Psalm 148:7 kjv
Praise the LORD from the earth, ye dragons, and all deeps:
Psalm 148:7 nkjv
Praise the LORD from the earth, You great sea creatures and all the depths;
Psalm 148:7 niv
Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all ocean depths,
Psalm 148:7 esv
Praise the LORD from the earth, you great sea creatures and all deeps,
Psalm 148:7 nlt
Praise the LORD from the earth,
you creatures of the ocean depths,
Psalm 148 7 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Psa 24:1-2 | The earth is the Lord’s and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein. For He has founded it upon the seas and established it upon the floods. | God's absolute ownership and foundation of earth, including the waters. |
| Psa 93:3-4 | The floods have lifted up, O Lord, The floods have lifted up their voice... The Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters, than the mighty waves of the sea. | God's supreme power and might over all waters and their tumultuous forces. |
| Psa 104:24-26 | O Lord, how manifold are Your works!... There is the great and wide sea, in which are innumerable teeming things, living things both small and great. There the ships sail, and there is that Leviathan which You have made to play in it. | God's creative design and playful mastery over sea life, including great creatures like Leviathan. |
| Gen 1:2 | The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. | The initial state of chaos and the deep (tehom), over which God's Spirit presides. |
| Gen 1:21 | So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves... | God's direct creation of tanninim (great sea creatures). |
| Job 41:1 | Can you draw out Leviathan with a hook, Or snare his tongue with a line...? | Emphasizes the untameable power of Leviathan, subject only to God. |
| Psa 74:13-14 | You divided the sea by Your strength; You broke the heads of the tanninim in the waters. You broke the heads of Leviathan in pieces... | God's past acts of conquering primeval/chaotic forces symbolized by sea monsters. |
| Isa 27:1 | In that day the Lord with His severe sword... will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent... and He will slay the reptile that is in the sea. | Future judgment and defeat of chaotic powers/evil forces symbolized by Leviathan. |
| Psa 19:1-4 | The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork... their voice is not heard. | All creation, visible and unseen, declares God's glory wordlessly. |
| Isa 55:12 | For you shall go out with joy... the mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before you, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. | Nature itself joyfully participating in praise and worship. |
| Lk 19:40 | He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.” | If humans do not praise, even inanimate creation will do so. |
| Rom 1:20 | For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse. | Creation universally testifies to God's eternal power and divine nature. |
| Mk 4:39 | Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Peace, be still!" And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. | Christ's divine authority and power over chaotic natural forces (wind and sea). |
| Matt 14:25 | Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. | Christ demonstrating His dominion over the sea through supernatural power. |
| Exo 14:21-28 | Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea... and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night... | God's manipulation of the deep (Red Sea) for the deliverance of His people. |
| Job 38:8-11 | Or who shut in the sea with doors when it burst forth... When I fixed My limit for it... | God setting insurmountable boundaries for the vast and potentially chaotic sea. |
| Psa 65:5-7 | By awesome deeds in righteousness You will answer us... who stills the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the peoples. | God's power to calm both literal and figurative storms (sea and human chaos). |
| Rev 5:13 | And every creature which is in heaven and on earth and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying: "Blessing and honor and glory and power be to Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, forever and ever!" | A prophetic vision of universal worship and praise encompassing all creation, including the sea. |
| Psa 145:9-10 | The Lord is good to all; He has compassion over all His works... All Your works shall praise You, O Lord. | God's goodness extending to and being praised by all His created works. |
| Isa 43:20 | The beasts of the field will honor Me... Because I give waters in the wilderness and rivers in the desert... | Animals honoring God in response to His provision, suggesting all creatures can praise Him. |
| Jon 1:17 | Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah. | God's complete control and usage of even massive sea creatures for His specific purposes. |
Psalm 148 verses
Psalm 148 7 Meaning
Psalm 148:7 initiates the earthly chorus of praise by summoning the magnificent beings dwelling in the deepest parts of the earth, along with the vast, uncontainable abysses themselves, to give glory to the Lord. This verse highlights the universal reach of God's dominion, demonstrating that His majesty and sovereignty extend to even the most powerful, mysterious, and potentially formidable elements within creation. It asserts that every facet of the physical world, from the enormous creatures of the sea to the deepest, hidden waters, stands under His command and implicitly (or literally, through their very existence) proclaims His greatness.
Psalm 148 7 Context
Psalm 148 is a powerful and inclusive Hallelujah Psalm, a vibrant call for all creation to laud the Lord. The psalm is structured to demonstrate God's all-encompassing sovereignty, moving from the celestial to the terrestrial realm. Verses 1-6 command the heavens, angelic hosts, sun, moon, stars, and celestial waters to praise God, establishing His dominion over the highest spheres. Verse 7 marks a transition, introducing the earthly dimension of this universal praise, beginning with the most profound and mysterious parts: the great sea creatures and the deeps. This progression sets the stage for the rest of the psalm's earthly participants, including weather elements, land features, animals, and ultimately all humanity (verses 8-12), culminating in the unique praise of God's people (verses 13-14). Historically and culturally, this verse is highly significant as it directly confronts ancient Near Eastern cosmological beliefs that often depicted the sea and its monsters as independent or chaotic forces. By demanding praise from these entities, the Psalmist affirms Yahweh's sole and effortless authority as the supreme Creator and Controller over all, leaving no part of creation exempt from His rightful worship.
