Let Everything That Has Breath
Psalm 150 summary: what it means
Psalm 150 is the last of the 150 psalms, and it is almost entirely one word: praise. It opens and closes with Praise the LORD. In between it answers four questions in order. Where: in his sanctuary and in his heavens. Why: for his mighty acts and his excellent greatness. How: with trumpet, harp, lyre, tambourine, dancing, strings, flute and cymbals. And who: everything that has breath.
There is no request in the psalm, no enemy and no complaint. The book that holds so many laments ends with a single call to praise. The list of instruments finishes with loud and resounding cymbals, and the last line widens the call from musicians to every living, breathing thing.
Psalm 150: Let Everything That Has Breath
World English Bible, public domain. allpsalms.com/psalm-150
Psalm 150 commentary: explained verse by verse
Praise the LORD!Praise God in his sanctuary!Praise him in his heavens for his acts of power!
Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.
The psalm opens by naming two places for praise: God's sanctuary and his heavens. The praise is for his acts of power. The King James Version has "praise him in the firmament of his power".
Also read Psalm 66:13-16, Genesis 1:6-8, Psalm 134:2, Ezekiel 1:22-26
Praise him for his mighty acts!Praise him according to his excellent greatness!
Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.
This verse gives the reasons: his mighty acts and his excellent greatness. Praise answers both what God does and who he is.
Also read Psalm 96:4, Psalm 145:3, Psalm 145:12, Jeremiah 32:17-19
Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet!Praise him with harp and lyre!
Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.
The instruments begin: the sound of the trumpet, then harp and lyre. The psalm names the actual tools of praise.
Also read Psalm 33:2, Psalm 92:3, Psalm 149:3, 1 Chronicles 15:24
Praise him with tambourine and dancing!Praise him with stringed instruments and flute!
Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.
Tambourine and dancing come next, then stringed instruments and flute. Praise is shown as something done with the body as well as the voice.
Also read Psalm 92:3, Psalm 33:2, Psalm 149:3, Job 21:12
Praise him with loud cymbals!Praise him with resounding cymbals!
Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.
The list ends with cymbals, loud and resounding. It is the noisiest line in the psalm, placed just before the final call.
Also read 1 Chronicles 13:8, 1 Chronicles 16:5, 1 Chronicles 25:1, 1 Chronicles 15:16
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD!Praise the LORD!
Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.
The last verse widens the call to everything that has breath, and ends as the psalm began, with Praise the LORD. It is the final line of the book of Psalms, and the King James Version reads "Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD."
Also read Psalm 145:10, Psalm 148:7-11, Revelation 5:13, Psalm 103:22
A prayer from Psalm 150
Praise the LORD. I praise you in your sanctuary and in your heavens, for your acts of power. I praise you for your mighty acts, according to your excellent greatness. I praise you with the sound of the trumpet, with harp and lyre, with tambourine and dancing, with strings and flute, with loud cymbals and resounding cymbals. With every breath I have, I praise you. Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Amen.
Psalm 150 Bible study questions
- In verse 1, where is God to be praised, and in verse 2, what is he to be praised for?
- In verses 3 to 5, which instruments are named, and what else besides instruments is part of the praise?
- The psalm names many ways to praise but gives no words to say. What does that suggest to you about praise?
- Verse 6 calls everything that has breath to praise the LORD. What does it mean to you that breath alone is the qualification?
- Psalm 145:21 says let all flesh bless his holy name. How does it compare with the call in Psalm 150:6?
Questions about Psalm 150
What is the meaning of Psalm 150?
It is a call to praise God in his sanctuary and his heavens, for his mighty acts and greatness, with every instrument, by everything that has breath. It is the last psalm in the book.
Who wrote Psalm 150?
The psalm has no heading, so the author is not named in the text.
What does Psalm 150:6 say in the KJV?
"Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD."
What instruments are named in Psalm 150?
In the World English Bible: trumpet, harp, lyre, tambourine, stringed instruments, flute and cymbals, along with dancing.
What does Psalm 150:5 mean?
It calls for praise with loud and resounding cymbals, the last instruments in the psalm's list.
