Psalms 150: Let Everything Praise Him
The Psalter's grand finale, summoning every instrument and every breathing creature to praise God for his mighty acts and excellent greatness.
Psalms 150 (WEB)
1 Praise Yah! Praise God in his sanctuary! Praise him in his heavens for his acts of power!
2 Praise him for his mighty acts! Praise him according to his excellent greatness!
3 Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet! Praise him with harp and lyre!
4 Praise him with tambourine and dancing! Praise him with stringed instruments and flute!
5 Praise him with loud cymbals! Praise him with resounding cymbals!
6 Let everything that has breath praise Yah! Praise Yah!
Psalms 150 (KJV)
1 Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.
2 Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.
3 Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.
4 Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.
5 Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.
6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.
Psalms 150 (ASV)
1 Praise ye Jehovah. Praise God in his sanctuary: Praise him in the firmament of his power.
2 Praise him for his mighty acts: Praise him according to his excellent greatness.
3 Praise him with trumpet sound: Praise him with psaltery and harp.
4 Praise him with timbrel and dance: Praise him with stringed instruments and pipe.
5 Praise him with loud cymbals: Praise him with high sounding cymbals.
6 Let everything that hath breath praise Jehovah. Praise ye Jehovah.
Summary
Psalm 150 is the soaring climax of the entire book of Psalms, an unrestrained call to praise that brings the whole collection to a close. In just six verses the word "praise" appears again and again, sweeping up where, why, how, and who. The where: praise God in his sanctuary and in his mighty heavens, joining earth and heaven in one chorus. The why: praise him for his acts of power and according to his excellent greatness—both for what he has done and for who he is. The how: praise him with the full orchestra of Israel's worship—trumpet, harp and lyre, tambourine and dancing, stringed instruments and flute, loud cymbals and resounding cymbals—holding nothing back. And finally the who: let everything that has breath praise Yah. The psalm ends as the whole Psalter does, with the single, ringing word "Hallelujah," "Praise Yah." After all the laments, confessions, cries for help, and songs of trust, the book of Psalms resolves into pure, exuberant worship, as if every prayer has been climbing toward this. It declares that the proper end of every life, indeed of every breath, is the praise of God. For the believer in Christ it anticipates the worship of the redeemed before the throne, where every creature joins the everlasting Hallelujah.
Voices
- The worshiping assembly — God's people summoned to praise him in the sanctuary with the full array of instruments and dancing.
- Yahweh (the LORD) — The God praised for his mighty acts and his excellent greatness, in the sanctuary and in his heavens.
- Everything that has breath — Every living creature, the final and widest summons of the Psalter, called to praise Yah.
Key Verse
Psalm 150:6 (WEB)
Let everything that has breath praise Yah! Praise Yah!
Lessons Learned
- The whole book of Psalms, with all its sorrow and struggle, resolves into pure praise.
- We praise God both for his mighty acts and for his excellent greatness—for what he does and who he is.
- Worship is meant to be whole-hearted and unrestrained, employing every gift and instrument we have.
- The proper purpose of every breath and every creature is to praise God.
- Praise belongs in God's presence. "Praise God in his sanctuary! Praise him in his heavens" (Psalm 150:1, WEB)—earth and heaven join in one act of worship.
- Praise him for who he is and what he does. "Praise him for his mighty acts! Praise him according to his excellent greatness!" (Psalm 150:2, WEB)—both his deeds and his being draw praise.
- Worship with everything you have. "Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet... with loud cymbals" (Psalm 150:3, 5, WEB)—the call is to hold nothing back.
- Every breath is for praise. "Let everything that has breath praise Yah!" (Psalm 150:6, WEB)—the purpose of life itself is the worship of God.
- Why is it fitting that the book of Psalms ends with an explosion of pure praise?
- What is the difference between praising God for his acts and praising him for his greatness itself?
- What does the long list of instruments suggest about how we should worship?
- What does it mean that "everything that has breath" is called to praise—does that include you, right now?
- How might you make praise a more constant rhythm of your daily breathing this week?
- After all the laments and cries of the Psalter, the book lands on unmixed praise, as if every prayer was always climbing toward worship. Discuss how this gives shape and hope to our own seasons of struggle and song.
- Praising God's acts thanks him for specific deeds; praising his greatness adores him for who he is regardless of circumstances. Both are needed so that worship is not merely transactional. Explore holding gratitude and adoration together.
- The full orchestra signals whole-hearted, unrestrained, joyful worship that engages the whole person and community. It resists a thin or timid praise. Discuss how the group can worship with greater fullness and freedom.
- The summons reaches every breathing creature, which certainly includes each of us. Praise is not optional or reserved for the gifted; it is the calling of all who live. Gently press that this invitation is personal and present.
- This is a gentle personal-application question. Encourage members to weave brief praise into ordinary moments, treating each breath as an occasion for it. As leader, point to the everlasting Hallelujah of the redeemed in Christ as our future and our practice.