Text of prayer Psalm 148
In Church Slavonic
Alleluia, Haggea and Zechariah.
1 Praise the Lord from heaven, praise Him in the highest.
2 Praise Him, all your angels; praise Him, all your powers.
3 Praise Him, O sun and moon; Praise Him, all you stars and light.
4 Praise Him, the heavens of the heavens and the waters that are above the heavens.
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord: for He spoke, and He commanded, and He was created.
6 I have established a commandment forever and ever, and it will not pass by.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth, the serpents, and all the deeps:
8 fire, hail, snow, scorch, stormy spirit, doing His word,
9 the mountains and all the hills, the fruitful trees and all the cedars,
10 beasts and all livestock, creeping things and birds of feathers.
11 The king of the land and all the people, the princes and all the judges of the land,
12 young men and maidens, old men and young men
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for the name of the One is exalted, His confession is on earth and in heaven.
14 And the horn of his people shall exalt a song to all his venerables, to the sons of Israel, to the people who draw near to him.
In Russian
Alleluia, Haggai and Zechariah.
1 Praise the Lord from heaven, praise him in the highest.
2 Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him, all His armies.
3 Praise Him, O sun and moon; Praise Him, all you stars of light.
4 Praise Him, you heavens of heavens and waters that are above the heavens.
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for He spoke, and they were made, He commanded, and they were made;
6 He established them forever and ever; gave a statute that will not pass away.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth, you great fish and all the deeps,
8 Fire and hail, snow and fog, a stormy wind that fulfills His word,
9 the mountains and all the hills, the fruit trees and all the cedars,
10 beasts and all livestock, creeping things and winged birds,
11 The kings of the earth and all the nations, the princes and all the judges of the earth,
12 youths and maidens, elders and youths
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for His alone is exalted, His glory is on earth and in heaven.
14 He has exalted the horn of His people, the glory of all His saints, the children of Israel, the people who are close to Him. Hallelujah.
Psalm 148
Font
Alleluia, Haggea and Zechariah | Alleluia, Haggai and Zechariah. |
| 1 Praise the Lord from heaven, praise him in the highest. | 1 Praise the Lord from heaven, praise him in the highest. |
| 2 Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him, all His might. | 2 Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him, all His armies. |
| 3 Praise Him, O sun and moon; Praise Him, all you stars and light. | 3 Praise Him, O sun and moon; Praise Him, all you stars and light. |
| 4 Praise Him The heavens of heavens and the waters that are above the heavens. | 4 Praise Him, O heavens of heavens, and waters that are above the heavens. |
| 5 Let them praise the name of the Lord: for He spoke, and was commanded, and was created. | 5 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for He spoke and they came into being, He commanded and they were created. |
| 6 I have set a commandment for ever and ever, and it will not pass by. | 6 He has appointed them forever and ever; he has given the command, and it will not pass away. |
| 7 Praise the Lord from the earth, you serpents and all the deeps: | 7 Praise the Lord from the earth: dragons and all the deeps, |
| 8 fire, hail, snow, bareness, stormy spirit, doing His word, | 8 Fire, hail, snow, ice, and stormy wind, which fulfill His word, |
| 9 the mountains and all the hills, the fruit trees and all the cedars, | 9 the mountains and all the hills, the fruit trees and all the cedars, |
| 10 beasts and all livestock, creeping things and birds of feathers. | 10 beasts and all livestock, creeping things and winged birds, |
| 11 The kings of the earth and all the people, the princes and all the judges of the earth, | 11 The kings of the earth and all the nations, the princes and all the judges of the earth, |
| 12 youths and maidens, elders with youths | 12 youths and maidens, elders and younger |
| 13 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for the name of Him alone is exalted, His confession on earth and in heaven. | 13 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for His name alone is exalted: praise be to Him on earth and in heaven. |
| 14 And the horn of His people shall exalt a song to all His holy ones, the sons of Israel, to the people who draw near to Him. | 14 And He will exalt the horn of His people: a song to all His saints, to the children of Israel, to the people who draw near to Him. |
Praise the Lord from heaven, praise Him in the highest. Praise Him, all His angels, praise Him, all His might. Praise Him, sun and moon; praise Him, all stars and light. Praise Him The heavens of heavens and the waters that are above the heavens. Let them praise the name of the Lord: as He spoke, and was, He commanded, and was created. If I put it in the age and in the age of the century, I lay down the command, and it will not go unnoticed. Praise the Lord from the earth, the serpents and all the deeps: fire, hail, snow, bareness, the stormy spirit that does His word, the mountains and all the hills, the fruitful trees and all the cedars, the beasts and all the cattle, the reptiles and the birds. Let the kings of the earth and all the people, the princes and all the judges of the earth, young men and maidens, elders and young men, praise the name of the Lord, for the name of the One has been exalted, His confession on earth and in heaven. And the horn of His people will exalt a song to all His saints, the sons of Israel, to the people who draw near to Him.
