John Gill Commentary Psalms 150

Praise you the Lord
Or, "hallelujah"; which, in the Targum, Septuagint, and Vulgate Latin versions, is the title of the psalm; and expresses the subject of it, the praise of the Lord;

praise God in his sanctuary ;
in the temple, the house of his sanctuary as the Targum and R Judah; or in heaven, as R. Moses, his holy place, where he is praised by holy angels and glorified saints; or in the church below, of which the sanctuary or temple was a type. The Septuagint, Vulgate Latin, and the eastern versions, render it, "in his Holy Ones"; among his saints, in the assembly of them, where he is to be feared and praised: it may be translated, "in his Holy One" ^F18 ; and be understood of Christ, as it is by Cocceius; who is holy in both his natures, and is often called God's Holy One, and the Holy One of Israel; and whose human nature has a tabernacle or temple, wherein the fulness of the Godhead dwells; and in, and through, and for whom, the Lord is to be praised. Some render it, "for" or "because of his holiness" ^F19 ; the perfection of holiness in him; in which he is glorious and fearful in the praises of, and which appears in all his works of providence and grace;

praise him in the firmament of his power ;
the heaven above us, so called, (Genesis 1:6Genesis 1:7) ; which, in the Hebrew language, has its name from its being spread and expanded over the earth; and, in the Greek and Latin tongues, from the firmness and stability of it; and which is a work of mighty power, and therefore so called; it particularly respects the starry heavens; for the sun, and moon, and stars, were placed in the firmament, (Genesis 1:14–17) ; or the air and atmosphere about us, that presses upon us, and keeps all firm and stable. And now as this shows forth the glory of God, and his handiwork, (Psalms 19:1) ; not only all in it should and do in their way praise the Lord; but especially men on earth, who enjoy the benefit of it. R. Judah understands this of the ark in the temple, called the ark of the Lord's strength.

FOOTNOTES:

• F18: (wvdqb) "in sancto habitaculo suo", Vocceius; "in sancto ejus", Gejerus; (en tw agiw autou) , Symmachus apud Drusium.
• F19: "Ob sanctitatem ejus", Tirinus, Muis; "ob insignem sanctitatem ipsius", Campensis apud Gejerum.

Praise him for his mighty acts
The creation of all things out of nothing; the sustaining of all beings; the government of the world; the redemption of man by Christ, and the wonderful works done by him on earth; the work of grace upon the hearts of his people, and the preservation of them in grace to glory;

praise him according to his excellent greatness ;
or, "according to the multitude of his greatness" ^F20 ; which appears in his nature, perfections, and work, and these both of providence and grace; and in proportion hereunto, and according to the abilities of creatures, angels, and men, is he to be praised; which is giving him the honour due unto his name; see (Psalms 96:8) (106:2) .

FOOTNOTES:

• F20: (wldg brk) "secundum multudinem magnitudinie ejus", V. L. Montanus, Gejerus; so Ainsworth.

Praise him with the sound of the trumpet
Which was used in calling the assembly together, for worship and on other occasions; and at the feast of blowing of trumpets, and in the year of jubilee, (Numbers 10:1Numbers 10:2) (Leviticus 23:23) (Leviticus 25:9Leviticus 25:10) ; and by the priests in temple service, (1 Chronicles 16:6 1 Chronicles 16:42) ; and was typical of the Gospel, which gives a certain and joyful sound, and is the cause and means of praising God, (Isaiah 27:13) ;

praise him with the psaltery ;
to which psalms were sung;

and harp ;
which were instruments of music, both used in divine worship under the former dispensation; and in which David was well skilled and delighted, and appointed proper persons to praise with them, (1 Chronicles 15:20 1 Chronicles 15:21) . They were typical of the spiritual melody made in the hearts of God's people, while they are praising him in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, under the Gospel, (Ephesians 5:19) (Revelation 5:2Revelation 5:8) (Revelation 14:2Revelation 14:3) .

Praise him with the timbrel and dance
Or "pipe" ^F21 ; (See Gill on Psalms 149:3);

praise him with stringed instruments ;
or divers "kinds" ^F23 of instruments not named, as R. Saadiah Gaon; and which, as Aben Ezra says, had all one sound or note; what they were is not known, as also many of them that are particularly mentioned;

and organs ;
which have their name from the loveliness of their sound; these are of ancient original and use, (Genesis 4:21) (Job 21:12) (30:31) ; but were not of the same kind with those now in use, which are of much later invention.

FOOTNOTES:

• F21: (lwxmw) "et tibia", Tigurine version, Junius & Tremellius, Piscator, Gejerus.
• F23: (Mynmb) "varia symphonia", Cocceius.

Praise him upon the loud cymbals
Or "cymbals of hearing"^{x}; that were heard with pleasure and delight, and afar off. The Septuagint and Vulgate Latin versions render it, "well sounding cymbals", which give a grateful sound to the ear. These were made of brass (1 Chronicles 15:19), to which the apostle alludes (1 Corinthians 13:1).

praise him upon the high sounding cymbals
or "cymbals of shouting"^{y}, ovation or triumph, which were used on joyful occasions, as victories, deliverances, and the like, and were used also in the temple service (see 1 Chronicles 16:5, 1 Chronicles 16:42). According to the Targum and Septuagint version, these were three stringed instruments, for so they render the word 'them' in 1 Samuel 18:6.

Now these several instruments of music are named, not as to be used in Gospel times, but because they are expressive of the highest praise and joy shown in former times. They are mentioned to set forth the highest strains and notes of praise in New Testament saints, as well as to denote their heartiness, agreement, and unanimity in this service (Romans 15:6).

FOOTNOTES:

• F24: (emv ylulub) "in cymbalis auditus", Montanus, Vatablus.
• F25: (hewrx ylulub) "in cymbalis jubilationis", V. L. Musculus, Cocceius; "in cymbalis ovationis", Montanus.