and organs. We have here the three kinds of

musical instruments: timbrels, which are struck, and strings, and pipes; let all be

educated to praise the Lord. Nothing is common and unclean: all may be sanctified

to highest uses. Many men, many minds, and these as different as strings and pipes;

but there is only one God, and that one God all should worship. The word translated

"organs" signifies pipe -- a simpler form of wind instrument than the more modern

and more elaborate organ. Doubtless many a pious shepherd has poured out

gracious pastorals from a reed or oaten pipe, and so has magnified his God.”

4. It is clear that all instruments are valid tools to aid in praising God, but for some

strange reason the history of the church has revealed that people have some

instruments that they feel are not appropriate for worship. This discrimination

against certain instruments has led to controversy. One unknown musician wrote,

“You wouldn’t believe how many arguments and split ups have occurred in

congregations over just the INSTRUMENTS that are being used. In the history of

the church there have been people who have claimed that a guitar is evil in worship

- that only a organ can be played. When I played my trumpet in one congregation I

was told that some of the members refused to sing with it. I don’t know if that was

true or not - but it’s sad that some feel that there is only one instrument to praise

God - and that’s it. Back in Luther’s time the Reformed camp would not allow

instruments of ANY kind in their worship.”

5. Mark Axelrod, “I believe that the Bible can teach us about the kind of music God

appreciates. Number one: He likes variety. Psalm 150 mentions 7 different

instruments! And Colossians 3:17 mentions psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.

The early church was very creative. They took psalms from the Bible and put them

to music. They created praise choruses. They even wrote new hymns from scratch.

Philippians 2:5-11 is a good example. We have no idea what this stuff sounded like.

But we do know that there was variety in the early church.

In the past 10 years, I’ve been to polka masses. Contemporary worship services.

Parishes with full blown orchestras. And traditional services. And I can truly say

that I was blessed at each one. God doesn’t prefer one music style over another. He

prefers that we worship him in Spirit and in truth. No matter what style we choose.

The most important thing about Christian music is that Jesus Christ is praised. It

doesn’t matter if the song is rock. Or Bach. If Jesus Christ is glorified in the lyrics,

then the song is sacred. And let me just give you two quick pieces of advice about

music in the church. First of all, be open-minded. We can no longer assume that the

only kind of music God is blessing is 150 year old White Anglo Saxon organ music.

God is bigger than any one person’s musical tastes. And he can use any piece of

music he wants to bring glory to himself. illus (trip to black church)”

6. “In the Old Testament there are many references to musical instruments and

each one performs its own specific function. Especially in the Psalms we come across

quite a few musical instruments. What is very obvious is the vast amount of

references to musical instruments in Psalm 150. In the entire Psalms the most

references are made to musical instruments in Psalm 150. A literary analysis of

Psalm 150 helps to argue that this psalm is the final doxology and grand finalé of the

Psalms. The studies about the musical instruments’ role in the Psalms shows that

the musical instruments build up to a crescendo in the Psalms. The Psalms end with

a tremendous grand finalé in Psalm 150. The Psalms is regarded in this study as a

great musical composition (a symphony) and the entire symphony orchestra is

spread throughout the whole of Psalms. At the end of Psalms the whole symphony

orchestra plays together and every one and everything that is created by God is

called upon to praise and worship the Lord.” author unknown

7. Someone wrote, “When church bells were made the Christians would gather

around the furnace while the molten metal was being prepared and sing this this

Psalm that it might be a blessing and an aid to the praising of God.”

8. Every instrument is to be used in praise, and Brian Bill points out that every part

of the body is to be used as well. He wrote, ““All of our faculties are to be engaged in

praising God. The breath is used to blow the trumpet and flute; the fingers are used

with the harp and strings; the whole hand hits the tambourine; the feet move in

rhythm; and the arms are used to clash the cymbals together. Corporate worship is

not meant to be passive as if its something that we just watch or listen to. We are to

be fully engaged in active worship, lifting our praise to God by engaging our head,

our heart, and our hands.”

