Psalms 148
Old Testament · Brenton Septuagint with Greek parallel
Psalms chapter 148 is given here in full, verse by verse, in Sir Lancelot Brenton's classic English translation of the Septuagint (LXX), with the Greek text of the Septuagint set beneath each verse. The text follows the Septuagint tradition received throughout the Orthodox Church.
6 patristic excerpts are attached to this chapter, from Saint Augustine of Hippo. The translator's notes for this chapter (1) follow the text.
Psalms 148
1Alleluia, a Psalm of Aggaeus and Zacharias. Praise you the Lord from the heavens: praise him in the highest.Ἀλληλούϊα· Ἀγγαίου καὶ Ζαχαρίου. Αἰνεῖτε τὸν Κύριον ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν, αἰνεῖτε αὐτὸν ἐν τοῖς ὑψίστοις.
2Praise you him, all his angels: praise you him, all his hosts.Αἰνεῖτε αὐτόν πάντες οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτοῦ, αἰνεῖτε αὐτόν πᾶσαι αἱ δυνάμεις αὐτοῦ.
3Praise him, sun and moon; praise him, all you stars and light.Αἰνεῖτε αὐτόν ἥλιος καὶ σελήνη, αἰνεῖτε αὐτόν πάντα τὰ ἄστρα καὶ τὸ φῶς.
4Praise him, you heavens of heavens, and the water that is above the heavens.Αἰνεῖτε αὐτόν οἱ οὐρανοὶ τῶν οὐρανῶν, καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ τὸ ὑπεράνω τῶν οὐρανῶν.
5Let them praise the name of the Lord: for he spoke, and they were made; he commanded, and they were created.Αἰνεσάτωσαν τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου· ὅτι αὐτὸς εἶπεν καὶ ἐγενήθησαν, αὐτὸς ἐνετείλατο καὶ ἐκτίσθησαν.
6He has established them for ever, even for ever and ever: he has made an ordinance, and it shall not pass away.Ἔστησεν αὐτὰ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος· πρόσταγμα ἔθετο, καὶ οὐ παρελεύσεται.
7Praise the Lord from the earth, you serpents, and all deeps.Αἰνεῖτε τὸν Κύριον ἐκ τῆς γῆς, δράκοντες καὶ πᾶσαι ἄβυσσοι·
8Fire, hail, snow, ice, stormy wind; the things that perform his word.Πῦρ, χάλαζα, χιὼν, κρύσταλλος, πνεῦμα καταιγίδος, τὰ ποιοῦντα τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ·
9Mountains, and all hills; fruitful trees, and all cedars:Τὰ ὄρη καὶ πάντες βουνοί, ξύλα καρποφόρα καὶ πᾶσαι κέδροι·
10wild beasts, and all cattle; reptiles, and winged birds:Τὰ θηρία καὶ πάντα τὰ κτήνη, ἑρπετὰ καὶ πετεινὰ πτερωτά·
11kings of the earth, and all peoples; princes, and all judges of the earth:Βασιλεῖς τῆς γῆς καὶ πάντες λαοί, ἄρχοντες καὶ πάντες κριταὶ γῆς·
12young men and virgins, old men with youths:Νεανίσκοι καὶ παρθένοι, πρεσβύται μετὰ νεωτέρων
13let them praise the name of the Lord: for his name only is exalted; his praise is above the earth and heaven,αἰνεσάτωσαν τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου, ὅτι ὑψώθη τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ μόνου· ἡ ἐξομολόγησις αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ γῆς καὶ οὐρανοῦ,
14and he shall exalt the horn of his people, * there is a hymn for all his saints, even of the children of Israel, a people who draw near to him.καὶ ὑψώσει κέρας λαοῦ αὐτοῦ· ὕμονς πᾶσι τοῖς ὁσίοις αὐτοῦ, τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραήλ, λαῷ ἐγγίζοντι αὐτῷ.
Translator's Notes
These notes come from the printed edition of Sir Lancelot Brenton's classic English translation of the Septuagint (LXX), and record where the Greek differs from the English rendering or admits more than one reading.
- v. 14*Or, who is the praise of.
The Fathers on Psalms 148
Saint Augustine of Hippo comments on this chapter. Each excerpt below is drawn from the full text held in the Fathers Library; follow the link on any entry to read the whole work.
On Psalms 148:1Saint Augustine of Hippo3. “Praise ye the Lord from heaven” (ver. 1). As though he had found things in heaven holding their peace in the praise of the Lord, he exhorteth them to arise and praise. Never have things in heaven held their peace in the praises of their Creator, never have things on earth ceased to praise God. But it is manifest that there are certain things which have breath to praise God in that disposition wherein God…
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On Psalms 148:2–5Saint Augustine of Hippo5. “Praise Him, all ye angels of His, praise Him, all His powers” (ver. 2). “Praise Him, sun and moon; praise Him, all ye stars and light” (ver. 3). “Praise Him, ye heaven of heavens, and waters that are above the heavens” (ver. 4). “Let them praise the Name of the Lord” (ver. 5). When can he unfold all in his enumeration? Yet he hath in a manner touched upon them all summarily, and included all things in heaven…
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On Psalms 148:6Saint Augustine of Hippo6. “He hath established them for the age, and for age upon age” (ver. 6). All things in heaven, all things above, all powers and angels, a certain city on high, good, holy, blessed; from whence because we are wanderers, we are wretched; whither because we are to return, we are blessed in hope; whither when we shall have returned, we shall be blessed indeed; “He hath given them a law which shall not pass away.”…
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On Psalms 148:7Saint Augustine of Hippo7. Let him then turn himself to things on earth too, since he hath already spoken the praises of things in heaven. “Praise ye the Lord from the earth” (ver. 7). For wherewith began he before? “Praise ye the Lord from heaven:” and he went through things in heaven: now hear of things on earth. “Dragons and all abysses.” “Abysses” are depths of water: all the seas, and this atmosphere of clouds, pertain to the…
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On Psalms 148:8Saint Augustine of Hippo8. “Fire, hail, snow, ice, wind of storms, which do His word” (ver. 8). Wherefore added he here, “which do His word”? Many foolish men, unable to contemplate and discern creation, in its several places and rank, performing its movements at the nod and commandment of God think that God doth indeed rule all things above, but things below He despiseth, casteth aside, abandoneth, so that He neither careth for them,…
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On Psalms 148:9–13Open Psalms 148 in the interactive reader Switch translations, hear the chapter read aloud, tap any verse for its patristic commentary, and study the Greek word by word.Saint Augustine of Hippo10. Then he mentioneth, that they may praise the Lord, “mountains and hills, fruitful trees and all cedars” (ver. 9): “beasts and all cattle, creeping things, and winged fowls” (ver. 10). Then he goeth to men; “kings of the earth and all people, princes and all judges of the earth” (ver. 11): “young men and maidens, old men and young, let them praise the Name of the Lord” (ver. 12). Ended is the praise from…
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