John Calvin Commentary Psalms 148

Praise Jehovah from the heavens. He seems here to include the stars as well as the angels, and therefore heaven itself, the air, and all that is generated in it; for afterwards a division is made when he first calls upon angels, then upon the stars, and the waters of the firmament.

With regard to the angels, created as they were for this very purpose—that they might be diligent in this religious service—we need not wonder that they should be placed first in order when the praises of God are spoken of. Accordingly, in that remarkable vision which Isaiah describes (Isaiah 6:3), the cherubim cry out—Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Hosts. And in several other places of Scripture the angels are represented as praising God by such ascriptions.

How, then, can zeal like theirs need exhortations? Or, if they require to be incited, what can be more unseemly than that we, who are so sluggish in the service, should presume to exhort them to their duty? David, then, who did not equal the angels in zeal, but came far behind them, was not qualified to be an exhorter to them.

But this was not his purpose either; he would simply testify that it was the height of his happiness and desire to join in sacred concert with elect angels in praising God. And there is nothing unreasonable that, in order to stir himself up in the praises of God, he should call upon the angels as companions, although these run spontaneously in the service and are better suited to lead the way.

He calls them, in the second part of the verse—the armies of God; for they stand always ready to receive his orders. Ten thousand times ten thousand surround his throne, as Daniel says (Daniel 7:10). The same name is also applied to the stars, both because they are remarkable for the order which prevails among them and because they execute with inconceivable quickness the orders of God. But the angels are here called armies for the same reason they are elsewhere principalities and powers, since God exerts his power by their hands.

Praise him, you sun and moon. This passage gives no support to the dream of Plato, that the stars excel in sense and intelligence. Nor does the Psalmist give them the same place as he had just assigned to angels, but merely indicates that the glory of God is everywhere to be seen, as if they sang his praises with an audible voice.

And here he tacitly reproves the ingratitude of man, for all would hear this symphony if they were at all attentive to considering the works of God. For does not the sun by his light, heat, and other marvelous effects, praise his Maker? When the stars run their course, and also adorn the heavens and give light to the earth, do they not sound the praises of God? But as we are deaf and insensible, the Psalmist calls upon them as witnesses to reprove our indolence.

By the heavens of heavens, he no doubt means the spheres. Eclipses and other things we observe plainly show both that the fixed stars are above the planets, and that the planets themselves are placed in different orbits.

The excellence of this contrivance the Psalmist justly commends, speaking expressly of the heavens of heavens; not as if there were really more heavens than one, but to extol the matchless wisdom which God has shown in creating the heavens; for the sun, moon, and stars are not confusedly mixed together, but each has its own position and station assigned to it, and their manifold courses are all regulated.

Since by the heavens he includes the air, or at least all the space from the middle region of the air upwards, he calls rains the waters above the heavens. There is no foundation for the conjecture some have made that there are waters deposited above the four elements. And when the Psalmist speaks of these waters as being above, he clearly points to the descent of the rain.

It is adhering too strictly to the letter of the words used to conceive that there were some sea in the heavens where the waters are permanently deposited. For we know that Moses and the Prophets ordinarily speak in a popular style, suited to the most basic understanding. It would be absurd, then, to try to conform what they say to the rules of philosophy.

For example, in the passage before us, the Psalmist notes the marvelous fact that God holds the waters suspended in the air, because it seems contrary to nature that they should rise up, and also that, though fluid, they should hang in empty space. Accordingly, it is said elsewhere that they are held there as enclosed in bottles (Psalms 33:7). The Psalmist has borrowed this form of expression from Moses, who says, that the waters were divided from the waters (Genesis 1:6).

Let them praise the name, etc. As he speaks of things lacking intelligence, he passes to the third person, from which we infer that his reason for having spoken in the second person previously was to make a deeper impression upon men. And he asks no other praise than that which may teach us that the stars did not make themselves, nor the rains spring from chance; for despite the clear proofs we constantly have before our eyes of the divine power, we with shameful carelessness overlook the great author.