9. With all of the instruments playing and all the body parts getting into the act, it is

possible to see the relevance of the song by Sydney Carter called, “The Lord of the

Dance.”

I danced in the morning when the world was begun,

And I danced in the moon and the stars and the sun.

I came down from heaven and I danced on the earth,

At Bethlehem I had my birth.

I danced for the scribe and the Pharisee,

But they would not dance and they did not follow me.

I danced for the fishermen, for James and John,

They came with me and the dance went on.

Dance, dance, wherever you may be!

I am the Lord of the dance said he—

And I’ll lead you all wherever you may be,

And I’ll lead you all in the dance said He.

I danced on the Sabbath and I cured the lame.

The holy people said it was a shame.

They whipped and they stripped and they hung me on high;

They left me there on a cross to die.

I danced on a Friday when the sky turned black.

It’s hard to dance with the devil on your back.

They buried my body and they thought I’d gone,

But I am the dance and I still go on!

They cut me down, but I lept up high.

I am the life that will never, never die.

I’ll live in you if you live in me,

I am the Lord of the dance said He.

Dance, dance, wherever you may be!

I am the Lord of the dance said he—

And I’ll lead you all wherever you may be,

And I’ll lead you all in the dance said He.

5. praise him with the clash of cymbals,

praise him with resounding cymbals.

1. Here we make a loud noise but that does not mean that silence is not also able to

be full of praise. It is in silence that we develop the concept of God that make Him

worthy of joyful sounds. We need to escape the noise of life and get silent within.

This silence prepares us for the sound of praise. It is in silence that we develop the

awareness of the exceeding greatness of God that makes us want to use all

instruments for His praise.

2. Clarke, “Two hollow plates of brass, which, being struck together, produced a

sharp clanging sound. This instrument is still in use. What the high-sounding

cymbals meant I know not; unless those of a larger make, struck above the head,

and consequently emitting a louder sound.”

3. Spurgeon, “Praise high upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high

sounding cymbals. Let the clash of the loudest music be the Lord's: let the joyful

clang of the loftiest notes be all for him. Praise has beaten the timbrel, swept the

harp, and sounded the trumpet, and now for a last effort, awakening the most heavy

of slumberers, and startling the most indifferent of onlookers, she dashes together

the disks of brass, and with sounds both loud and high proclaims the glories of the

Lord.”

4. Brian Bill, “Verse 5 kicks up the volume level: “Praise Him with the clash of

cymbals, praise Him with resounding cymbals.” These instruments were used in

religious ceremonies and were played by the priests. They made a loud, distinctive

sound when banged together. When the walls of Jerusalem were dedicated in

Nehemiah 12:27, “…the Levites were sought out from where they lived and were

brought to Jerusalem to celebrate joyfully the dedication with songs of thanksgiving

and with the music of cymbals, harps, and lyres. The phrase, “resounding cymbals”

can be translated, “the clamor of joy.” I like that. God wants us to clamor with joy.”

5. “Loud cymbals ... high sounding cymbals. This important passage clearly points

to two instruments under the same name, and leaves us to conclude that the

Hebrews had both hand cymbals and finger cymbals (or castanets), although it may

not in all cases be easy to say which of the two is intended in particular texts.”

--John Kitto.

6. “We have permission to make noise in our praise as long as it is done with joy.

There is a danger in any kind of orchestrated (literal and figurative) praise that the

focus becomes the performance, not the joy and the gratitude to God. So it’s well to

remember Paul’s admonition in I Corinthians 13:1 that “If I speak in the tongues of

mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging

cymbal.” Even perfectly performed music or message is nothing but noise without

love. Yet this psalm tells us the opposite is also true — with love and gratitude, a

clanging cymbal can sound angelic to God.” author unknown

7. “Why do you think the psalmist focuses on instruments instead of talking about

prayer and the words that we are to sing to the Lord? Perhaps the psalmist is

thinking about the significant times in Israel's history when those particular

instruments were used.

