Psalms 148:4

4 Heavens of heavens, praise ye him (Heaven of heavens/The highest heaven, praise ye him); and the waters that be above (the) heavens,

Psalms 148:4 Meaning and Commentary

Psalms 148:4

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, ( Psalms 19:1 ) . A voice was heard from heaven, praising Jehovah the Son, when on earth in our nature; a cloud of the lower heavens received him when he went from hence, and in the clouds thereof he will come again: the highest heavens opened to receive him, and will retain him until the restitution of all things; and from hence he will descend to judge the world in righteousness, ( Matthew 3:16 ) ( 17:5 ) ( Acts 1:9 ) ( 3:21 ) ( Revelation 1:7 ) ;

and ye waters that [be] above the heavens;
divided by the firmament from the waters below; and are no other than the thick clouds, in which the waters are bound up, and not rent, but at the pleasure of God, ( Genesis 1:7 ) ( Job 26:9 ) ; so Seneca F4 calls the clouds the celestial waters. And these give men occasion to praise the Lord, that those vast bodies of water that are over their heads are not let down in such large quantities upon them as would destroy them; and that are carried about from place to place, and let down and gentle showers, to water and refresh the earth, and make it fruitful, so that it brings forth food for man and beast. The Targum is,

``ye waters, that by the Word (of the Lord) hang above the heavens;''

in which is displayed the glory of amazing power, wisdom, and goodness. The most ancient Syrians and Arabians were thoroughly persuaded, that beyond the bounds of the visible heavens there was a great sea, without any limits; which some F5 suppose to be the waters here meant.


FOOTNOTES:

F4 Nat. Quaest. l. 3. c. 23.
F5 Vid. Steeb. Coelum Sephirot. Heb. c. 7. s. 3. p. 126, 127. and Gregory's Works, p. 110.

Psalms 148:4 In-Context

2 All his angels, praise ye him; all his virtues, praise ye him (all his hosts, praise ye him).
3 Sun and moon, praise ye him; all stars and light, praise ye him (all the stars of light/all the shining stars, praise ye him.).
4 Heavens of heavens, praise ye him (Heaven of heavens/The highest heaven, praise ye him); and the waters that be above (the) heavens,
5 praise they the name of the Lord. For he said, and things were made; he commanded, and things were made of nought. (praise they the name of the Lord. For he spoke, and everything was made; he commanded, and everything was made out of nothing.)
6 He ordained those things into the world, and into the world of world; he setted a commandment, and it shall not pass. (He ordained those things forever and ever; he gave a command, and it shall not pass away.)
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.