Psalm 147To the listPsalm 149
History of writing
The psalm expresses the enthusiastic gratitude of the Jews upon their return from Babylonian captivity, for the strength given by the Creator, with the help of which they managed to restore the state and build the Second Temple. King David calls on everyone to praise God: heavenly angels, kings and princes, people of all classes and ages, as well as animals and fish, heavenly bodies and seas.
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Prot. Dimitry Smirnov:Actually, to be honest, it says “let him praise the Lord,” but the meaning does not change because our Lord is our God.
“Every breath” refers to every creation of God. All the creatures of God that breathe - birds, amphibians, animals, and plants, because everything that God created, He created for His glory.
God for us, His creations, is absolutely invisible and incomprehensible, which is expressed in these words: “No one has seen God anywhere” (John 1:18).
But we can observe the greatness of God in His creation. We see the tit, its beauty - and praise God.
And the tit, chirping, praises God. And so is every living being.
A beautiful shell glorifies its Creator, because the mollusk does not have a developed brain; it could not create such a structure itself. This is the Lord.
Or the structure of a hive - an insect, a bee, cannot create it, God created it. And the beehive with its most intelligent structure glorifies God. All fish and all animals praise God. Every breath glorifies the Lord by its existence.
And God desires that a person who has been given the great gift of reason, speech, marriage, the ability to know God, through religion, which God also gave to man, glorify God through shame and conscience.
This is a call to all creation.
But, of course, it is not only creatures that are living beings who glorify God. The mountains, as has been said, and the rivers and seas praise God. So everything created by God praises Him.
The universe especially praises God.
Anyone who looks at the sky can feel this, seeing its bottomless size and absolutely divine beauty - especially in our nature and region, this is the August night, which shows us the greatness of God the Creator.
I remember, as a small child of about five years old, the sight of the sky put me in such a state that I still remember this event when I paid attention to it.
Since then I have been under this impression and, when I find myself in front of a clear sky dotted with stars, I remember this childhood impression, and it continues to affect me.
Volcanoes also praise God, now Etna is erupting. What kind of energy power is concentrated inside our planet, and how did God arrange that the earth’s crust holds this power within itself, and only at certain points shows us what is inside - such temperatures that we can only reproduce for a few seconds with the help of our technology. But for God this is not something transcendental. Real plasma is very close, and the Lord will protect us. Prot. Alexander Berezovsky: And God’s highest creation – man – falls out of this common orchestra. Prot. Dimitry Smirnov: Yes, a person has a journey ahead of him. He must use the precious gift of freedom in order to also glorify God with his life. So that people see a person’s good deeds and glorify the Heavenly Father. ……………………………………. Answer: Father Dimitry Smirnov
Why read Psalm 148?
Psalm 148 is heard in the church during Matins, which is part of the morning service, performed immediately after Vespers, that is, in the evening. Any Christian can perform home readings, that is, private readings, regardless of the time of day.
The psalm of praise has a special meaning. People praise the Lord for all His creations and hope for future blessings. The psalm is read for good weather, harvest, and protection from natural disasters. It is noted that reading the psalm prevents defeat from fire. In ancient times, the text of Psalm 148 written on paper was kept in wooden houses behind the shrine, and firefighters carried it in their breast pocket.
Interpretation of Psalm 148 by Theodoret of Cyrus
The interpretation of sacred books was carried out by saints from different eras. That is why in Orthodoxy the Holy Scriptures (the Bible, Psalms, Gospels, etc.) are revered along with patristic traditions (interpretations). One of the earliest interpretations of the Psalter was compiled by Bishop Theodoret of Cyrus of Antioch (393-457 AD). The theologian explains each verse of the psalm.