When were the trumpets used in Israel? Examples: Num. 10:10, Lev. 25:9; 2 Sam.

6:15; Num. 10:4; Joshua 6 & 7.

Harp and lyre? Examples: Gen. 31:27; 2 Chron.5:12; Neh. 12:27; 1 Sam. 10:5…

Tambourines and dancing? See Eccles. 3:4; Psalm 30:11; Jer. 31:4, 13; Ex. 15:20; 1

Sam. 18:6, 21:11, 29:5; 2 Sam. 6:14, etc.

Strings and pipes? Cymbals? See 2 Sam. 6:5; 2 Chron. 29:25; 1 Chron. 13:8.

So, how are we to praise the Lord? With all our might. Wholeheartedly.

Enthusiastically! With your heart and mind totally focused on God.” unknown

author

8. In a symphonic orchestra, these groupings are known as (1) strings, (2)

woodwinds, (3) brass, (4) percussion. Thus, the four families in the orchestra are

represented. Consequently, any instrument can be used in the praise of God.

Traditionally, the organ is the instrument that is used in churches. However, the

psalmist lists other instruments as well. When the focus is on praising God, the

instrument used is not important.” unknown author

9. “There is an interesting association connected with this Psalm which deserves to

be recorded: that in former times, when the casting of church bells was more of a

religious ceremony, this Psalm was chanted by the brethren of the guild as they

stood ranged around the furnace, and while the molten metal was prepared to be let

off into the mold ready to receive it. One may picture these swarthy sons of the

furnace with the ruddy glow of the fire upon their faces as they stand around, while

their deep voices rung forth this Hymn of Praise.” --Barton Bouchier.

6. Let everything that has breath praise theLORD. Praise the LORD.

1. If you are alive you have breath, and that breath is to be used to praise the Lord.

In other words, praise is to be universal in that all life is obligated to praise the

author of life. It is enough just to be among the living to make you grateful to God.

He has given you breath, and you are to respond by using your breath to praise the

giver of it. Praise is an obligation of life, and any being who does not praise the giver

of life is dead even while he lives. His breath is wasted, for it is never used to

communicate gratitude to the Lord.

1B. “Each verse is slightly longer than the previous one and can be divided in half,

with the second half echoing the first half. The structure provides a melodic reading

and suggests a growing praise of God that will never end. The final line breaks this

double structure, drawing attention to its content and bringing the psalm to a

close.” unknown author

1C. Steven Cole, “The fact that God can command us to praise Him means that

praise is not just a feeling based upon your mood or circumstances. Praise is in part

a feeling, but it is not at its heart a feeling. Praise is a matter of obedience to our

great God. It stems from deliberately focusing on Him. It is the result of being

willfully God-centered in your thinking. If you are breathing, praising God is not an

option;it is your responsibility.”

2. There is a funny story about one pastor who tried to limit this praise to just one

sex. It was a mistake, of course, but his mistake had a lasting effect. The pastor was

the well known John Ortberg, and he told the story in his book Everybody's Normal

Till You Get to Know Them. He wrote, “The church where I work videotapes pretty

much all of our services, so I have hundreds of messages on tape. Only one of them

gets shown repeatedly. It’s a clip from the beginning of one of our services. A high

school worship dance team had just brought the house down to get things started,

and I was supposed to transition into some high-energy worship by reading Psalm

150. This was a last-second decision, so I had to read it cold, but with great

passion: “Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary! Praise him in his mighty

firmament!” The psalm consists of one command after another to praise, working

its way through each instrument of the orchestra. My voice is building in a steady

crescendo; by the end of the psalm I practically shout the final line, only

mispronouncing one word slightly: “Let everything that has breasts, praise the Lord.”