Psalm 148 7 Word analysis
Praise the Lord: (Hebrew: הללוּ יהוה, hallelu Yahweh) This is an imperative command, meaning "You (plural) praise Yahweh!" The root halal conveys enthusiastic, joyous, and public extolling of attributes. Yahweh is God's unique covenant name, highlighting His personal, eternal nature and absolute authority.
from the earth: (Hebrew: מִן־הָאָרֶץ, min-hā·’ā·reṣ) This phrase indicates the sphere of the praise. It contrasts with "from the heavens" in the earlier part of the Psalm (v.1), showing a comprehensive and exhaustive call to praise that includes all parts of the physical world.
you great sea creatures: (Hebrew: תַּנִּינִים גְּדֹלִים, tanninim gedolim)
- tanninim: This plural noun translates to "sea creatures," "dragons," "serpents," or "monsters." In Gen 1:21, it denotes the large aquatic creatures created by God. In broader ancient Near Eastern context, tanninim could symbolize primal chaotic forces. Here, it refers to the immense, powerful, and awe-inspiring living beings of the deep.
- gedolim: Means "great" or "large," intensifying the description of the tanninim, emphasizing their formidable nature. Their inclusion shows that nothing, however grand or potentially frightening, lies outside God's sovereign command to praise Him.
and all deeps: (Hebrew: וְכָל־תְּהֹמוֹת, we-kāl-tehomot)
- we-kāl: Translates to "and all," signifying a complete and inclusive range.
- tehomot: This is the plural of tehom, which means "the deep," "abyss," or "primordial ocean." It is famously used in Gen 1:2 to describe the formless watery mass before creation was ordered. In pagan mythologies (e.g., Babylonian Enuma Elish with Tiamat), the "deep" represented chaos personified. By commanding "all deeps" to praise Him, the Psalmist affirms God's effortless and complete dominion over even the most unformed, chaotic, and hidden parts of the cosmos.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "Praise the Lord from the earth": This foundational phrase reorients the call to praise from the celestial realm (v.1-6) to the terrestrial. It signifies that God's glory resonates and is acknowledged throughout the entirety of the created world, from its surface to its profoundest depths.
- "you great sea creatures and all deeps": This pairing explicitly covers both the grandest inhabitants and the very foundational spaces of the vast ocean. "Great sea creatures" (tanninim gedolim) represents the mightiest living beings within the watery domain, while "all deeps" (tehomot) encapsulates the boundless, mysterious, and powerful aquatic realms themselves. Their combined call to praise powerfully counters ancient cosmologies by asserting Yahweh's absolute and uncontested dominion over all forces of chaos and creation within the oceans, transforming them from potential threats into testaments of divine power.
Psalm 148 7 Bonus section
The reference to tanninim and tehomot is not merely poetic imagery but rooted in the ancient Near Eastern cosmological context. Surrounding cultures often viewed the sea (e.g., Yam) and primeval watery chaos (e.g., Tiamat) as divine or demonic powers that needed to be conquered through conflict. The biblical narrative, however, fundamentally reshapes this view. Gen 1:2 and 1:21 demonstrate that the "deep" was merely an unformed part of God's creation, and the "great sea creatures" were specifically brought into being by Him. Therefore, Psalm 148:7 makes a theological statement: God doesn't conquer these elements through struggle; He merely commands them to praise, emphasizing His pre-existent, absolute, and inherent control over all things from their very origin. This reinforces biblical monotheism and the unparalleled omnipotence of Yahweh.
Psalm 148 7 Commentary
Psalm 148:7 profoundly expands the cosmic call to praise Yahweh, moving from the heavenly hosts to the earth's most formidable and mysterious elements. By summoning the "great sea creatures" and "all deeps" to offer praise, the Psalmist vividly illustrates God's unassailable sovereignty over what ancient peoples often considered untamed, chaotic, or even deified forces. The Hebrew term tanninim (great sea creatures) alludes to both literal colossal aquatic life and, often, mythical or symbolic monstrous entities representing opposition, while tehomot (deeps) points to the primordial, formless abyss, believed to be the source of chaos in other mythologies. This verse therefore carries a significant polemical undertone, implicitly refuting polytheistic notions of struggling deities by unequivocally proclaiming that Yahweh alone created and controls these entities with effortless authority. It is a declaration that every part of creation, from the known to the unknown, the visible to the unfathomable, stands subject to the Creator's will and inherently bears witness to His magnificent glory, compelling observers to stand in awe of His boundless power and perfect order.