Psalms 148:4
in Psalms 148Praise Him, O highest heavens, and you waters above the skies.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, And ye waters that are above the heavens.
KJV
Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens.
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This verse in Psalms 148
Commentary
9 notes on this versePraise him, you heavens of heavens. We speak of several heavens. Indeed even Paul says that he was caught up into the third heaven. See therefore how great is the splendor, that there should be a heaven of heaven. And the rest, which follow, he said concerning 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 idolaters made the sun, moon and stars their gods, while this psalm makes them fellow worshippers.
This site's exposition
you waters above the skies
Barnes read the highest heavens as heavens of heavens, one heaven above another, and set the phrase beside 1 Kings 8:27. The waters above the skies go back to Genesis 1:7, where God separated the waters above from the waters below. Adam Clarke took them as clouds, rain and snow.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers1 voice
The Persians therefore may call the "whole circle of heaven" Jupiter; but we maintain that "the heaven" is neither Jupiter nor God, as we indeed know that certain beings of a class inferior to God have ascended above the heavens and all visible nature: and in this sense we understand the words, "Praise God, you heaven of heavens, and you waters that are above the heavens; let them praise the name of the Lord."
The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice
Praise him, ye heaven of heavens,.... All the heavens, the airy and starry heavens; and the third heaven, the residence of God, angels and saints: these are made by the Lord, and declare the glory of his power, wisdom, and goodness, and show forth his handiwork, Psa 19:
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
Praise him, ye heavens of heavens. By these are meant those regions which are heavens to those who dwell in our heavens; or those most heavenly of abodes where the most choice of spirits dwell. As the highest of the highest, so the best of the best are to praise the Lord. If we could climb as much above the heavens as the heavens are above the earth, we could still cry out to all around us, "Praise ye the Lord." There can be none so great and high as to be above praising Jehovah.
Praise him, ye heavens of heavens. By these are meant those regions which are heavens to those who dwell in our heavens; or those most heavenly of abodes where the most choice of spirits dwell. As the highest of the highest, so the best of the best are to praise the Lord. If we could climb as much above the heavens as the heavens are above the earth, we could still cry out to all around us, "Praise ye the Lord." There can be none so great and high as to be above praising Jehovah. And ye waters that be above the heavens. Let the clouds roll up volumes of adoration. Let the sea above roar, and the fulness thereof, at the presence of Jehovah, the God of Israel. There is something of mystery about these supposed reservoirs of water; but let them be what they may, and as they may, they shall give glory to the Lord our God. Let the most unknown and perplexing phenomena take up their parts in the universal praise.
Heavens of heavens - Heavens exceeding heavens. Systems of systems extending as far beyond the solar system, as it does beyond the lowest deeps. The endless systematic concatenation of worlds. Ye waters that be above the heavens - This refers to Gen 1:7 (note), where see the notes. Clouds, vapours, air, exhalations, rain, Snow, and meteors of every kind.
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 him, ye heavens of heavens - Referring to the idea that there is one heaven rising above another. See the notes at Psa 68:33. See 1Ki 8:27: “Behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee.” Compare 2Ch 2:6. And ye waters that be above the heavens - Gen 1:7: “And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament.” The allusion here is to the waters which seem to be above the lower heaven, that is, the air, and which seem to come from some higher region - some higher heaven. See the notes at Psa 104:3: “Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters.”
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 |
| שְׁמֵ֣י | shemei | O heaven of | H8064 → | 421 times |
| הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם | hashamayim | the heavens | H8064 → | 421 times |
| וְ֝הַמַּ֗יִם | vehamayim | and the waters | H4325 → | 581 times |
| אֲשֶׁ֤ר׀ | ʾasher | which | H834 → | 5497 times |
| מֵעַ֬ל | meal | [are] <from> above | H5921 → | 5755 times |
| הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃ | hashamayim | the heavens | H8064 → | 421 times |
הַֽ֭לְלוּהוּpraise him
haluhuH1984 →165 times
שְׁמֵ֣יO heaven of
shemeiH8064 →421 times
הַשָּׁמָ֑יִםthe heavens
hashamayimH8064 →421 times
וְ֝הַמַּ֗יִםand the waters
vehamayimH4325 →581 times
אֲשֶׁ֤ר׀which
ʾasherH834 →5497 times
מֵעַ֬ל[are] <from> above
mealH5921 →5755 times
הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃the heavens
hashamayimH8064 →421 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 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
1 Kings 8:27But will God indeed dwell upon the earth? Even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot contain You, much less this temple I have built.
it leads to
- Isaiah 66:1
This is what the LORD says: “Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. What kind of house will you build for Me? Or where will My place of repose be?
- 2 Chronicles 2:6
But who is able to build a house for Him, since the heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain Him? Who then am I, that I should build a house for Him, except as…
- Jeremiah 23:24
“Can a man hide in secret places where I cannot see him?” declares the LORD. “Do I not fill the heavens and the earth?” declares the LORD.
- Isaiah 66:1
Through
Nehemiah 9:6You alone are the LORD. You created the heavens, the highest heavens with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give…
it leads to
- Isaiah 37:16
“O LORD of Hosts, God of Israel, enthroned above the cherubim, You alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You made the heavens and the earth.
- Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
- Revelation 4:11
“Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things; by Your will they exist and came to be.”
- Deuteronomy 10:14
Behold, to the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, and the earth and everything in it.
- Isaiah 37:16
Through
Genesis 1:7So God made the expanse and separated the waters beneath it from the waters above. And it was so.
it leads to
- Proverbs 8:28–29
when He established the clouds above, when the fountains of the deep gushed forth,
- Proverbs 8:28–29
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies1
About Psalms
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments; 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); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Origen of Alexandria, AGAINST CELSUS 5:44.