A moment of silence. The same thought passes through 4,000 brains—did he just

say what I think he did? In church? Is this some exciting new translation I can get at

the bookstore? Then everybody in the place just lost it. They laughed so hard for so

long I couldn’t say a thing. I finally just walked off the stage, and we went on with

the next part of the service. Eight years I’ve been teaching at that church: of all the

passages I’ve exegeted and messages I’ve taught that’s the one moment that gets

replayed before conferences and workshops. Over and over. It’s an amazing truth:

being fully right barely brings as much life to other people as simply being human.”

3. Brian Bill, “Who Is To Praise. Verse 6 pulls it all together, “Let everything that

has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.” Not merely the priests and Levites,

nor just the congregation, but all living creatures are included in the choir of choirs.

God has given each of us breath; we’re called now to breathe His praise. This song

begins and ends with the command to praise the Lord. We’re to praise Him

everywhere, with every means possible because of His mighty acts, and because of

who He is. And, we’re to praise Him with a wide variety of instrumentation and

with triumphant expressions of worship. God desires for you and for me to live a

lifestyle of spontaneous praise for the best instrument of praise is a man or woman,

teenager, or child wholly committed to Him. We are to be a people of praise.

There is nothing more majestic or more beautiful in the entire book of Psalms than

this brief finale. Let’s shout it out together, vigilant to not ever let it become just a

cliché. Repeat it after me: “Praise the Lord!” Let’s say it out loud three different

times, emphasizing a different word each time. A praise is a requirement for God’s

people. It is the last word in the book of worship. We are to give to God that which

is our gift to Him, for He is the author of all that makes praise possible. Children

often ask dad for money in order to buy him a gift. Their joy in giving him the gift

is not lessened because he is the source of supply that makes the gift possible.

With full orchestra and chorus active, now he calls on the universal audience to join

in the praise. Do this and be a success-fail at this and nothing is success.

I’ll praise the Lord in the morning,

I’ll praise the Lord until noon,

I’ll praise the Lord until even tide,

Ends my praises too soon.

I’ll praise the Lord every minute,

Until life is over, and then,

I’ll enter the gates of glory,

And begin all over again.

The book ends with a hallelujah chorus. The sublime finale of this great opera of

praise. One in every 6th word is the word praise. Here is the end that never ends,

for praise is to go on forever.”

4. Spurgeon, “Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord. "Let all breath

praise him": that is to say, all living beings. He gave them breath, let them breathe

his praise. His name is in the Hebrew composed rather of breathings than of letters,

to show that all breath comes from him: therefore let it be used for him. Join all ye

living things in the eternal song. Be ye least or greatest, withhold not your praises.

What a day will it be when all things in all places unite to glorify the one only living

and true God! This will be the final triumph of the church of God. Praise ye the

LORD. Once more, Hallelujah! Thus is the Psalm rounded with the note of praise;

and thus is the Book of Psalms ended by a glowing word of adoration. Reader, wilt

not thou at this moment pause a while, and worship the Lord thy God? Hallelujah!”

5. “The Great Psalm about praise ends with a direct appeal to YOU. The choir

needs you, beloved. The Lord loves you. He has made a way for you to harmonize

with Him through His Son. You cannot really hear or appreciate this music until

you open your heart and join in. You can't sit back and be the audience. God is the

audience. Join in, beloved. "Praise ye the Lord." Let God’s greatness fill you with

joy and overflow into praise. If you’re breathing, you have reason to feel grateful

and a way to express it in praise. Any moment can fill you with a sense of gratitude

if you let it: the movement of leaves in the wind, a community solution that is more

creative than any individual suggestion, the sound of laughter.