Hallelujah
An appeal to greater zeal of the soul to sing songs to the Creator. The exclamation, which in this context can be translated as “All together!”
1 Praise the Lord from heaven, praise him in the highest.
Moses teaches that the Lord created two heavens. One along with the Earth, he commanded the other to be among the waters and called it the firmament. David calls upon the Lord to sing songs from heaven and on high, that is, to the disembodied faces that dwell in both heavens. The prophet calls on the angels to join in singing and praise the Lord with him.
2 Praise him, all his angels: praise him, all his might.
Now the prophet turns to certain angelic ranks: Power and Strength, because they are mighty in strength, doing His word (Ps. 103:20).
3 Praise Him, O sun and moon; Praise Him, all you stars of light.
Theodoret of Cyrus cites the previous description of Symmachus: praise all the stars of light, but in the translation of the Seventy it turns out differently. God created light on the first day, and the heavenly bodies on the fourth. That is why the prophet David mentioned the light separately and calls upon the sun, moons and stars additionally, addressing them as animate and verbal creations. At the same time, he addresses people, urging them to look at the heavenly bodies as creations of God’s wisdom and to tirelessly praise the Lord.
4 Praise Him, the heavens of heavens: and the waters are above the heavens.
God divided the watery nature into the firmament and commanded the solar fire to move through the hardened waters. This way the fire does not go out and the hardened water does not evaporate. King David refers to heaven in the plural, according to the rules of the Hebrew language, according to which the word heaven is not used in the singular.
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for He [spoke, and they were made,] commanded, and they were made;
David says that it is worthy to glorify the Creator, who created with the Word and created in the beauty that we see.
6 He established them forever and ever; gave a statute that will not pass away.
And he not only created, but also continues to think about creation, due to which all creatures, animate and inanimate, continue to exist as long as He pleases. And everyone fulfills His laws: the sea does not overflow its banks, day and night follow each other. Only people neglect God's laws.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth, you great fish and all the deeps,
By great fish we mean whales that live in the seas - parts of the earth. Great is the wisdom of the Creator, who imprisoned huge animals in the seas, showing their power, but protecting people from them so that they would not be harmed.
8 Fire and hail, snow and fog, a stormy wind that fulfills His word,
Fire can appear not only on the ground, but also form in the air in the form of lightning and fireballs. Snow, hail and fog come from water; storms, which David calls a stormy spirit, also refer to atmospheric phenomena due to the difference in pressure and humidity. Such phenomena obey God, but do not behave like something animate and intelligent.
9 the mountains and all the hills, the fruit trees and all the cedars,
Thank you to the Lord not so much from amazement at the greatness of His creatures, but also from the benefits to man - extensive and varied.
10 beasts and all livestock, creeping things and winged birds,
David separates the fierce beasts from the meek, but encourages both to praise the Lord, because there is not a single creature that is useless or superfluous, although this is hidden from our knowledge.
11 The kings of the earth and all the nations, the princes and all the judges of the earth,
The prophet calls on kings, nations, princes and judges to glorify the Lord.
12 youths and maidens, elders and youths
May immature and overripe age also praise the Lord.
13 Let them praise the name of the Lord, for His alone is exalted, His glory is on earth and in heaven.
They praise the name of the Lord, because the memory of other false gods has faded, and the only One who exists will not pass through the centuries, not only in heaven, but also on earth.
14 He has exalted the horn of His people, the glory of all His saints, the children of Israel, the people who are close to Him.
The Lord will exalt the people who honor Him. A horn is a fortress; King David refers to the likeness of animals armed with horns. God will make this people not only strong, but also revered. The Lord will give glory to the children of Israel and the people close to Him. Further, Theodoret of Cyrus writes that the celebrity passed with piety, and the Israelites lost that glory, but the pagans will receive the gifts of God. The theologian foresaw the spread of the Orthodox faith throughout the world, and people who were pagans in the 4th century would become pious Christians.
Interpretation
To understand in more detail the deep meaning of the song, it is worth analyzing each verse separately.
