Psalm 148:4
New International Version
Praise him, you highest heavens and you waters above the skies.

New Living Translation
Praise him, skies above! Praise him, vapors high above the clouds!

English Standard Version
Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!

Berean Standard Bible
Praise Him, O highest heavens, and you waters above the skies.

King James Bible
Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens.

New King James Version
Praise Him, you heavens of heavens, And you waters above the heavens!

New American Standard Bible
Praise Him, highest heavens, And the waters that are above the heavens!

NASB 1995
Praise Him, highest heavens, And the waters that are above the heavens!

NASB 1977
Praise Him, highest heavens, And the waters that are above the heavens!

Legacy Standard Bible
Praise Him, heavens of heavens, And the waters that are above the heavens!

Amplified Bible
Praise Him, highest heavens, And the waters above the heavens!

Christian Standard Bible
Praise him, highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Praise Him, highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens.

American Standard Version
Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, And ye waters that are above the heavens.

Contemporary English Version
Highest heavens, and the water above the highest heavens, come and offer praise.

English Revised Version
Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Praise him, you highest heaven and the water above the sky.

Good News Translation
Praise him, highest heavens, and the waters above the sky.

International Standard Version
Praise him, you heaven of heavens, and you waters above the heavens.

Majority Standard Bible
Praise Him, O highest heavens, and you waters above the skies.

NET Bible
Praise him, O highest heaven, and you waters above the sky!

New Heart English Bible
Praise him, you heavens of heavens, You waters that are above the heavens.

Webster's Bible Translation
Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that are above the heavens.

World English Bible
Praise him, you heavens of heavens, you waters that are above the heavens.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Praise Him, heavens of heavens, "" And you waters that are above the heavens.

Young's Literal Translation
Praise ye Him, heavens of heavens, And ye waters that are above the heavens.

Smith's Literal Translation
Praise ye him, the heavens of heavens, and the waters above the heavens.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Praise him, ye heavens of heavens: and let all the waters that are above the heavens

Catholic Public Domain Version
Praise him, heavens of the heavens. And let all the waters that are above the heavens

New American Bible
Praise him, highest heavens, you waters above the heavens.

New Revised Standard Version
Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens!
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Praise him, heavens of heavens, and waters that are above the heavens.

Peshitta Holy Bible Translated
Praise him, Heaven of Heavens; The waters higher than the Heavens!
OT Translations
JPS Tanakh 1917
Praise Him, ye heavens of heavens, And ye waters that are above the heavens.

Brenton Septuagint Translation
Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and the water that is above the heavens.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Praise the LORD From the Heavens!
3Praise Him, O sun and moon; praise Him, all you shining stars. 4Praise Him, O highest heavens, and you waters above the skies. 5Let them praise the name of the LORD, for He gave the command and they were created.…

Cross References
Genesis 1:6-8
And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters, to separate the waters from the waters.” / So God made the expanse and separated the waters beneath it from the waters above. And it was so. / God called the expanse “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

Genesis 7:11
In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, on the seventeenth day of the second month, all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.

Deuteronomy 10:14
Behold, to the LORD your God belong the heavens, even the highest heavens, and the earth and everything in it.

Nehemiah 9:6
You alone are the LORD. You created the heavens, the highest heavens with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to all things, and the host of heaven worships You.

Job 38:29-30
From whose womb does the ice emerge? Who gives birth to the frost from heaven, / when the waters become hard as stone and the surface of the deep is frozen?

Psalm 33:6
By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all the stars by the breath of His mouth.

Psalm 104:3
laying the beams of His chambers in the waters above, making the clouds His chariot, walking on the wings of the wind.

Psalm 136:5-9
By His insight He made the heavens. His loving devotion endures forever. / He spread out the earth upon the waters. His loving devotion endures forever. / He made the great lights—His loving devotion endures forever. ...

Isaiah 44:24
Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer who formed you from the womb: “I am the LORD, who has made all things, who alone stretched out the heavens, who by Myself spread out the earth,

Isaiah 45:12
It is I who made the earth and created man upon it. It was My hands that stretched out the heavens, and I ordained all their host.

Jeremiah 10:12-13
The LORD made the earth by His power; He established the world by His wisdom and stretched out the heavens by His understanding. / When He thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; He causes the clouds to rise from the ends of the earth. He generates the lightning with the rain and brings forth the wind from His storehouses.