Psalm 150 KJV: the King James Version
Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power.1
Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.2
Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp.3
Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs.4
Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high sounding cymbals.5
Let every thing that hath breath praise the LORD. Praise ye the LORD.6
Psalm 150 in Hebrew
The Hebrew text from the Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain. Verse numbers follow the Hebrew Bible, which counts a psalm's heading as verse 1, so they can run one ahead of English Bibles.
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1 הַ֥לְלוּ יָ֨הּ ׀ הַֽלְלוּ־אֵ֥ל בְּקָדְשׁ֑וֹ הַֽ֝לְל֗וּהוּ בִּרְקִ֥יעַ עֻזּֽוֹ׃
2 הַֽלְל֥וּהוּ בִגְבוּרֹתָ֑יו הַֽ֝לְל֗וּהוּ כְּרֹ֣ב גֻּדְלֽוֹ׃
3 הַֽ֭לְלוּהוּ בְּתֵ֣קַע שׁוֹפָ֑ר הַֽ֝לְל֗וּהוּ בְּנֵ֣בֶל וְכִנּֽוֹר׃
4 הַֽ֭לְלוּהוּ בְתֹ֣ף וּמָח֑וֹל הַֽ֝לְל֗וּהוּ בְּמִנִּ֥ים וְעוּגָֽב׃
5 הַֽלְל֥וּהוּ בְצִלְצְלֵי־שָׁ֑מַע הַֽ֝לְל֗וּהוּ בְּֽצִלְצְלֵ֥י תְרוּעָֽה׃
6 כֹּ֣ל הַ֭נְּשָׁמָה תְּהַלֵּ֥ל יָ֗הּ הַֽלְלוּ־יָֽהּ׃
Psalm 150 in the Catholic Douay-Rheims Bible
The Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain. It follows the Greek and Latin numbering, so this psalm is Psalm 150 there.
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1 Praise ye the Lord in his holy places: praise ye him in the firmament of his power.
2 Praise ye him for his mighty acts: praise ye him according to the multitude of his greatness.
3 Praise him with sound of trumpet: praise him with psaltery and harp.
4 Praise him with timbrel and choir: praise him with strings and organs.
5 Praise him on high sounding cymbals: praise him on cymbals of joy:
6 let every spirit praise the Lord. Alleluia.
Psalm 150 in Latin
The Clementine Vulgate, public domain, where this psalm is Psalm 150.
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1 Alleluja. Laudate Dominum in sanctis ejus; laudate eum in firmamento virtutis ejus.
2 Laudate eum in virtutibus ejus; laudate eum secundum multitudinem magnitudinis ejus.
3 Laudate eum in sono tubæ; laudate eum in psalterio et cithara.
4 Laudate eum in tympano et choro; laudate eum in chordis et organo.
5 Laudate eum in cymbalis benesonantibus; laudate eum in cymbalis jubilationis.
6 Omnis spiritus laudet Dominum ! Alleluja.
Printable Psalm 150: free, large print and PDF
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Psalm 150 at a glance
| Verses | 6 |
| Heading in the text | No heading |
| Attributed to | Not named in the text. The psalm has no heading. |
| Type | Hallelujah and Praise |
| Number in Greek and Latin Bibles | Psalm 150, the same |
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Psalm 150 in other translations
This page prints the World English Bible and the King James Version because both are public domain. The NIV, ESV, NKJV, NLT and NASB are under copyright, so they cannot be printed in full here. You can read Psalm 150 in those translations at Bible Gateway.
Where Psalm 150 belongs
Hallelujah psalmsBook 5 of the PsalmsPsalm 151, the extra psalm
How this page was made
The psalm text comes from public domain translations and is not edited. The summary, the verse notes and the answers are written for this page from the text of the psalm itself. Where a claim goes beyond the text, it is sourced below.
Sources
- Text: World English Bible and King James Version, both public domain, from ebible.org source
- Hebrew text: Westminster Leningrad Codex, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Douay-Rheims: Douay-Rheims Bible, 1899 edition, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Latin text: Clementine Vulgate, public domain, from ebible.org source
- Numbering: Greek and Latin psalm numbering, Wikipedia, Psalms source