Psalm 148 summons the whole universe to praise God: “Praise ye the Lord from the heavens: praise ye him in the high places. Praise ye him, all his angels.” Sun, moon and stars, sea creatures, fire and snow, mountains and trees, animals, kings, young men and maidens, old and young: every creature has a voice in the choir. Below is the full Catholic text, what the psalm means, how the Church uses it, and a prayer.
Psalm 148 in the Douay-Rheims Bible
Praise ye the Lord from the heavens: praise ye him in the high places.
Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts.
Praise ye him, O sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars and light.
Praise him, ye heavens of heavens: and let all the waters that are above the heavens
Praise the name of the Lord. For he spoke, and they were made: he commanded, and they were created.
He hath established them for ever, and for ages of ages: he hath made a decree, and it shall not pass away.
Praise the Lord from the earth, ye dragons, and all ye deeps:
Fire, hail, snow, ice, stormy winds which fulfill his word:
Mountains and all hills, fruitful trees and all cedars:
Beasts and all cattle: serpents and feathered fowls:
Kings of the earth and all people: princes and all judges of the earth:
Young men and maidens: let the old with the younger, praise the name of the Lord:
For his name alone is exalted.
The praise of him is above heaven and earth: and he hath exalted the horn of his people. A hymn to all his saints: to the children of Israel, a people approaching to him. Alleluia.
Psalm 148: the same number in every Bible
Psalm 148 has the same number in the Douay-Rheims and in modern Bibles: the Greek and Latin numbering used by the Douay only differs from the Hebrew numbering between Psalms 10 and 147. In Latin the psalm begins Laudate Dominum de caelis. See how many psalms are there?
What the psalm means
- Praise from above: angels, hosts, sun, moon, stars and the waters above the heavens.
- Praise from below: sea monsters, fire, hail, snow, ice, stormy winds, mountains, fruit trees, cedars, beasts, birds.
- Praise from all people: “Kings of the earth and all people… young men and maidens: let the old with the younger, praise the name of the Lord.”
- Why praise? “For he spoke, and they were made.”
- A song for creation: St. Francis of Assisi’s Canticle of the Sun echoes this psalm. See the Feast of St. Francis.
How the Church uses Psalm 148
- At Morning Prayer (Lauds), where the “Laudate” psalms 148–150 gave the Hour its name. See Lauds.
- For care of creation: a prayer that teaches us to see all creatures as praising God.
A prayer with Psalm 148
Written for this page:
Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him, all his angels.
Sun and moon, stars and seas, mountains and trees, praise the Lord.
Old and young, every nation and every creature, praise his name,
for he spoke and all things were made. Glory to you, Lord, for ever. Amen.
Frequently asked questions
What is Psalm 148 about?
A hymn calling all creation, in heaven and on earth, to praise God who made it.
How is Psalm 148 related to St. Francis?
St. Francis’s Canticle of the Sun, praising God through Brother Sun and Sister Moon, follows the spirit of this psalm.
More psalms and prayers
- Canticle of Daniel (Benedicite)
- Psalm 150
- Psalm 8
- Psalm 104
- Psalms of praise
- How many psalms are there?
Texts and sources
- Scripture: Psalm 148, Douay-Rheims Bible (Challoner), public domain.
- The prayer was written for this page.