Jeremiah 51:15-16
The LORD made the earth by His power; He established the world by His wisdom and stretched out the heavens by His understanding. / When He thunders, the waters in the heavens roar; He causes the clouds to rise from the ends of the earth. He generates the lightning with the rain and brings forth the wind from His storehouses.

Ezekiel 1:22-26
Spread out above the heads of the living creatures was the likeness of an awesome expanse, gleaming like crystal. / And under the expanse, their wings stretched out toward one another. Each one also had two wings covering its body. / When the creatures moved, I heard the sound of their wings like the roar of many waters, like the voice of the Almighty, like the tumult of an army. When they stood still, they lowered their wings. ...

Daniel 12:3
Then the wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever and ever.

Matthew 5:45
that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.


Treasury of Scripture

Praise him, you heavens of heavens, and you waters that be above the heavens.

heavens

Psalm 113:6
Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!

1 Kings 8:27
But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?

2 Corinthians 12:2
I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven.

waters

Psalm 104:3
Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters: who maketh the clouds his chariot: who walketh upon the wings of the wind:

Genesis 1:7
And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.

Genesis 7:11
In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.

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Heavens Highest Praise Skies Waters
Psalm 148
1. The psalmist exhorts the celestial
7. The terrestrial
11. And the rational creatures to praise God














Praise Him
The call to "Praise Him" is a directive that echoes throughout the Psalms, urging all creation to acknowledge and glorify God. The Hebrew word for "praise" is "halal," which means to boast or to shine. This word forms the root of "Hallelujah," a term of exuberant worship. The imperative to praise is not just a suggestion but a command, emphasizing the rightful place of God as the object of all adoration. In the context of the Psalms, this call to praise is a reminder of the covenant relationship between God and His creation, where praise is both a duty and a delight.

O highest heavens
The phrase "O highest heavens" refers to the celestial realms beyond the immediate sky. In Hebrew, "shamayim" is the word for heavens, often used to describe the abode of God and the angels. The "highest heavens" suggests a hierarchy within the created order, where even the most exalted parts of creation are called to worship. This reflects the ancient Near Eastern understanding of a multi-layered universe, where the heavens were seen as a series of domes or spheres. Theologically, it underscores God's sovereignty over all realms, visible and invisible, and His worthiness to be praised by all.

and you waters above the skies
The "waters above the skies" hark back to the creation narrative in Genesis 1:7, where God separates the waters above from the waters below. This phrase captures the ancient cosmology where the sky was perceived as a solid dome holding back celestial waters. The Hebrew word "mayim" for waters is often associated with chaos and the unknown, yet here, even these waters are called to praise God, signifying His control over chaos and His ability to bring order. This imagery serves as a powerful reminder of God's creative power and His ongoing sustenance of the universe. It invites believers to trust in God's providence, knowing that all elements of creation, even those beyond human understanding, are under His command and join in the chorus of praise.

(4) Heavens of heavens.--See Psalm 68:33, and references. Before passing downwards to the earth the invocation pauses to combine all the heights, which have been before addressed in the expression which denotes their position relatively to the earth; the highest heaven of all, and then the world of water which, in the Hebrew conception of the Cosmos, was supposed to be the foundation, while itself rests on the firmament or heavenly vault. (See Psalm 104:3.)

Verse 4. - Praise him, ye heavens of heavens; i.e. "ye highest heavens" (comp. Deuteronomy 10:14; 1 Kings 8:27; Psalm 68:33). And ye waters that be above the heavens (comp. Genesis 1:7). The clouds are probably intended.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Hebrew
Praise Him,
הַֽ֭לְלוּהוּ (hal·lū·hū)
Verb - Piel - Imperative - masculine plural | third person masculine singular
Strong's 1984: To shine

O highest heavens,
שְׁמֵ֣י (šə·mê)
Noun - masculine plural construct
Strong's 8064: Heaven, sky

and you waters
וְ֝הַמַּ֗יִם (wə·ham·ma·yim)
Conjunctive waw, Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 4325: Water, juice, urine, semen

above
מֵעַ֬ל (mê·‘al)
Preposition-m
Strong's 5921: Above, over, upon, against

the skies.
הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃ (haš·šā·mā·yim)
Article | Noun - masculine plural
Strong's 8064: Heaven, sky


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OT Poetry: Psalm 148:4 Praise him you heavens of heavens You (Psalm Ps Psa.)
Psalm 148:3
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