As Friends, we may feel somewhat uncomfortable with the giddy call in this psalm

to dance and make music and loud noise. The psalm, however, may be calling us to

something we can relate to. The praise expressed in this psalm is beyond words. The

joy overflows into sound and movement because words are inadequate to convey

what God has done and who God is. We may feel uncomfortable with the choices

others make to praise or worship God but we cannot make that discomfort a

prohibition. This psalm and others provide plenty of evidence that God appreciates

all types of praise, if they come from the heart.” author unknown

6. “Let all breath praise Jah! Hallelujah. The very ambiguity of "all breath" gives

extraordinary richness of meaning to this closing sentence. From the simple idea of

wind instruments, mentioned in the context, it leads us, by a beautiful transition, to

that of vocal, articulate, intelligent praise, uttered by the breath of living men, as

distinguished from mere lifeless instruments. Then, lastly, by a natural association,

we ascend to the idea expressed in the common version, "everything that hath

breath", not merely all that lives, but all that has a voice to praise God. There is

nothing in the Psalter more majestic or more beautiful than this brief but most

significant finale, in which solemnity of tone predominates, without however in the

least disturbing the exhilaration which the close of the Psalter seems intended to

produce; as if in emblematical allusion to the triumph which awaits the church and

all its members, when through much tribulation they shall enter into rest.” -- Joseph

Addison Alexander.

7. Henry, “Who must pay this tribute (Psalms 150:6): Let every thing that has

breath praise the Lord. He began with a call to those that had a place in his

sanctuary and were employed in the temple-service; but he concludes with a call to

all the children of men, in prospect of the time when the Gentiles should be taken

into the church, and in every place, as acceptably as at Jerusalem, this incense

should be offered, Malachi 1:11. Some think that in every thing that has breath here

we must include the inferior creatures (as Genesis 7:22), all in whose nostrils was

the breath of life. They praise God according to their capacity. The singing of birds

is a sort of praising God. The brutes do in effect say to man, "We would praise God

if we could; do you do it for us." John in vision heard a song of praise from every

creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, Revelation 5:13.

Others think that only the children of men are meant; for into them God has in a

more peculiar manner breathed the breath of life, and they have become living

souls, Genesis 2:7. Now that the gospel is ordered to be preached to every creature,

to every human creature, it is required that every human creature praise the Lord.

What have we our breath, our spirit, for, but to spend it in praising God; and how

can we spend it better? Prayers are called our breathings, Lamentations 3:56. Let

every one that breathes towards God in prayer, finding the benefit of that, breathe

forth his praises too. Having breath, let the praises of God perfume our breath; let

us be in this work as in our element; let it be to us as the air we breathe in, which we

could not live without. Having our breath in our nostrils, let us consider that it is

still going forth, and will shortly go and not return. Since therefore we must shortly

breathe our last, while we have breath let us praise the Lord, and then we shall

breathe our last with comfort, and, when death runs us out of breath, we shall

remove to a better state to breathe God's praises in a freer better air.

8. “Inclusiveness of praise at all times and places and all instruments and all that

have breath. It is a Niagara Falls of praise with the reverberation of jubilation.”

Unknown author wrote the above, but Horatius Bonar wrote in the 1800's:

Fill Thou my life, O Lord my God,

In every part with praise,

That my whole being may proclaim

Thy being and Thy ways.

Not for the lip of praise alone,

Nor e'en the praising heart,

I ask, but for a life made up

Of praise in every part.

9. Scott Hoezee, “But you must read this psalm the right way to appreciate how

much wallop it packs. Since I've mentioned this many times, by now I suspect most

of you are aware that when you read the words "Praise the LORD" in the Book of

Psalms, you are reading not some dull statement but you are receiving a fiery

command! In the original Hebrew the phrase hallelu yah is in the imperative mood.

Literally translated it means "Praise Yahweh." But you are supposed to read those

words while also picturing a finger wagging in your face or maybe thumping you in

the chest. This represents the psalmist "getting in your face." Here the poetic bard

is going nose-to-nose with the reader, getting so close you can smell the garlic on his

breath as he shouts, "You there! Yes, you! Grab an instrument, open your mouth,

and get going! Praise Yahweh! I mean it! Move! Sing! Dance! Show some respect!"

