Psalm 148:4 kjv
Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens.
Psalm 148:4 nkjv
Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, And you waters above the heavens!
Psalm 148:4 niv
Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies.
Psalm 148:4 esv
Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!
Psalm 148:4 nlt
Praise him, skies above!
Praise him, vapors high above the clouds!
Psalm 148 4 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 1:6-8 | And God said, "Let there be an expanse... to separate the waters from the waters." ...God called the expanse Heaven. | Creation of the expanse (heaven) and waters above/below. |
| Gen 7:11 | ...all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened. | "Windows/floodgates" of heaven releasing water. |
| Ps 19:1-4 | The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. | Creation, especially heavens, proclaims God's glory. |
| Ps 33:6 | By the word of the Lord the heavens were made, and by the breath of his mouth all their host. | God's powerful word creates the heavens. |
| Ps 103:19 | The Lord has established his throne in the heavens, and his kingdom rules over all. | God's heavenly throne, sovereignty over all. |
| Ps 104:1-5 | You are clothed with splendor and majesty, covering yourself with light as with a garment, stretching out the heavens like a tent. | God's majesty in stretching out the heavens. |
| Ps 145:10 | All your works shall give thanks to you, O Lord, and all your saints shall bless you! | All creation gives thanks and praises God. |
| Ps 148:2 | Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his hosts! | Heavenly beings praising God. |
| 1 Kgs 8:27 | But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain you... | God's transcendence; ultimate heavens cannot contain Him. |
| 2 Chron 2:6 | But who is able to build him a house, since heaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain him? | Reiteration of God's transcendence over heavens. |
| Neh 9:6 | You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host... | God as Creator of highest heavens and all its hosts. |
| Job 38:22 | Have you entered the treasuries of the snow, or have you seen the treasuries of the hail, which I have reserved for the time of trouble...? | God's control over meteorological "treasuries." |
| Prov 3:19-20 | The Lord by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens; by his knowledge the deeps broke open, and the clouds drop down the dew. | God's wisdom in creating heavens and waters. |
| Isa 40:26 | Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? | God created all celestial elements. |
| Isa 45:12 | I made the earth and created man on it; it was my hands that stretched out the heavens... | God's hands stretched out the heavens. |
| Isa 55:12 | ...the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. | Nature personified in joyful praise. |
| Jer 10:13 | When he utters his voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens... | God's power causes sound of waters in heavens. |
| Dan 4:35 | He does according to his will among the host of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth... | God's sovereign will over all realms. |
| Acts 7:49 | 'Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool...' | God's heavenly throne; cosmic authority. |
| Rom 1:20 | For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen... | Creation reveals God's divine attributes. |
| 2 Cor 12:2-4 | I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows. | Refers to concept of "third heaven" / highest heaven as God's abode. |
| Col 1:16 | For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible... | Christ as Creator of all things in heaven. |
| Rev 4:11 | "Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things..." | Heavenly beings worship the Creator. |
| Rev 5:13 | And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!" | Universal praise of God from all creation. |
Psalm 148 verses
Psalm 148 4 Meaning
Psalm 148:4 issues a command for the most exalted realms of creation – the "highest heavens" and the "waters above the heavens" – to praise God. This indicates that God's authority and deservingness of worship extend not only to the visible celestial bodies but also to the very fabric and foundational elements of the cosmos, including His own transcendent dwelling place. It portrays the entire ordered universe, in its highest and most primordial components, as participating in an unending act of declaring God's supreme glory and power.
Psalm 148 4 Context
Psalm 148 is a vibrant hymn, a powerful anthem calling the entire universe to worship the Lord. It forms part of the final series of Hallelujah psalms (Pss 146-150), which culminate in universal praise. The psalm begins by summoning celestial entities – heaven, angels, hosts, sun, moon, and stars – to praise Yahweh. Verse 4 specifically broadens this celestial call, targeting the "highest heavens" (the divine abode) and the "waters above the heavens," an element described in the creation account. This expansion moves beyond mere visible objects to address the transcendent realms and foundational elements of the created order. Historically, such a command served as a polemic against the polytheistic views of surrounding cultures, which often deified natural or celestial phenomena. In contrast, this psalm asserts that these are not gods but creations, subservient to and praising the one true God, highlighting His unparalleled sovereignty and creative might.
