Christianity
Psalms 150Let Every Thing That Hath Breath
Summary
Psalm 150, the final psalm, is a crescendo of praise that closes the book. In a series of commands it calls for praising God in his sanctuary and in the firmament of his power, for his mighty acts and his excellent greatness. It names the trumpet, psaltery, harp, timbrel and dance, stringed instruments and organs, and loud and high sounding cymbals. It ends with the call for every thing that has breath to praise the LORD, serving as the doxology of Book Five and of the whole Psalter.
Key verse
“Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.”
Psalms 150:6
Themes
- Universal Praise
- Music in Worship
- God's Greatness
- Culmination of the Psalms
Text
Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.
Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.
Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.
Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.
Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.
Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.
Text: King James Version (1611/1769), public domain.
Across traditions
Islam
Surah Al-Isra (17): David and the PsalmsThe Quran says God gave David the Psalms (Zabur) in 17:55, and in 17:44 it says the seven heavens, the earth and all within them praise God, though people do not understand their praise. Psalm 150's call for every breathing thing to praise God resonates with that vision.
Christianity
1 Chronicles 15: The Levite Musicians1 Chronicles 15:16 to 28 describes Levites appointed with psalteries, harps, cymbals and trumpets as the ark came to Jerusalem, the kind of temple music Psalm 150 summons.
Judaism
Psalm 150 in the JPS 1917 TanakhPsalm 150 concludes the five Hallelujah psalms of the daily Jewish morning service, and its final verse is repeated as the climax of that section.
Questions about Psalms 150
What instruments are named in Psalm 150?
The KJV lists the trumpet, psaltery, harp, timbrel, stringed instruments, organs and cymbals, alongside dance. The Hebrew terms refer to ancient instruments such as the shofar, lyre and pipe, so organ here means a wind instrument, not the modern organ.
Why does the Book of Psalms end with Psalm 150?
Psalm 150 gathers the whole Psalter into praise, moving beyond the laments and petitions of earlier psalms to unbroken hallelujah. Many readers see the arc from Psalm 1's blessed man to Psalm 150's every breathing thing as deliberate.