- Hallelujah This cry is common to all songs of praise. If you delve into its translation, it becomes clear that this word means a call to pray together.
- Verse 1. Praise the Lord from heaven, praise him in the highest heaven. Here you can notice an allusion to the sayings of Moses, who said that there are two heavens in the world. The first is the one that we see every day, and the second, where the highest beings live - the Creator and his angels. The author calls on the nations of the earth to praise Him precisely in those heavens where He lives with other creatures.
- Verse 2. Praise Him, His angels; praise Him, all His might. In this verse, it is important for the author to draw the attention of believers to the Angels themselves, who guard the Heavenly Abode and are its main defenders.
- Verse 3. Praise Him, O sun and moon; Praise Him, all you stars of light. Everything that the Lord has created is sacred. David mentions the stars, the sun and the moon. The holiness of these creations cannot be disputed; they should be prayed to as the main manifestations of the divine will.
- Verse 4 Praise Him The heavens of the heavens and the waters that are above the heavens. In Hebrew the sky is usually called the heavens. The dumb creature glorifies God with its beauty, disposition, greatness, service, and constancy of usefulness.
- Verse 5. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for He commanded, and they were created; The praise of the Lord should be eternal, because as a creator he created an amazing world that we should admire.
- Verse 6. He set them for ever and ever; gave a statute that will not pass away. The act of creation of the Almighty is not isolated and constant. Throughout history, He creates the creatures of the earth who live according to His rules and are happy as a result. The seas do not go beyond their limits, fish live in water and avoid land. And only the human race thinks about violating His laws.
- Verse 7. Praise the Lord from the earth, O great fish and all the deeps. From ancient times, whales were considered great fish. These gigantic creatures, which once inspired fear in brave sailors and ordinary people, never went beyond the depths of the sea. God's Law ordered them to live in water and have no contact with the human race.
- Verse 8. Fire and hail, snow and fog, a stormy wind that fulfills His word. The elements mentioned in the verse from ancient times represented something terrible, destructive and destructive for man. However, only God has power over them, for he is the Forefather of all elemental phenomena.
- Verse 9. The mountains and all the hills, the fruitful trees and all the cedars, the Creator's Works are not only beautiful from the point of view of creation, but also from the point of view of useful resources. Lebanese cedars have been considered durable trees since ancient times. The man found out about this and began to use this gift for his own benefit.
- Verse 10. Beasts and all livestock, reptiles and winged birds, It is not for nothing that the Author mentions animals in his speeches, because they are also an act of His creation. On the earth's surface and in the abyss of the water there are no superfluous creatures. Whether fierce or meek, each of them is subject to God’s Providence.
- Verse 11. The kings of the earth and all the nations, the princes and all the judges of the earth, This line contains a direct appeal to the rulers of the earth who are placed over their people. They must recognize where their authority comes from and praise God for the chance to be loyal to their people.
- Verse 12. Young men and maidens, old men and youths. Youth and aged men and virgins also do not shy away from praying for the glory of the One.
- Verse 13. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for His alone is exalted, His glory is on earth and in heaven. Only the Lord is the Creator of all things. Only to him should the believer be grateful for all the gifts he enjoys. The false gods of the pagans are only material idols without divinity. They are created in the likeness of man and therefore are as weak as people. There is no power in them, but there is power in Him.
- Verse 14. He has exalted the horn of His people, the glory of all His saints, the children of Israel, the people who are close to Him. The Israelites were a mighty people. The voice of God was always with them. But in their dishonor they lost His support and became earthly slaves. Over time, the people atoned for their guilt, and the Lord made an attempt to inform other nations about Himself. In the future, the people of Israel will not be the only ones who live in the name of God. Many pagans will reject the old powerless faith and join faith in the Creator.
Reading rules
You can read the Psalter both in Old Church Slavonic and in Russian. What is important is not a mechanical, but a thoughtful, meaningful reading. The psalm is read while reading kathisma 20. The reader pronounces each phrase, pauses after the sentence so that not a single word is said in a tongue twister.
Psalm 148 is not only praise to the Creator, but also gratitude for the future in the words of the pious King David. Just as they thank people in advance, they turn to God in full confidence in the help of the Creator.
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