This is the praise imperative. This is the psalmist as army drill sergeant, barking to

the world his order to worship. Actually, the structure of Psalm 150 at first keeps

you in suspense as to just who is being addressed. From verses 1-5 we receive a

rapid-fire string of eleven imperative commands. But only in verse 6, at the end, are

we told who is being commanded. And guess what? It's everybody! It's everything

that has breath, which includes not only every person on the planet but also hippos

and red-eyed vireos.”

10. As long as you have breath you are obligated to use it in praising God. Some

have used their breath like this in unusual situations to give glory to God. Pastor

Adrian Dieleman tells this story: “I witnessed a delightful instance of this after the

1989 World Series. Johnny Carson's Tonight Show had a 27th anniversary special.

Johnny's final guest on the live program was L.A. Dodger pitching ace, Orel

Hershiser. Johnny asked the pitcher what he did to keep himself calm before games

and between innings. Hershiser, a very outspoken Christian, said he sang hymns.

Johnny pressed him to sing for the audience. Hershiser caught Johnny off guard

when he sang "Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow." Now, you must realize

that Hershiser doesn't have the best singing voice. Yet when he finished, the

audience surprised me by breaking out into a tremendous round of applause. It was

wonderful to hear God's name praised on secular TV.”

11. In what is called the Book of Praise, which is found in the Ketuvim (Writings)

section of the Tanakh, we read this list of information:

1. The word

Hallel occurs thirteen times in psalm 150, corresponding to the Thirteen

Attributes of Mercy manifested by God’s loving kindness.

2. The word

Hallelu occurs twelve times, corresponding to the twelve months of the year. The

final verse is repeated to reach thirteen, to include a leap year.

3. In a symphonic orchestra, there are groupings are known as strings, woodwinds,

brass, percussion. In Psalm 150, the four families in the orchestra are represented.

4. There is an element of physics shown in these verses when we follow the order of

the instruments in each line. The sound of the shofar is loud. The harp and lyre give

a softer sound. Timbrel and dance are louder. Lute and pipe (or flute) are softer.

The cymbals are louder. In naming the cymbal twice, there is a crescendo. If you

map out the loudness of the instruments in each line there are three peaks and two

valleys. Thus, from start to finish, there are two wavelengths.

5. The order of the instruments brings one to awareness and then a peak of

involvement: the sound of the shofar works as a call to attention. The harp and lyre

begin the praise on a soft and quiet level, increasing with the beat of the timbrel.

The lute and pipe then add an additional layer of feeling and volume, after which

the cymbals bring everything to a loud and crashing conclusion. Only to return to

the quietness of one’sneshama– breath in the final line.

6. The sounds of the psalm bring together all of our feelings. The trumpet sounds

the note of victory, and our praise should resound with triumph and exaltation. The

harp gives the sweet tones of gratitude and love. The tambourine and dance speak of

the effervescent energy, effort and enthusiasm of children and young people

engaged in a favorite activity. Pipes were instruments of pleasure rather than

worship, reminding us that true praise should be the highest enjoyment of believers,

not merely a duty. The loud, resounding cymbals are an allusion to the volume,

strength and power of worthy praise.”

APPENDIX A

Below are some versions of this Psalm that have been written and sung by

Christians in the past.

1. Words: Brady and Tate, A New Version of the Psalms of David

L.M.

1 O Praise the Lord in that blest place,

from whence his goodness largely flows;

Praise him in heav'n, where his face

unveiled in perfect glory shows.

2 Praise him for all the mighty acts

which he in our behalf hath done;

His kindness this return exacts,

with which our praise should equal run.

3 Let the shrill trumpet's warlike voice

make rocks and hills his praise rebound;

Praise him with harp's melodious noise,

and gentle psalt'ry's silver sound.

4 Let virgin troops soft timbrels bring,

and some with graceful motion dance;

Let instruments of various strings,

with organs joined, his praise advance.

5 Let them, who joyful hymns compose,

to cymbals set their songs of praise,

Cymbals of common use, and those

that loudly sound on solemn days.

6 Let all that vital breath enjoy,

the breath he does to them afford

in just returns of praise employ:

let ev'ry creature praise the Lord.