Psalm 148 4 Word analysis
- Praise him: Hebrew: הַלְל֥וּהוּ (Hallelu-hu). This is an imperative verb in the plural form, meaning "You all, praise him!" It is an active command for enthusiastic and loud acclamation of God. The root hallel conveys celebratory worship, emphasizing an exuberant, not just reverent, adoration. "Him" unequivocally refers to Yahweh, the Lord. This command carries forward the psalm's central theme of universal worship, now extended to even higher, more fundamental, or unseen parts of creation.
- you highest heavens: Hebrew: שְׁמֵי הַשָּׁמָֽיִם (Shəmei ha-shamayim). Literally translated as "heavens of heavens" or "sky of skies." This is a superlative idiom common in Hebrew, signifying the ultimate, utmost, or most exalted heavens. It points beyond the atmosphere and starry firmament to the transcendent, supreme heaven, often understood as the very dwelling place of God and the realm of His heavenly court (compare 1 Kgs 8:27, Neh 9:6). It includes the highest angelic beings or "hosts" often associated with this realm (Ps 148:2), indicating that divine praise emanates from God's very throne room and extends throughout all His creation.
- and you waters above the heavens: Hebrew: וְהַמַּ֗יִם אֲשֶׁ֤ר מֵעַ֣ל לַשָּׁמָֽיִם (Vəha-mayim asher mei-al la-shamayim). This phrase directly echoes the Genesis 1:6-7 creation narrative, where God separated "the waters under the expanse from the waters above the expanse." These "waters above" were perceived as a cosmic reservoir or celestial ocean, conceptually existing beyond the visible sky. In ancient Near Eastern mythologies, primal waters were often chaotic, powerful deities or forces to be appeased. The psalm directly confronts this by presenting these waters not as independent or hostile powers, but as subservient creations of God, commanded to join the chorus of praise, thereby affirming God's absolute sovereignty over all fundamental cosmic elements.
Words-group analysis
- "Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!": This comprehensive summons captures the cosmic scope of God's dominion and the universal expectation of praise from all created reality. By personifying even the abstract concepts of the "highest heavens" and the "waters above," the psalmist conveys that all elements of the created order, from the tangible to the profound and foundational, inherently reflect and declare the glory of their Creator. This universal acclamation implies that God's power and majesty are so immense that even inanimate and ethereal elements must bow in worship.
Psalm 148 4 Bonus section
- The placement of this verse early in the psalm signifies that praise begins from the very ultimate reaches of creation and descends, mirroring God's transcendent yet immanent creative power, who initiated all from the highest realm downwards.
- The concept of "heavens of heavens" also extends to encompassing any angelic or spiritual hosts residing there, who are implicitly or explicitly (Ps 148:2) part of this divine chorus, illustrating a comprehensive spiritual and material worship of God.
- The psalm's structure of summoning inanimate elements to praise foreshadows passages where creation itself reacts to divine presence, such as mountains skipping or trees clapping, showing the inherent response of the created order to its Maker.
Psalm 148 4 Commentary
Psalm 148:4 is a powerful declaration of God's total sovereignty, extending the call for praise beyond the visible universe to its most exalted and foundational components. By commanding the "highest heavens" (God's dwelling) and the "waters above the heavens" (primordial creative elements from Gen 1) to praise Him, the psalmist emphasizes that all realms of existence, whether seen or unseen, spiritual or material, actively participate in acknowledging God's majesty. This profound poetic command signifies that God is not only the architect but the absolute ruler over all. It subtly challenges pagan cosmologies that deified these elements, asserting that they are not independent powers but rather subservient parts of God's creation, inherently bearing witness to His awesome wisdom and power. The very order, vastness, and fundamental existence of the universe constitute an ongoing song of praise to the Creator.