He says emphatically—for He Himself created, intimating that the world is not eternal, as wicked men conjecture, nor made by a concourse of atoms, but that this beautiful order of things which we see, suddenly came into being at the commandment of God. And, speaking of the creation, he adds what is even more noteworthy: that He gave that law to them which remains inviolable.

For many, while they grant that the world was made by God, lapse from this into the senseless notion that now the order of nature operates independently, and that God sits idle in the heavens. The Psalmist therefore rightly insists that the works of God above us in the heavens were not only made by Him, but even now move forward at His disposal. He further emphasizes that not only was a secret power communicated to them at first, but as they fulfill their assigned roles, their operation and service toward their various purposes are dependent on God.

Praise Jehovah, etc. He now comes to the lower parts of the world. Although deviating at the same time from the exact order, he intermingles things produced in the air—lightning, snow, ice, and storms. These should rather have been placed among the former class, but he considers the common understanding of people.

The overall point is that wherever we turn our eyes, we find evidence of the power of God. He speaks first of the whales; for, as he mentions the abysses or deeps immediately afterwards, I have no doubt that by תנינים, tanninim, he means fish of the sea, such as whales.

It is only reasonable to think that material for praising God should be taken from the sea, which is filled with so many wonders. He then ascends to hail, snows, and storms, which he says fulfill the word of God. For it is not by chance that the heavens are clouded, or that a single drop of rain falls from the clouds, or that thunders rage. Instead, all these changes depend on the secret will of God, whether He will show His goodness to humankind by watering the earth, or punish their sins by tempest, hail, or other calamities.

The passage contains instruction of various kinds. For example, when scarcity threatens, however parched the earth may be from prolonged heat, God can promptly send rain to remove the drought as He pleases. If, on the other hand, the seed rots in the ground from constant rains, or the crops do not mature, we should pray for good weather.

If we are alarmed by thunder, we are taught to pray to God; for as He sends it in His anger, He can also calm all the troubled elements. Furthermore, we should not adopt the narrow view of this truth advocated by irreligious people—that things in nature merely move according to the laws established for them from the beginning, while God stands idly by. Instead, we are to hold firmly that God watches over His creatures and that nothing can take place without His immediate control, as we have seen in Psalm 104:4, where it says:

he maketh the winds his messengers,
and his ministers a flaming fire.

Kings of the earth, and so forth. He now turns his address to humanity, on whose behalf he had called for a declaration of God’s praises from creatures, both above and below. Since kings and princes are often blinded by the dazzling influence of their station, thinking the world was made for them and despising God in the pride of their hearts, he particularly calls them to this duty. By mentioning them first, he reproves their ingratitude in withholding their tribute of praise when they are under greater obligations than others.

Since all people are originally equal in their condition, the higher individuals have risen and the nearer they have been brought to God, the more sacredly they are bound to proclaim His goodness. The more intolerable, therefore, is the wickedness of kings and princes who claim exemption from this common rule, when they should instead instill it in others and lead the way.

He could have addressed his exhortation summarily to everyone at once, as indeed he mentions peoples in general terms. However, by specifying princes three times, he suggests that they are slow to discharge this duty and need to be urged to do it. Then follows a division according to age and sex, to show that all without exception are created for this purpose and should unitedly devote their energies to it.

As for old men, the more God has lengthened their lives, the more they should be engaged in singing His praises. But He joins young men with them, for though they may have less experience from long habit, it will be inexcusable if they do not acknowledge the great mercy of God in the vigor of their lives.

In speaking of girls or virgins, the particle גם, gam, also, is not merely a filler word but is added to make the words more emphatic. This conveys the truth that even young women—who, in that era, might not have been as liberally educated as men and were often considered primarily suited for domestic duties—would be neglecting their duty if they did not join with the rest of the Church in praising God. It follows that all, from the least to the greatest, are bound by this common rule.