2. Words: Sternhold and Hopkins, The Whole Book of Psalms Collected into

English Metre

Common Metre Tunes

1 Yield unto God the mighty Lord

praise in his holiness;

And in the firmament of his

great pow'r praise him no less.

2 Advance his Name, and praise him in

his mighty acts always;

According to his excellence

and greatness give him praise.

3 His praises with the princely noise

of sounding trumpets blow;

Praise him upon the viol, and

upon the harp also.

4 Praise him with timbrel and with lute,

organs and virginals,

With sounding cymbals praise ye him,

praise him with loud cymbals.

5 Whatever hath the benefit

of breathing, praise the Lord:

To praise his great and holy Name

agree with one accord.

3. Words: The Scottish Psalter

Common Metre Tunes

1 Praise ye the Lord. God's praise within

his sanctuary raise;

And to him in the firmament

of his pow'r give ye praise.

2 Because of all his mighty acts,

with praise him magnify:

O praise him, as he doth excel

in glorious majesty.

3 Praise him with trumpet's sound; his praise

with psaltery advance:

4 With timbrel, harp, stringed instruments,

and organs, in the dance.

5 Praise him on cymbals loud; him praise

on cymbals sounding high.

6 Let each thing breathing praise the Lord.

Praise to the Lord give ye.

4. Words: The Psalter, 1918.

Music: “Alleluia (Lowe),” Albert Lowe, 1868 (MIDI, score).

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

In His temple God be praised;

In the high and heavenly places

Be the sounding anthem raised.

Refrain

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

Hallelujah! Amen.

Hallelujah! Praise Jehovah

For His mighty acts of fame;

Excellent His might and greatness;

Fitting praises then proclaim

Refrain

Hallelujah! Praise Jehovah

With the trumpet’s joyful sound;

Praise with harp and praise with organ,

Let His glorious praise abound.

Refrain

Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

All that breathe, Jehovah praise;

Let the voices God has given

Joyful anthems to Him raise.

Refrain

5. CHARLES WESLEY

Praise the Lord Who reigns above and keeps His court below;

Praise the holy God of love and all His greatness show;

Praise Him for His noble deeds; praise Him for His matchless power;

Him from Whom all good proceeds let earth and heaven adore.

Publish, spread to all around the great Jehovah’s name,

Let the trumpet’s martial sound the Lord of hosts proclaim:

Praise Him in the sacred dance, harmony’s full concert raise,

Let the virgin choir advance, and move but to His praise.

Celebrate th’eternal God with harp and psaltery,

Timbrels soft and cymbals loud in this high praise agree;

Praise with every tuneful string; all the reach of heavenly art,

All the powers of music bring, the music of the heart.

God, in Whom they move and live, let every creature sing,

Glory to their Maker give, and homage to their King.

Hallowed be Thy Name beneath, as in heaven on earth adored;

Praise the Lord in every breath, let all things praise the Lord.

6. Contemporary version

EASY ENGLISH

v1 *Hallelujah!

Shout, "You are the best" to God the *LORD.

Do it in his *temple. Do it in the skies.

v2 Shout, "You are the best" to him because he is very strong.

Shout, "You are the best" to him because he is very powerful.

v3 Sing, "You are the best" to him with music.

Use *horns and *harps and *guitars.

v4 Sing, "You are the best" to him with music.

Use dancing and *drums, *strings and *pipes.

v5 Sing, "You are the best" to him with music.

Use big and small *cymbals.

v6 Everything that is alive, shout to the *LORD, "You are the best". *Hallelujah!

APPENDIX B

Aaron Keyes gives us this brief study of the words for praise in the Hebrew.

“I’ve just recently finished a six month study in the Psalms, studying the reasons for

worship and praise all throughout the book. Amazing study. The entire book of

Psalms could be summed up in one word: Praise.

Definition of Praise: Adoration. Celebration. To acclaim, extol, commend, applaud.

