Psalms 148:3
in Psalms 148Praise Him, O sun and moon; praise Him, all you shining stars.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Praise ye him, sun and moon: Praise him, all ye stars of light.
KJV
Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light.
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This verse in Psalms 148
Commentary
8 notes on this versePraise him, sun and moon. Look, you pagans: look, you Manichaeans. The sun praises, it is not praised. Praise him, sun and moon. You call the sun a god. See after how many others it praises. Praise from the heavens, praise in the heights, praise, you angels, praise, all you hosts. Your god is placed as one that praises in the fifth rank. Praise him, sun and moon. He did not say, moon and sun; but, sun and moon. What is greater in light praises first. See the order of the visible things.
This site's exposition
Praise the LORD from the heavens
on Psalms 148:1-6
Seven things are called from the heavens: angels, heavenly hosts, sun, moon, shining stars, the highest heavens, and the waters above the skies. God gave the command and they were created. Matthew Henry notes that idolaters made the sun, moon and stars their gods, while this psalm makes them fellow worshippers under a decree that will never pass away.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Idolaters made the sun, moon, and stars, their gods, and praised them, worshipping and serving the creature, because it is seen, more than the Creator, because he is not seen; but we, who worship the true God only, make them our fellow-worshippers, and call upon them to praise him with us, nay, as Levites to attend us, who, as priests, offer this spiritual sacrifice.
Praise ye him, sun and moon,....
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light. The Psalmist enters into detail as to the heavenly hosts. As all, so each, must praise the God of each and all. The sun and moon, as joint rulers of day and night, are paired in praise: the one is the complement of the other, and so they are closely associated in the summons to worship. The sun has his peculiar mode of glorifying the Great Father of lights, and the moon has her own special method of reflecting his brightness.
Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light. The Psalmist enters into detail as to the heavenly hosts. As all, so each, must praise the God of each and all. The sun and moon, as joint rulers of day and night, are paired in praise: the one is the complement of the other, and so they are closely associated in the summons to worship. The sun has his peculiar mode of glorifying the Great Father of lights, and the moon has her own special method of reflecting his brightness. There is a perpetual adoration of the Lord in the skies: it varies with night and day, but it ever continues while sun and moon endure. There is ever a lamp burning before the high altar of the Lord. Nor are the greater luminaries allowed to drown with their floods of light the glory of the lesser brilliants, for all the stars are bidden to the banquet of praise. Stars are many, so many that no one can count the host included under the words, "all ye stars"; yet no one of them refuses to praise its Maker. From their extreme brilliance they are fitly named "stars of light"; and this light is praise in a visible form twinkling to true music. Light is song glittering before the eye instead of resounding in the ear. Stars without light would render no praise, and Christians without light rob the Lord of his glory. However small our beam, we must not hide it: if we cannot be sun or moon we must aim to be one of the "stars of light", and our every twinkling must be to the honour of our Lord.
Praise ye him, sun and moon - The meaning of this address and all others to inanimate nature, is this: Every work of God’s hand partakes so much of his perfections, that it requires only to be studied and known, in order to show forth the manifold wisdom power, and goodness of the Creator. Stars of light - The brightest and most luminous stars: probably the planets may be especially intended.
1 more voice on this verse
The Nineteenth Century1 voice
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Praise ye him, sun and moon - The most conspicuous and glorious objects in the heavens, as apparent to the eyes of people. Praise him, all ye stars of light - A poetical expression to denote bright or shining stars. The phrase embraces all the stars as they strike the eyes of people. Each one has something special to it for which to praise God: and the entire groups - the immense multitudes, as such - should join in one chorus of praise.
The words behind it
7 Hebrew wordsEvery Hebrew word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Hebrew | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| הַֽ֭לְלוּהוּ | haluhu | praise him | H1984 → | 165 times |
| שֶׁ֣מֶשׁ | shemesh | O sun | H8121 → | 134 times |
| וְיָרֵ֑חַ | veyareach | and moon | H3394 → | 27 times |
| הַ֝לְל֗וּהוּ | haluhu | praise him | H1984 → | 165 times |
| כָּל־ | kol- | O all | H3605 → | 5413 times |
| כּ֥וֹכְבֵי | kokhvei | [the] stars of | H3556 → | 37 times |
| אֽוֹר׃ | ʾor | light | H216 → | 121 times |
הַֽ֭לְלוּהוּpraise him
haluhuH1984 →165 times
שֶׁ֣מֶשׁO sun
shemeshH8121 →134 times
וְיָרֵ֑חַand moon
veyareachH3394 →27 times
הַ֝לְל֗וּהוּpraise him
haluhuH1984 →165 times
כָּל־O all
kol-H3605 →5413 times
כּ֥וֹכְבֵי[the] stars of
kokhveiH3556 →37 times
אֽוֹר׃light
ʾorH216 →121 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
5 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Deuteronomy 4:19When you look to the heavens and see the sun and moon and stars—all the host of heaven—do not be enticed to bow down and worship what the LORD your God has apportioned to…
it leads to
- Romans 1:25
They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is forever worthy of praise! Amen.
- Deuteronomy 17:3
and going to worship other gods, bowing down to them or to the sun or moon or any of the host of heaven—which I have forbidden—
- 2 Kings 21:3
For he rebuilt the high places that his father Hezekiah had destroyed, and he raised up altars for Baal. He made an Asherah pole, as King Ahab of Israel had done, and he worshiped…
- Genesis 1:16–18
God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night. And He made the stars as well.
- 2 Kings 17:16
They abandoned all the commandments of the LORD their God and made for themselves two cast idols of calves and an Asherah pole. They bowed down to all the host of heaven and served…
- Romans 1:25
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Psalms

This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Charles Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Vol. 7; Franz Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Psalms; Jerome, Homily 58, on Psalm 148; John Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament (1748-1763) and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.