There are several different Hebrew words which are all translated praise in our

Bibles, each of them showing a different flavor, taste, and style of praise. Yet they all

share in common Enthusiasm, Energy, and Activity!

Five most common Hebrew words for Praise (in Old Testament)

1. Hallal: Occurs 99 times in O.T.; 33 of them are in the Psalms. Means to

“celebrate, to laud, to boast.” It’s the root of Hallelujah.

2. Yadah: Means to worship with extended hands, raised arms. My son Cooper

loves having his tummy rubbed with my face! He was sitting in his little chair and

I stuck my face down in his belly and started kissing him—he gets this huge smile

and starts giggling and raised his hands to be picked up out of the chair. As if he

was saying, Yadah! Yadah!, you know, yadda yadda.

3. Barak: To declare God as the origin of power, success, or victory. Recognizes

Him as the source of all resources, strategy, and strength.

4. Shabach: To shout or commend loudly! Kurt Warner completes another

touchdown pass to Isaac Bruce; Mike Madono assists Brett Hull for another

sudden-death game-winning goal. The fans jump up and shabach. How much

more should we shabach our living Messiah for what He’s done for us.

5. Gil: To circle in joy; to dance in circles. Megan on a Sunday afternoon a few

weeks ago, realized that she didn’t have to teach the next day—vacation day…

Upon remembering this, she just spun in circles in excitement! She Gil-ed!

APPENDIX C

Best quotes on praise that I have found.

1. Victor Shepherd, “...anything we enjoy we praise. Enjoyment overflows

spontaneously into praise. Our delight in anyone or anything overflows naturally

into praise. What's more, whatever we praise we praise not simply because we

happen to like it; whatever we praise we praise believing that praise is fitting. We

praise the work of Shakespeare or Mozart or Rembrandt just because we know that

our praise is not misplaced; we aren't mistakenly praising something that actually

merits our rejection. We are convinced that praise is a fitting response, an

appropriate response, the only correct response. We praise what we admire, and

our admiration isn't wasted, isn't evidence of tastelessness or insensitivity.

Another aspect of praise: you must have noticed that the people who are unhappy,

cranky, miserable, sour-puss spoilsports are invariably those who praise least. They

find so little enjoyment in life, so little that delights them, so little they admire that

they can't praise, since praise is the natural spillover of enjoyment and delight and

admiration. And so they grope and grumble, chronically sour and sarcastic. On the

other hand. those who praise most are always large-hearted people, profoundly

contented, generous in their appreciation. In fact large-hearted, generous people can

find something genuinely worthy of praise anywhere. The beefsteak was as tough

and stringy as a tennis racket? Ah, but meat like this always has the best flavor! The

movie was boring? But wasn't it heartwarming to see the elderly couple in front of

us who held hands all through it as though they were courting? The Blue Jays lost 5

- 0? Yes, but what a performance by the Baltimore pitcher! Those who praise most

(because they find most to praise) are invariably the most delighted and delightful

people. Ready praise is always a sign of someone's inner good health.”

2. J. J. Magee, “God is present first of all theologically-that is He is by His

omnipresent nature everywhere, and we accept this by our intellect and

acknowledge His presence. He is present by His power, which keeps all the law of

nature functioning, and all the planets and stars in orbit, and all matter from flying

apart. But God become experientially present when we praise Him, for our

adoration of Him opens the door of awareness. We feel His nearness because praise

takes us from theology to psychology so that we go beyond knowing of God’s

presence to enjoying His presence. If we are more conscience of problems we will

tend to gripe, but if we are more conscience of the good, the true and the beautiful

then we tend to praise. The Psalms call us to the consciousness of God’s presence

and all for which we have to be thankful. Whatever presence dominates your mind

determines your mood.”

3. “Praise is not only a human necessity and a human requirement, but it is also a

human delight. One’s praise to God is one’s response to His power and mercy. It is

inappropriate not to praise God. God should be praised because He is God. Praise

does its work among humans as much as it does among the heavenly host.”

unknown author